We just completed our tour package with Conde Nast Travel for BMW - Yes we are staying at 5 star hotels but I am a little hesitant about the dress code advise that our agent told us. We have limited space for our suitcases in the small trunk and she is telling us that all the hotel restaurants require jacket and tie for the men - which then means something dressy for me. Is this true ? We were told this for Capri last year and we did not see one man in a jacket except the waiters. Please help - we leave in a few days. Thanks

When I think of how many Germans dress, this question makes me laugh.

Thanks Keroauc - we feel the same way but we don't want to be turned away from the restaurants that we have already paid for ! I know that the casino in Baden-Baden requires a jacket or you can rent one there - but the hotel restaurants ?

I would contact the hotel restaurants myself and ask this question.

Hi JS,

>..she is telling us that all the hotel restaurants require jacket and tie for the men - which then means something dressy for me. <

Not necessarily.

What do you mean by "dressy" for you?

>I know that the casino in Baden-Baden requires a jacket.

So, DH will have a jacket.
It's very unlikely that the hotel will require a tie for DH, but it doesn't take up much room.

Hi JerseySue,

Germany, as you know, is more formal than is Capri. And of course a restaurant in a 5-star hotel will be at the high end of the formal scale.

Usually these hotels have more than one restaurant though. See if they have a more casual restaurant where you could use your voucher/payment.

I really like WillTravel's advice the best -- ask each hotel's concierge.

s

I recently returned from a tour of Spain. One of our group members asked our tour guide how we should dress for a Flamenco dinner. He replied, "If you're seated next to Italians, you'll be underdressed; if you're seated next to Germans, you'll be overdressed."

Thanks guys - so I guess I shouldn't panic - A jacket and A tie for DH and a packable black dress for me should be fine - Thanks !!

A few months ago, a friend took us to dinner at the Kempinski in Munich, clearly 5-stars. We did not know we would be eating there and felt we would be underdressed. Our host came down from the presidential suite wearing jeans and a sweatshirt for dinner. This was not one of the other restaurants in the hotel.

Lederhosen? gt;

Hi J,

>A jacket and A tie for DH and a packable black dress for me should be fine.

Absolutely.

Thanks guys ! Has anyone stayed at the Bayerischer Hof in Munich ? or the Sofitel ? That's the 2 that we are at in Munich - we can only stay the first night at the Bayerischer Hof because of the World Leaders convention there in May.

JerseySue,

asking about what to wear usually will produce advice that you should wear whateer you want and are comfortable in around here.

I happen to disagree. Hotel restaurants in German 5* hotels do indeed tend to be a bit formal - and in general you'd be well advised to wear something smart rather than too casual.

However, these days a tie isn't as much a requirement as it used to be a few years ago.
Either a suit or a combination of a sports jacket and some nice pants would be fine for a gentleman. There are also perfectly acceptable outfits that are neither, but a lot depends on good taste in these instances.
A black dress for a lady is always right, isn't it?

I have stayed at the Sofitel in Munich - which is my favourite hotel in the city. It is rather casual for a 5*, but also attracts a smartly dressed clientele. But definitely no need for a tie there. Think modern design hotel like a W Hotel there.
The Bayerischer Hof is more stuffy and more conservative.

When people here mention that they have dined with other tourists who just wore Sweaters and Jeans, this might be true, but does not imply that any such outfit was the right choice.

You will probably find many 5-star hotels in Germany have more than one restaurant, usually one casual and one more formal. For example, in Baden-Baden, the Dorint/Sofitel's Theaterkeller is more casual, no need to dress up at all. But they also have a more formal (and expensive) restaurant where you would want to wear something a little dressier. I don't know if a jacket and tie are required, but it's not a restaurant where you would feel comfortable in jeans.
Fortunately, while the dress code may be lax (or nonexistent) in a German 5-star hotel's casual restaurant, the food will still be to high standards. The Theaterkeller serves some of the best food we've had in Germany (and that is high praise, we love German cuisine).

Outside of Baden-Baden, we stayed (and dined) at Buehlerhoehe Schlosshotel. One of the restaurants there is Michelin-rated, and the menu outside the restaurant stated that a jacket was required for men.

The other restaurant was certainly no slouch - we had a wonderful gourmet meal - and we went to dinner (it was late, and we weren't planning on going in, but decided to anyway) in nice jeans, nice shoes, topped with a buttondown for him and a smart, cashmere sweater for me.

In the Meridiens we stayed in in Stuttgart and Munich (and these would probably be more casual than the hotels you've mentioned), I can't imagine a tie or jacket being required.

"When people here mention that they have dined with other tourists who just wore Sweaters and Jeans, this might be true, but does not imply that any such outfit was the right choice."

My friend is my no means a tourist in Germany. Prehaps we got away with this dress because he is a regular customer of the hotel.

One can usually get away with anything if the place one is dining in has any class.

I thought the OP wanted to know what would be the appropriate thing to do. And I happen to believe firmly that one can indeed be comfortable and dress smartly at the same time. So there's no reason not to do it.

Suggestion: Buy and wear (on the plane) a light weight black or dark blue sport coat. Carry a folded tie in a pocket.
Dress codes are a means of assuring other restaurant patrons of an upscale experience. Males need to understand that their mates want them to look 'good'. You will be treated as you appear to the staff.

I'll be interested in your trip report about how people were actually dressed in those dining rooms.

I also wonder why that tour company isn't using the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Munich.

The Dorint Sofitel Bayerpost is my favorite hotel in München. It is a designer's dream: ultra-contemporary behind a historical facade. Make sure to use the swimming-pool - it is unique.

Let a German speak about dress codes in German restaurants:

It is pretty much the same as in the USA, maybe a little less formal.

In a good restaurant, there will be many business people in suits and ties. However, if people come privately to such restaurants, "smart casual" will be okay: nice jeans, polo shirt, nice sweater, nice shoes. Sweat shirt or t-shirt would not be appropriate. You would not feel comfortable.

What counts is the overall appearance, clean and neat.

It is a long time ago that hotel restaurants refused guests without jacket and tie (it may still happen in the Vier Jahreszeiten, but not in the Dorint Sofitel Bayerpost).