The Westin Leipzig

Beautiful hotel. A bit outdated but the staff is quite friendly and helpful. Its location is very good. Close to the central station but you don’t really notice it. The swimming pool and sauna cost 10€ extra per person per day which is unfortunate. But therefore almost no one uses it. The gym is fine, 24/7 open and in the room price included. The bar ‘Falco’ on the 27th floor looks nice although we didn’t enter. It costs 5€ extra just to get in! But the most lovely thing is the incredible view!

This hotel is very reasonably priced and in a great location, very close to the central market area and an amazing zoo - highly recommend anyone dedicate a full day to exploring this. The hotel itself needs quite some work. The rooms are dated, but this can be overlooked if the service and other amenities are up to scratch. Unfortunately, at this hotel they are not. When travelling to Westins and other similar Marriott chains, we really value the lounge as a place to recharge, work a bit, and enjoy some small bites in between meals. Upon check in we were told this hotel did not have any lounge for Marriott Elite members. Once again, if this was the only inconvenience it could perhaps be overlooked. Unfortunately, it was not. To call the rooms spartan in their amenities would be a gross understatement. Even in the larger rooms there is no mini bar or fridge, and the TV is barely larger than a work monitor. The lack of a fridge may not have been such an obstacle, if there was an ice machine on the floor and if requesting a bucket of ice to the room did not attract an eyewatering €10 service charge. We were originally incorrectly given a twin single bed room, despite booking a king sized bed, but even when given the correct king room the bed is still made up with two separate single sheet sets. An impractical and unwelcome configuration for any couple with even an ounce of romance left in their lives. The next warning sign came on our first morning in the hotel, where after enjoying a leisurely breakfast and getting ready, we made our way out of the hotel and politely asked for housekeeping at the front desk. We knew we were in for trouble when the front desk responded by asking “what exactly do you need done?”. We did not need anything specific, we just requested a standard housekeeping - new towels, make the beds, empty the bins etc. We then left the hotel for 9 hours (once again, highly recommend the zoo) only to return to find a room that STILL had not been made up. Upon returning to the front desk, we were met once again with perplexed staff asking us to list out all the duties that their cleaning staff should be doing. Eventually we returned to a room that had been clearly been made in a rush, with not a single apology or explanation for the delay. We were partially drawn to Leipzig as a destination on our broader European trip, due to the chance to stay at a storied Westin location for such a reasonable price - due to many a pleasant experience at other locations in our travels around the world. Unfortunately the Western Leipzig has broken our chain of good luck with the franchise and would strongly recommend against others visiting this location, expecting to find the world class experience normally associated with the Westin brand.

Disappointing for a Westin. Only two persons working the checkin desk at 1800 and no one working at the Bonvoy elite desk. Finally a third person came but then there were three different random lines. It took over thirty minutes for the nine people in front of me to get checked in, and there was no expeditious handling for elite members. The room was comfortable but basic and lacked a refrigerator. The thermostat did not seem to actually do anything. There is no executive lounge, however there is at the Marriott inside the city ring. Breakfast was good but some of the staff were very rude (although the lady bringing us coffee was wonderful). The fitness center was too small & busy to use and I instead opted to go to a gym nearby where I could actually conduct a proper workout. The sauna was inoperative but the hotel still had the audacity to charge €10 to access the pool area. Unfortunately the hotel offers one of the nicest views of Leipzig, but their lack of amenities and attempts to squeeze every last cent out of their guests makes it an uncomfortable stay. As a Platinum who’s stayed at the Leipzig Marriott numerous times, I would highly recommend skipping the Westin.