Hopper Hotel St. Josef, WorldHotels Crafted

What a gem! I needed a hotel close to Cologne centre with single room. What I found was a former Stift (nunnery). I have never had a small room so well equipped with anything you may want. Everything spottless, with crisp bedlinen an inspired bathroom arrangement. Breakfast, in the old chapel, with a well stocked buffet. Reception was fabulous, fresh water and free ice cream was superb during the heatwave. If I had anything to moan about, I'd say fluffier towels please.

A beautiful hotel with some history. Most of the rooms are a little smaller, but very well thought out and functional. Simple, clean, and inviting. Not all the rooms have AC, yuck. But it was still a nice and comfortable visit. If public transportation is your preferred way of getting around, it's totally possible from this location but somewhat clunky. THE best part of our stay was the staff. What a wonderful and inviting crew of people working this hotel. A true gem of a group.

We spent several days at this hotel and found that a basic service was not provided: of the many television channels advertised, only a very few were working, and neither the public channels nor the sports channels had any reception. This was particularly frustrating because we had specifically planned to watch the Olympic Games in Milano/Cortina in the evenings. Instead, the TV system was down. According to the front desk, this was due to a “system upgrade”; yet guests were neither informed in advance nor offered any solution on site. Even more disappointing than the outage itself was the way it was handled. Despite this clear deficiency, the hotel showed no willingness to accommodate guests. Neither a price reduction nor even a small gesture was considered. Instead, we were simply told to “send an email.” This approach to legitimate complaints feels unprofessional and far from service-oriented. The technical setup of the room was also lacking: only one reading lamp for two beds and an outdated speaker system that provides no real benefit in a rather small room. The good location cannot compensate for these shortcomings. Overall, in our view, the price-to-performance ratio is not appropriate.

Old convent, chic: breakfast room is the former chapel with high windows and neo-Gothic vaults, breakfast buffet very good with a wide selection. Negative: Rooms very narrow (I couldn't spread my arms), compactly furnished (e.g. folding table, no storage space), open bathroom (no problem in a single room), no closet. The area is confusing (almost only one-way streets, poor street lighting).

A friend who had been on business to Cologne recommended this hotel, otherwise I may not have found it. It's a bus trip from the main train station (if you have luggage with you) or an Uber ride, which is how I got there. Once there, it was modern, clean, the rooms, while small, had lovely little touches to them like this wonderful shower gel and a bar fridge (fully stocked with all sorts of treats). The bed was comfortable. The staff were friendly and my friend and I loved our short stay. We especially loved the neighbourhood and spent time away from the main street around the cathedral exploring it. The only downside was that it was the height of summer and the room only had a fan. We slept with the window open and the one night the garbage collectors were collecting the road's garbage at about 4am which was VERY noisy. But this was no fault of the hotel and I would definitely go back.

We did not want to stay in the touristy, crowded downtown area of Cologne. Happily we found Hotel St. Josef in South Cologne. The building is a former convent, which lends nice historic bones to the building. The hotel, however, is quite modern, with some fun touches (for example, artwork in the guestroom, a "library" on the main floor, stained glass windows from the building's former life). The neighborhood is quiet and charming, with a number of restaurants within walking distance. There is also a corner store just down the street where one can get drinks and snacks, among other things. The Rhein is about a 10-minute walk away. The Cathedral and the touristy harbor area is about a 20 to 30 minute walk away depending on where one is headed. It is a nice walk, right along the Rhein. Another option is to hop on one the scooters scattered about, which will get you there in about 10 - 15 minutes.

Jonas and Lisa at the front desk were so helpful each day of our stay. They are an asset to this hotel! The rooms are very modern and comfortable in this old monastery. The breakfast room has beautiful stained glass windows and offers a very nice breakfast. We enjoyed our stay here and recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Cologne.

We arrived at the hotel on Thursday 21st November as it was my brothers wedding in Cologne. My brother had booked my family into 3 different rooms and had also phoned twice to double check that all was correct. They had messed up our rooms and when trying to sort out with the girl on reception she was very rude and and told us it was our fault! The whole stay was a complete farce with my sister having to move 3 times, no extra bed in our room so we moved and my Parents room smelt of drains. Reception staff were not helpful and unprofessional especially the girl on reception in 21/11. The manager would only give us as compensation drinks from the mini bar or breakfast. We were visiting for such a special family occasion and it was spoilt by the time spend changing rooms and trying to sort out the mess!