Schloss Elmau

Everyone loves dogs right? So cute! The way they love their master unconditionally. The way they bark until 2am on the terrace outside your room. Lovely. After 1 night ruined by a barking dog on the terrace of the room below, reception told me there was no dog registered there. And if there were there are very strict rules about how they are kept. Anyway I then saw the dog, asked reception again and was told he shouldn’t be there, but would be gone tomorrow. Next day I saw from outside that the room was empty and was looking forward to a quiet night. My wife lying on our balcony told me she just heard a dog barking - in the room next to ours. Stress levels risng. This dog turned out to be quiet at night. Though he barked if we went on our balcony - defending his territory I guess. They gave us a bottle of champagne but wouldn’t let us move away from what was obviously the dog section of the hotel. (The 2 floors below reception in the Retreat). They are also a little noisy in the afternoon due to being below the restaurant terrace. I love this hotel otherwise and will go back again next year. I just found it very disappointing that having known that the dog issue was inconveniencing us, they then moved another dog in next door. Way to treat a customer who has returned 5 years in a row.

Unfortunately, due to an unexpected family emergency, we had to cut short our vacation and return home just before what should have been our first stay at Schloss Elmau. We had booked two rooms at The Retreat for four nights and, given the very last-minute nature of the situation, contacted Schloss Elmau to explain what had happened. The way the hotel responded was truly exceptional. With great understanding, empathy, and flexibility, Schloss Elmau agreed to cancel our son's room without charge and move our four-night stay in the Junior Suite to the same period next year. Considering that our scheduled arrival date had already arrived when everything had to be rearranged, we certainly did not take this level of flexibility for granted. I believe the true quality of a five-star hotel is not only demonstrated by its rooms, restaurants, spa, or facilities. It is perhaps demonstrated even more clearly by the way it treats its guests when circumstances suddenly change and things do not go according to plan. The understanding, humanity, and genuine willingness of Schloss Elmau to find a solution for us speak volumes about the values of this hotel and the people who represent it. We have not even had the opportunity to stay at Schloss Elmau yet, but the hotel has already made a lasting impression on us. This, to me, is hospitality at its very best. Our sincere thanks to everyone at Schloss Elmau who helped make a difficult situation considerably easier for our family. We now look forward to finally experiencing Schloss Elmau next year even more than we did before.

This is a very beautiful hotel in the German Alps. It is super clean and big and spacious, and there is a lot to do on the aerial. There you can do many activities such as the photography course. There is many amenities that you can use like a pool or a fitness studio. The breakfast is very yummy especially the Benedict. My sister: I especially liked the creative club because you can be creative there.

We visited Schloss Elmau with friends for a long weekend this summer. It was a hotel we had long wanted to visit and we enjoyed our stay because we were with friends. The hotel and the grounds are lovely, and staff were also friendly and helpful. The Japanese restaurant - at the Summit Pavillion - was fantastic for sashimi and sushi (one note, we requested a particular wine we’d had at the lounge in The Hideaway and the sommelier requested we ask her to select something similar because otherwise someone would have to fetch the wine from the Hideaway - again, this is a five star hotel). The staff at the lounge / bar in the Hideaway were attentive and generous particularly with our children - the bar food here was actually great. The general bistro restaurant in the Hideaway was fine if not somewhat bland and machine-like. The breakfasts - in the same bistro - were great and a real highlight. We stayed in the Hideaway. Our room was very spacious, clean and had a lovely view, however no air-conditioning. We would have thought, for a hotel to claim five stars, air-conditioning would be standard, basic even, at the very least. The weather was hot and muggy so we slept with open balcony doors as the room was otherwise airless, too hot and uncomfortable - like a greenhouse. One benefit was, I suppose, that we were able to hear the rolling thunderstorms in the night that provided some fresh air and a breeze for a while. When we double-checked regarding the air conditioning at check-out we were told that we could have a fan next time, and otherwise we were given a blank stare and a shrug as soon as air-conditioning was mentioned (not sure if The Retreat has aircon). We enjoyed the family pool in the Retreat building, and enjoyed massages with time spent afterwards in the adults only pool at The Retreat. The other family pool, down the hillside, had too many horseflies to enjoy and relax - it was also a little shabby and in need of updates. Overall we enjoyed the stay but left with a feeling that this is a hotel which trades on a reputation it no longer feels the need to justify - complacency, and believing it is the best because it perhaps once was. We will try again (maybe The Retreat is better suited to us) or maybe next time we’d drive the extra few hours into Austria to the Forsthofgut.

We had high expectations of this hotel from reviews and a TV programme, however the experience fell short. The great parts The location is stunning! We enjoyed the outside space and walking up to the restaurant in the hills. Stunning. The pools and spa facilities are excellent and we enjoyed this. The ‘ok’ parts The food was ok - neither outstanding, nor awful. At the BBQ, they ran out of chicken and steak and we had to ask for parts of the buffet to be replenished. The rooms could do with some modernising, but were comfortable (apart from the heat) Not so good Service lacks the attention and professionalism you expect from a 5 star. Areas of the hotel are often short-staffed. Particular issues in reception and the main bar. Restaurants generally better. There a no air conditioning in rooms. This is a major issue in the summer heat. They will provide fans, but they simply circulate warm air. So, whilst we did enjoy the break and chose not to let the issues affect us, we will not return and will seek alternatives that offer better value and a genuine 5 star experience.