Hyatt Regency Köln

Consistency is the whole point of the big luxury chains, and it’s also a virtue that’s quite well regarded in Germany. You won’t find any aggressively experimental hospitality concepts at a place like the Hyatt Regency Köln, nor any upsettingly bold design gestures. What you will find is a properly conventional five-star hotel, with a prime location alongside the Rhine and the impressive views of the cathedral and the Old Town that go along with it.

So-called Standard rooms are standard in the best possible sense: everything you’d expect from a modern business hotel is present and accounted for, from generous work spaces to flat-screen televisions, wi-fi, and granite and marble bathrooms with separate soaking tubs. Award yourself a pat on the back for guessing what the “View” rooms add to this package — and the suites, whether on the city or the river side of the hotel, add expansive spaces, as well as access to the Regency Club lounge.

Fitness and wellness facilities are another area where German hotels excel, and this is no exception — there’s an indoor pool, a well-equipped gym, all manner of saunas and steam rooms, and a long list of massage treatments. (They’re also happy to simply hand over a running map showing the Rhine riverside routes, if that’s more your speed.) Add to this the Glasshouse fine-dining restaurant, with its views of the cathedral, as well as the Schälsick Bar and Terrace for pub food and cocktails, as well as the self-explanatory Hyatt Beer Garden, and you’ve got a complete luxury-hotel experience, with everything in its place.