My review of Ruland’s Thermenhotel

I found the sleepy city of Bad Herrenalb through a southern Germany trip that I was undertaking together with my wife. While in the nearby city of Karlsruhe, we heard about the great saunas and outdoor activities that you can find and it seemed interesting for a day / night visit. Before we went there, we checked our trusty German hotel site, HRS.de to find prices. On the site, we were quoted a double room for 160Euros / night. To check if there were any local specials, we directly called the hotel, where we were quoted a price of 120 Euros per night. We then booked the room with the operator and planned that trip. We found a small company, owned by a husband and wife team that offers husky dog rides, which we also booked directly with them.

Upon arriving at the hotel, we were greeted by a very friendly English-speaking woman (who we found out was also an American) who not only checked us in to our room, but highlighted the sites and things to do during our stopover in Bad Herrenalb.

We found the hotel to be very modern despite the rustic settings. The hotel featured large windows and modern amenities. While walking around, we spotted some much more “quaint” hotel locations, but liking modern settings, we were very happy with our choice.

The hotel is located on top of a hill, above the city of Bad Herrenalb. To get you to the train station, and local health club, where you can enjoy total relaxation, the Hotel has a private train that will take you up and down on demand. Fantastic.

The city was very nice, and we found a few nice places to eat and try the local food. We went on a trek into the mountain and followed a number of paths, enjoying the clean air and mountain scenery.

When we returned from our trek, to prepare for our husky trip, we were astounded to find many senior citizens around the hotel . It seems that the hotel also hosts many seniors that are “recovering” from illness. They choose to stay there due to the fact that a hospital / therapy center is nearby.

In the night, we found most of the bars in the town closed. However, upon returning the hotel bar was open and we were able to enjoy drinks there. I highly recommend trying the local “Rothaus” beer. It is even better on tap.

Up until this point, our stay was perfect.

When we woke up the next day to move to our next city, we packed and then went to check out.

At the front desk the friendly American was not present and instead the manager, Ms. Martina Schaefer, greeted us. When she presented the bill to us, I saw that the price for the room night was 165 Euro, not the 120 Euros I was quoted on the phone. When I informed Ms. Schaefer of this problem, she looked up the reservation and found the woman with whom I had spoken with days earlier. She told me that I was wrong and she had in fact said 165 Euros per night. She then opened up a prospect and showed me that the daily rate for a SINGLE was 120 and that we had a double. She then changed her story and told me that I told her I wanted a single and that she DID say 120 Euros.

I tried to reason with the woman, but she would have none of it. I told her that we travel for a living, and I ALWAYS state that I require a Double. It’s a rooky mistake, which I would never do. She said this was the price, and it was final. I then asked to speak to Ms. Schaefer, but was told that she had left and was unavailable. I left and then called my credit card company to dispute the charge.

Before writing this review, I attempted to contact the hotel again to see if this was not just a case of a bad service rep not understanding a problem. When I called, I asked to speak with a manager and was surprised to find that Ms. Martina Schaefer had answered the phone. I had explained the above story, in its entirety to Ms. Schaefer who listened to everything. At the end of my explanation she was also unwilling to help, and when I informed her that I would state this on my review, she seemed unfazed, telling me that it was fine with her. She then asked for me to send her a written statement of my complaint, after the fact of this review.

While normally I would highly recommend this hotel to travelers, I have to now recommend to stay away. I am getting the feeling that this hotel has gotten to used to scam unsuspecting seniors, whom usually frequent the hotel. In my case, their English speaking abilities seem to falter when there is a problem with the bill. It all smells so much like a scam to me, I would warn others to stay away.

While this hotel is not recommended, the village of Bad Herrenalb is highly recommended to visit for a day. I would however chose one of the probably more trustworthy and rustic hotels situated in the woods around the city!