ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE HOTELS IN GERMANY
When I first heard about the hotel and saw its website, I was amused! It seemed to be retirement home and not a hotel! Well, it is actually both (and there's a separate website for the hotel as well!)! The concept of the hotel is unique and simple. Its a huge apartment/hotel and has several senior citizens residing there. The rooms which are not occupied by them, serve as hotel rooms, that's about 20 rooms.
The first thing that attracted me here is the extensive greenery. Being a retirement home, its made with absolute care to suit their needs. There is a beautiful waterbody with some lotuses as well as some sculptures of cranes! There is a porch roofed with greenery which lends all the shade. The icing of the cake are wind-chimes and paper hot air balloon decor. There are so many flowering plants all over. Ofcourse there are seating arrangements and huge umbrellas. Spending the evenings in the outdoors here is such a blessing! This is a pet-friendly hotel, so that's a plus point.
The best part - quite a few senior residents here were charmed by Atyudarini!!!!! If you seek solitude, ofcourse no one would disturb you; but if you are up for it, smile and strike a conversation with one of the residents, and they can spend the entire evening sitting in the garden, chatting with them! That is exactly what makes this hotel one of the most unique hotels in Germany!
Being a senior residence, the corridors have railings on the sides. The rooms are huuuuuge! Being the same layout as the residences, the rooms, are very vast with a separate living room, bedroom & kitchen and a balcony as well! Its one of the largest city hotel rooms I've stayed in. The size of a double room, feels like the ones in resorts and not in city hotels! Seriously that makes Hotel Residenz am Zuckerberg the best of hotels in Trier. There are so many closets & shelves! There is a coat stand & luggage rack. The windows have a shutter that can be operated by a touch of a button.
They provided us with a baby cot in the bed room. The living room is complete with sofa, coffee table, dining table and tv. There is a balcony as well which has a table and 2 chairs. We did have our lunch in our balcony and its really nice to be surrounded by the chirps of birds and gentle breeze!
The rooms have mini cafe, mini bar, as well as all dishes & cutlery to cook your own food. However basic cooking stuff like oil, salt or pepper is unavailable. I'd appreciate if the hotel considers providing them on request, probably for an small extra payment. I normally cook baby food if I'm staying in Airbnb, but carrying or buying oil, salt, pepper etc would be too much of effort, when the stay is hardly 3-4 days long.
The bathroom is ofcourse designed keeping in mind the needs of senior citizens. There are railings beside the toilet and shower to hold on. There is a movable, floor towel stand, again seniors friendly. There is an SOS alarm bell just beside the shower, in case the seniors have an accident while bathing. Very very thoughtful indeed. Hairdryer and mini toiletries are in place like regular hotels.
Buffet breakfast is decent, but not very vegetarian friendly, just like most hotels I've been too, in Europe. We would just have to fill up with bread, spreads and cereals. Do consider going for an early breakfast. Since its the same buffet used by the residents as well, they do visit early and half-way through the breakfast time, most of the things are already over... Though you can sit inside, you can take it out & eat in the porch too!
There is a small meeting room, laundry room and library in the ground floor. Plus there are also a sauna and whirlpool in the underground floor!!!
There is an inner courtyard as well which has trees and unkempt shrubs yielding it a forest look! However be careful that you carry your key with you when you head here. The doors that lead back in cannot be opened from outside without a key!!! Yes, the stupid me did get stuck there for some time (yeah, I didn't have my phone in hand too!!!) before I spotted a gentleman and asked him to open the door for me from inside!!!!!
PLACES TO SEE IN TRIER (RLP erleben! - let's visit RLP):
Here is the best news - you could probably stay in this hotel for free!!! Students can stay here for free, in exchange of spending some quality time with the seniors, which would include chatting with them, reading to them, going for a walk, playing or cooking or crafting with them etc. No, don't worry, it does NOT mean nursing or cleaning them!!! Though you're required to spend only 35 hours a month with the seniors (that's hardly an hour per day), you'll have to be here for atleast 6 months (yes, its more suitable for students of Trier University)!
Details & application form for rent-free students stay - Residence-WG Project
On Google Maps: Residenz am Zuckerberg Hotel
Nearest Railway Station: Trier HBF
From Trier HBF: 1.5km (20 mins walk or 9 mins walk + 5 mins bus)
Hotel's website: Residenz am Zuckerberg
To Book online: Booking.com; Tripadvisor.com
Room rates begin at €79 (for double room)
Breakfast: €12.50
Breakfast: €12.50
Hotel Ph no: +49 651 97930
P.S: I was invited by Trier Tourism to experience the city for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
I love that your space had a kitchen. That is honestly more realistic for travelers. People often want to have the ability to cook in their space and stay somewhere within budget. This place looks perfect for that!
ReplyDeleteHaving a kitchen is nice, will help to save on ordering foods outside. Also a nice place for family getaway.
DeleteIs this really a retirement place? Such a lovely and homey place for seniors, now I wonder if this could be a great investment. You are right, the greenery is splendid.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place for a retirement home, I wish they were all like this! Also, I've never seen one combined with a hotel, it's such a unique concept. I love that there's a lot of green and the library looks lovely and very well stocked too!
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that the breakfast wasn't vegetarian friendly. We always do research beforehand and get in touch with the location to make sure there are options. We believe that making dietary preferences known is far preferable to not mentioning it as change will not happen unless the need is known.
ReplyDeleteWow what a pretty hotel -- all the greenery is very relaxing as you mention. It's cool that they reserve some space for senior citizens. I imagine it would be a quiet and serene accommodation. The best feature in my opinion is the mini working kitchen! I much prefer to cook when possible during my travels so this would be a huge plus to me!
ReplyDeleteHaving a kitchen in your accommodation is SO IMPORTANT! Especially if you're a budget traveler. In fact, even if you aren't, I love having the ability to cook. I love visiting the local supermarkets, farmer markets, and making dishes while exploring a new place. But what a cool idea of combining a retirement home with a hotel! Truly unique!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a lovely place to stay! The kitchen looks gorgeous and there's a lot of greenery around!
ReplyDeleteThis concept of using the site as a retirement home and a hotel definitely sounds unique, and I guess that also gives one a chance to meet the residents in the common areas and get to learn from them about the region. That peaceful walkway with its green canopy and the lotus growing in the waterbody really set a lovely backdrop to what seems to be quite a well equipped hotel. I can imagine how charming those wind chimes must sound while strolling through this garden. Having safety features such as railings in the bathrooms and corridors, spacious rooms as well as being a pet friendly site are definitely plus points. I wish though they could have more options for vegetarians in their breakfast buffet. It is really amazing to know that students in the area have an option for staying here for free by spending some quality time with the seniors– what an amazing find!
ReplyDeleteI love that students can stay here for free if they spend some quality time with the seniors. It sounds like a great experience for both generations. I also love all the greenery here. It looks like a very peaceful place!
ReplyDeleteWow! Honestly, I haven't heard about this kind of concept before. I love that it serves as a Hotel and have a retirement home kind of vibes. The laundry room, and library in the ground floor is truly interesting. Indeed, you really had an amazing stay here. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique hotel with a very interesting combination of hotel, student dorm, and retirement home. I love the concept of students staying for free in exchange for some quality time with the seniors. This surely makes the hotel a very attractive option for international students and students from other cities.
ReplyDeleteI'm hearing this retirement homes cum hotel for the first time. We do have many luxury resorts and vacation rentals in Florida where old people from north comes and stay there to beat the cold. I also liked that student can stay free in exchange of some volunteer work. For how many days have you stayed here?
ReplyDeleteYou end up staying in some of the nicest places around Europe. I travel quite a lot around Germany and often stop in small towns. I am always happy when my company provides something like this :)
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see that the hotel caters to the needs of senor citizens. Pity that there aren't too many vegetarian food options though. I love the inner courtyard, looks nice and peaceful!
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