Air conditioning in Munich
 

Fodorites,
Thanks for your wonderful response to my request for information on Munich hotels. How important is air conditioning in late July? Would you make air conditioning a consideration when choosing a hotel?

Thanks again for your help.

We were there in early July last year, did not have air-con, and it was no big deal. If fact, one of the days we were there, a cold front (!!!) blew in and it was in the 50s that night. You kind of get used to not having air-con when you are over there. We were in Munich for the last of our trip, so it was fine. However, had Munich been our first stop, it might have bothered us a bit more.

While Munich is not as hot as Italy - it is still the summer - and you can easily get days over 90 - we did.

I never stay anywhere in europe now in the summer - except Dublin - without AC - since if I'm hot and sweaty I can;t sleep and get REALLY REALLY cranky.

(Our hotel did not have AC, nor cross-ventilation and we sweltered [I took 3 showers that night.] The beau was up at 5 am calling others to find one with AC - and all he could find was an incredibly expensive suite - but he said it was worth every penny.)

But - you know yourself best - if heat doesn't bother you that much - then take the chance.

July:
2 days > 90F in 2005
0 days > 90F in 2004
3 days > 90F in 2003
0 days > 90F in 2002
0 days > 90F in 2001
0 days > 90F in 2000
;-)

Source: www.wetteronline.de

I feel I just have to write this to put things into perspective. :-) I was born and lived in Munich all my life. People here normally don't have A/C and aren't used to having it. Everybody is well ;-) and it's fun to spend summer in Munich. Summer is just a time, where you (sometimes) have to adjust to a different lifestyle and spend more time outside getting to bed later, if it happens to be warmer than usual. It's part of the experience! You miss a lot, if you don't understand and adopt to life in the country you're visiting. (It's not only beergardens, that are more fun, when you actually wan't do drink someting cold)
The answer about being "cranky" is rather bizzar, imho. "I'm only feeling o.k. with A/C but of course expect all the others around me to be nice and friendly in the morning". Again, imho only if you can adopt and understand the way of life in other countries it'll have been a "good" holiday. No having A/C in Germany is only a tiny! part of it.

Again, it isn't the heat it is the HUMIDITY. I'm all for getting used to different lifestyles but if A/C isn't an "issue" in Munich then why do so many of the hotels there now have it?

It's because YOU want it and pay extra money for it. It's not because we wan't or need it. Easy ;-)

That would be my guess too - that foreigners travelling to Germany want AC AND will pay a premium for it, so the hotels are putting it in.

We are also travelling to Germany in July and none of our hotels have AC. I am not particularly worried about it though - we have warmer temps in the summer at home and we get along fine without AC here.

We were miserable for 3 nights in our Munich hotel in June 2003 w/o AC. No way to get any kind of air movement and it was very hot and stuffy.

What we experienced was typical for Germany, but, with my excellent hindsight, I would gladly have paid more for AC and wouldn't have minded at all if we didn't need to use it.

We were pretty listless and grouchy on that part of the trip with little sleep and general discomfort.

Mis-keyboarded. Meant to say: What we experienced was NOT typical for Germany, ...

Summer 2003 was exceptionally hot. It is not that hot every year.

But it could be that hot in any year. No one can tell in advance.

So, spend a few extra euro as insurance, or save the money and hope for a year that isn't hot and humid? Some will rather save the money, others will rather pay for AC that they might or might not need.

Although we've lived in Europe without AC for several years, when we go on holiday (in Germany and Austria) we like to have it. And in the summer of 2003, not having AC did make many days pretty miserable.
All other things being equal, for a summer holiday in Munich, I would certainly pick a hotel with AC over one without. However, if your budget puts hotels with AC beyond your limit or you're particularly interested in a hotel that doesn't have AC, request a room that gets afternoon shade. If you get a room with afternoon sun, it will get hotter and stay that way well into the evening hours.
A well ventilated room with afternoon shade and with tile or hardwood floors can be surprisingly comfortable even on warm, muggy days.