Premier Victor's Residenz-Hotel/Leipzig
 

Is anyone familiar with Premier Victor's Residenz-Hotel in Leipzig? I just stumbled on it on TripAdvisor and read all good things but couldn't find much on it anywhere else. I'm currently booked at the Furstenhof.

Me again... I just noticed that the candid "guest" photos of this hotel, shown on TripAdvisor, are taken directly from the hotel's website. I'm getting a little suspicious that this might be too good to be true. I'd love to hear from anyone who had stayed at this property or is familiar with it.

Well its a Best Western Hotel so if you go into their site Best Western Hotel Viktor so will get a better idea. I have to agree its a beautiful hotel and Best Western have an excellent reputation.

I'd still love to hear from someone who has stayed here. A final decision has to be made tomorrow. Anybody?

Glad you chose Victor's Residenz in the end. It is more of a four and a half star when I passed by, but it's a lot closer to the station and just a couple of blocks to the Gewandhaus at the Augustusplatz.

BTW I had a surprisingly good meal at the Augustus Brasserie on the westside of the square (Augustusplatz #15) even though it looks like a TGIF. A group of students took me there when I just arrived not knowing where to go. I had a great Turkey Picatta covered with crispy parmesan and safran parmesan rissoto for 10 euro. Normally I wouldn't eat at a place like that but I was glad to have such a decent meal. It was the only place that was open late, a few people went there after watching the performance.

Have a great time in Leipzig. Hopefully you'll report your experience at the Residenz and any restaurants you found. There is a nice formal French restaurant just a block or two northeast of the Residenz on the ground floor of a recently renovated large mansion/building.

Dax, It was this e-mail that took me over the top:

"thanks a lot for your kind interest in our luxurious rooms. We have a high standard for all our suites. All these rooms have a different style and equipement for example two seperate rooms for sleeping and working, an all-in-white wedding suite and for example room 505, a very special L-Shaped room in a bordeaux red colour with the feeling of the beginning of the 20th century. In the marble bathroom with its golden applications there is a tube for relaxing and a shower for getting awake. Of course you will get a bathrobe for feeling like beeing home. In your room you will have a very good view to the historical skyline of Leipzig, even from the window of the desk, your seating area or your sleeping alcove."

They even offered to move a sofa into the room if I wanted one. How bad can it be and the location is so much better. Besides, I too, was not crazy about the style of the rooms at the Furstenhof.

Who knows I may have found a hidden treasure. I just need to get past the "Best Western" thing. Thanks for all your help.

I agree with you that's quite a convincing response. It sounds like they are ready to impress you. It's probably as good as you're gonna get in Leipzig.

I thought I should reply to your posting here. I'm sorry to hear that Victor's Residenz was bad. I realize you don't like to be negative but it may help other Fodorites to know what was bad about it more specifically. I certainly hope the performance you went to see was good. I enjoyed Leipzig but it was a short two night stay so it was only a slice of Leipzig that I experienced.

Judging from what Leipzig is today, I don't think it would have any spectacular hotel as it's still in transition. I was happy that Marriott had a very decent room even though it's so American, but I only paid 87 euro including breakfast buffet.

I preface my comments about Victor's Residenz-Hotel by saying that I am coming at it from the point of view of someone who prefers to stay at 4 star superior or 5 star hotels. Had I been expecting a, better than decent, tourist class hotel my reaction might have been quite different. First the positives: the location was quite convenient directly accross from the station; strangely enough the bathroom in my room was quite nice--large, modern, separate shower; the breakfast was quite good; and it was clean.

When I arrived at the hotel after a long day, with a fairly large bag, I was simply handed my key. No offer of assistance with the bag.

When I got to the floor where my room was located it was dark. I gather the lights are supposed to come on when the elevator or a door opens -- sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't.

I was booked in the "Presidential Suite", in reality a large L-shaped double with a sleeping alcove. It was painted a dreary pinkish beige with accents in burgundy and gold. The furniture was very poor reproductions. The words I'd use would be tacky or rococo. Also, the choice of funiture was bizarre. There was an armoire, a very large desk, and three hideously uncomfortable chairs around a small round table. The television was on a round table (not meant to hold a tv) in the opening separating the bed from the sitting area. The sleeping area had the most uncomfortable bed I ever slept on -- felt like the box spring without a mattress -- and two bed side tables. With the exception of the desk, there was not a single drawer. Picasso prints topped off the decor. My inital response was that I couldn't stay in that room. I went down to the front desk and they gave me the keys to two more suites to look at: the "bridal suite" done in all white rococo and a modern suite in the new wing which reminded me of what I would imagine a budget suite in the US would look like. I finally ended up in my original room as it was the least objectionable of the three. Needless to say, there was no turn down service.

In all fairness, they tried. There was a fruit plate waiting in the room and a terry robe. It was all just too dreary and uncomfortable for me.

I probably would have been more comfortable at The Furstenhof although it was a bit out of the way. In all honesty, if I had it to do all over again, I probably would have booked a high end room at the SAS Renaissance. It was directly across from the concert hall and the main shopping streets and only a 5-minute walk from the train station.

Thanks for your review flyer, Leipzig is within consideration for another stop with my family next April. I have to give you credit for trying local 4 stars, your review is invaluable. As disappointing as it was, you probably still appreciated it more than another American chain hotel room.
"SAS Renaissance", I don't think there is an SAS Radisson, I assume you mean Renaissance(part of Marriott). I was originally booked at the Renaissance but decided to stay at the Marriott due to some bad reviews on tripadvisors,but you probably looked inside a high end room that was good? It's older than the Marriott but probably grander. Any good restaurants you ran into in Leipzig? Every guide I read only focuses on Auerbachs Keller or Zils Tunnel which is ridiculous because there are so many other great restaurants. I missed both of them because they were lost among the rows & rows of restaurants in Leipzig.

Dax, You're right I got my chains mixed up. I meant the Radisson SAS Hotel Leipzig at Augustusplatz 5-6 formerly Mercure). It's also a 4 star, recently redone... I didn't bother to check out the rooms. By the way, you were also quite right about the location of The Furstenhof. It seemed so out of the way that, although, I could see it from my hotel window, I had no desire to walk over to check it out. It would have meant cabs and trams to everywhere.

I had no idea that they have an SAS Radisson in Leipzig. That definitely looks like the hotel to stay at. I don't know how I completely missed that hotel when I wandered around Augustusplatz.