alise

Just returned from Munich, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Mainz....the weather report before I left said mid 70's to 80. WE got instead 90+ except for our last day which was perfect even with the 30 min downpour at St Goar's train station.

It was miserably hot and since the sun is out until 10:30pm it doesn't cool off very fast.

The only hotel that didn't have A/C was the Scandic Offenbach--and they warned about leaving open the balcony door because of mosquitos. It is located directly on the Main river outside of Frankfurt. They had a generous 2 ft x 1 ft screen box on top of the door that allowed in air! HA HA HA

The other hotels (all Hiltons) had AC but even if you ran it all day long on HIGH--when you returned to the room that night--it was still quite warm---80's in the room and only the Mainz Hilton had a window that opened all the way to allow in a breeze. PLUS it was the only hotel that actually had a strong enough AC that cooled the room.

Our 3 nights in Munich required a cold shower at midnight to cool down enough where we felt comfortable sleeping. Even then we resorted to no top sheet!

Otherwise--the trip was fun-once I got over being overheated and spending a fortune on bottled water.

bettyk

I know what you mean. Last May, we were in Vienna during an unseasonably hot spell. Of course, our hotel did not have AC. We did have 2 large windows that opened onto a courtyard, but there was no draft to draw the breeze into our room so it was quite uncomfortable. Fortunately, the rest of our trip was quite pleasant weatherwise.

Bootman4U

We were recently stgaying in LeMeridien in Munich and the A/C in the room even when turned on the coolest setting did not seem to be cooling the room adequately. What to do? Simple..we called the front desk and within minutes an individual from the engineering department appeared and checked out the unit. Within five minutes he had used the hotel's computer system to jack up the cooling power and after that everything was more than adequate.
From my point of view the moral of this story is that if the A/C seems indequate, report it immediately and ask for assistance.
Unfortunately, we had a similar experience in the supposedly very high end Kempenski Atlantic in Hamburg last August and the first room we were shown into didn't even HAVE A/C. We demanded a move and received one immediately. The A/C in the second room was also somewhat inadequate and also very loud. Unfortunately, when we reported this "problem" we were told there was nothing that could be done. Moral to THIS story: just because it is perceived as a plush establishment doesn't always guarantee comfort in a hotel property.

WanderingTexan

Sometimes when traveling in May, the AC system has not been turned on for the year yet, so even though the hotel may have AC, it may not be running! We had this happen in Sicily in May.

alise

It never occurred to us to check with the hotel....my husband has been staying at the Renaissance in Dusseldorf for the past 2 yrs (several times during the summer season) and it is always hot in the rooms even with the AC on full blast. So we just assumed that the AC was kept to a minimum so they could save $$$$$$/or they don't get as cold as we Americans have grown accustomed!.

I would have paid extra to be comfortable!!!!

RachelG

Alas, this is true. However, it can be true in the US also. In Las Vegas, we had A/C (of course), but our room seemed quite hot. We called the front desk and found out that the individual room controls had been overridden as an energy saving measure. And we couldn't open the windows either.

usbeauty

We just returned from Brussels, the Mosel, Munich, Interlaken and Geneva. We had 13 days straight of 85+ weather. The only rain we saw was on the tarmac at Frankfurt, delaying our flight for two hours. We had no AC in any of our rooms; instead we left the balcony doors opened and hoped for a breeze. Of course, around 6AM, European cities start to awaken, garbage trucks and all, so we're happy to be home in the delightfully cool breezes of the Bay Area

richardab

I just returned from Europe during the same heat wave. In London it was hot and the a/c at the Mayfair Milennium worked marginally. I asked the hotel to look at it and they got it to work a bit cooler.

IN Vienna where is was REALLY HOT I stayed at the Kaiserin Elizabeth and i must say the a/c worked fabulously. I was lucky to have a room with A/C since all rooms don't have it.

I have a few tips...

Be sure to ask if the hotel has a/c when reserving. If they have limityed room with a/c be sure to insist on it and get it in writing.

If it is too hot in the room ask the hotel to take a look at it. Sometimes the temperature is actually controlled by the hotel no matter how cold you turn the dial. I noticed that the room was always warmer in the middle of the night. This was probably because the hotel raises the temp at night.

In general a/c in Europe is horrible in stores, museums and restaurants. Oh, and if you ask for a lot of ice in your drink they will look at you like you have 2 heads.

kopp

Last year in Zurich, we were pleased to find A/C in our hotel. They were having a very hot spell, and the unit wouldn't cool very much. The hotel management came up and explained that it's THE LAW in Switzerland that the A/C can cool NO MORE THAN 10 degrees cooler than the outside air - something about energy conservation.

Holly_uncasdewar

Energy conservation? That's a foreign concept to most Americans (pun intended).

BTilke

Have some sympathy for those of us who live in Europe--air conditioning is very rare in homes! And most offices are either unairconditioned or very slightly air conditioned.
We were in Basel and Lugano last week-end and it was VERY hot in both cities. Our hotel in Basel, the Hotel Basel (4 stars), fit into the minimalist school of air conditioning. The Albergo Pestalozzi (2 stars) in Lugano did not have air conditioning, so we ended up showering several times a day to cool off (we should have brought bathing suits and gone for a cooling dip in the lake).
Agree with Richard's post above, the Kaiserin Elisabeth Hotel in Vienna provides more than adequate air conditioning, but you must specifically reserve in advance one of the rooms with AC. In Paris, the Hotel du Cadran near the rue Cler had good air conditioning.
In addition to hotels, don't expect "plush" trains to have AC either. On our way home through Germany on an expensive ICE train, there was no air conditioning in second class. It was unbearable, since you couldn't open the windows and the temperature in the crowded compartment quickly soared to over 100 degrees. After 10-20 minutes, we paid about $100 to upgrade to first class, where we got *some* airconditioning.

BTilke

Kopp, 10 degrees Celsium (not Fahrenheit) can make quite a difference. When it's 33 degrees C outside, 23 degrees inside is pretty comfortable.

ira

Hi Kopp,

10 C is about 18 F, which is all you can expect from most A/C units anyway.

alise

Do you think that because most Europeans aren't used to the level of AC that we are in the states---do they not feel as hot as we do??

Even if you don't have AC do you have access to fans? Those didn't seem very common either? OR is it all a matter of $ and energy conservation so they suffer needlessly???

I guess if you aren't used to having something and you don't know any differently--it isn't a big deal.

well I am off to pick up some pictures from our trip! Can't wait to see how they turned out!

mpprh

Hi

old buildings don't need AC.
They have small windows, lots of shade.
Go to a mission in California to discover how it works.
My house currently has 38C outside, 23C indoors. It's fairly new, but well insulated.

Think about staying in an old castle, instead of a modern concrete block ?

Oops.......... off to my pool to cool down !

Peter
http://tlp.netfirms.com

nicki

I am actually thankful that restaurants, stores, and other buildings in Europe are not so overly air conditioned. I don't have to carry my sweater with me everywhere I go in the summer, like I do in the U.S.! (Although I agree it would be nice to have the option, in a hotel room, of adjusting the temperature to your own individual comfort level.)

kopp

Hello to BTilke & ira, I was speaking of 10F (was told it's actually 6C that they can lower it -- I was doing a quick conversion) - but when it's hot like it's been lately, any amount of A/C feels dreamy. Another good reason to take extra wash cloths - soaked in water, placed on the forehead works wonders!

Kmarie

We were in Germany for 2 1/2 weeks during the heat wave. We found the older hotels we stayed in 2&3 * all stayed pretty cool during the day. They all had large windows that opened and we would get a little breeze at night.

We also were spending a small forture on bottled water and deposits on the containers. We started filling them up in our room and always carring some with us. The water was really quite good. What we really missed was ice in our drinks. We usually don't even enter a McDonalds but they did a great bussiness with us for coke light with the ice. I also ate more ice cream in 2 1/2 weeks then I usually eat in a year.

We usally travel by 2nd class train but decided to spring for 1st class from Munich to Frankfurt. Off course the a/c was out. The train was packed and they had standing room only. There were no windows to open--it was awful. Some of the German bussiness travelers were to say the least not very happy.

LVSue

Richardab, I had to laugh at your comment about ice in drinks! I was staying with a family in Angers during a heat wave. Walking home from school every afternoon in the heat of the day, I would stop in a cafe and get water, asking for "beaucoup de glaçons," upon which I would receive two ice cubes rather than one.

One afternoon I asked the lady I lived with for a glass full of ice cubes. She gave me about 5, and I said, no--fill it up. I poured water in and chugged it. I thought her eyes would pop out of her head. "Crazy Americans."

houdi

Very important subject!! Glad you raised it. Just came back from Budapest on June 25th after 5 days there. The Marriott Budapest, which is an otherwise wonderful hotel, has no air conditioning in the lobby, the hallways and the Executive lounge. The elevators are also boiling in warm weather. So, if you like it cool in your hotel, I would not recommend this hotel in the warmer months.