"### Beautiful Hotel, Excellent Service, but Breakfast Was Disappointing
We stayed at the Excelsior Hotel Ernst during our visit to Cologne in October 2026 and overall had a very enjoyable stay.
From the moment we arrived, the hotel felt like a true five-star property. The staff were extremely professional and attentive, and the level of service throughout our stay was excellent.
Our room was spacious, luxurious and spotless. The location is also hard to beat, right beside Cologne Cathedral and within easy walking distance of everything we wanted to see.
The one disappointment was breakfast. For a hotel of this standard, we expected much better. When we arrived for breakfast, the hostess didn't fully explain how everything worked, which made the experience a little confusing. The service was also not particularly attentive, and the selection and food quality were below what we would expect from a five-star hotel, especially given the price. To their credit, they did a great job accommodating my wife's celiac disease, which we really appreciated.
Overall, this is a beautiful hotel with exceptional service and an unbeatable location. It's certainly not inexpensive, but we felt the quality of the accommodations and service justified the price. Unfortunately, breakfast really let the experience down and was the main reason we couldn't give it five stars.
Would we stay again? Possibly, although we'd probably look at other breakfast options next time."
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