A Warm Welcome & Sky-High Relaxation: Inside Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nürnberg (Review)
On a short stopover in Nuremberg, we came across the Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nürnberg. The convenient location and the fact that the hotel belongs to Marriott, meaning we can receive status benefits there, supported our decision to book a night.
LOCATION
The hotel is located a few minutes' walk from the main train station and thus on the southern side of Nuremberg's city center. The airport is about 20 minutes away by cab, but can also be reached by subway in about the same time. Nuremberg's Old Town can be reached on foot in about 10 to 15 minutes, so the hotel is ideally located to visit Nuremberg and continue your trip easily.
From the outside, the building makes a modern and very well-kept impression. There is a driveway directly in front of the hotel, so unloading luggage is easy. Directly opposite is a parking lot of the hotel, but in addition there is also an underground garage.
ARRIVAL, LOBBY & CHECK-IN
The pleasantly cooled lobby makes a welcoming impression. There is plenty of seating available, and the front desk is located straight ahead. To the left is the restaurant and bar, to the right the path leads to the business area and various event and meeting rooms.
We were received very friendly at the check-in. The employee was very quick, apologized that she could "only" book us an upgrade to an Executive Room and not a suite, despite platinum status due to the booking situation, quoting: "You are entitled to a suite with your status!" The situation that the property only has five suites and the fact that we wouldn't be spending much time in the room anyway made it very easy for us to show great understanding. We were perfectly happy.
The rest of our benefits were explained to us quickly and properly. Unfortunately, the staff member forgot to confirm our late check-out, but it was promptly granted shortly after, upon request, and we were allowed to use the room free of charge until 4pm the next day.
ROOM
As already mentioned, we received an upgrade to an Executive Room, we had only booked a standard room. The Executive Room is already significantly larger (39sqm/420sqft vs. 23sqm/247sqft) and has a sensationally large bed (2m x 2.1m).
Overall, the room is very spacious. Next to the bed is a small desk, two armchairs with another small table, a sideboard under the TV and two luggage racks. In the hallway there are two large closets and another luggage rack with a mirror.
In many other hotels, this room would certainly have been called a Junior Suite due to the size and amenities.
The bathroom was also very spacious and had a floor-to-ceiling shower as well as a bathtub in addition.
The room was very clean and despite the somewhat dated furnishings and matching carpeting, it made a very positive impression on us.
WIFI SPEED
We received an individual access code for Internet access, which was valid for three devices according to the details and promised speeds of up to 32 MBit/s in upload and download. However, we could unfortunately only measure 7.1 MBit/s in download and 12.3 MBit/s in upload in our room, which is really too slow by today's standards. Those who rely on video calls or transferring larger amounts of data will not be very happy with this. Fortunately, we could access a good 200 MBit/s via our mobile data network in the room, but those who do not have unlimited data access might have a hard time. So there is still a lot of room for improvement here.
ROOM TEMPERATURE
Unfortunately, the temperature in the room was a definite problem. We were at the Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nürnberg on one of the warmest summer days, and the lowest temperature we could measure in the room at night was 23 degrees Celsius, despite the air conditioning on the highest setting. Too warm for a good night's sleep, especially with the thick comforter. The windows of the room could be opened fully, but since our room looked onto the train tracks, it was impossible to sleep with the windows open due to the noise. A room with a city view is definitely recommended here to ventilate at night on both cold and warm days.
HOUSEKEEPING
The entire room was very clean. Since we stayed only one night, we can unfortunately not evaluate the intermediate cleaning. However, we ordered two additional foam pillows and a continuous blanket via the app on the day of arrival, because the bed was equipped with two individual blankets. A few minutes later, a very friendly member of the housekeeping team came and delivered the order. Funnily though, the hotel even had large continuous blankets, however there were no covers for them to be found anywhere in the house, so we were only offered a sheet under the comforter. We therefore stayed with the single blankets.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast was served daily between 6:30 am and 10:30 am (weekends until 11 am) in the main restaurant Tafelhof on the first floor. In addition to a large number of tables in the restaurant, there were a few tables outside the hotel, so whoever preferred to eat in the fresh air could do so.
Breakfast consisted of a buffet of several items with mostly local offerings. However, there were also a few hot dishes as well as an egg station, where various egg dishes were prepared in the pan on request. These were prepared live in front of the guest from fresh eggs (!), a rare sight in the hotel industry.
We found the overall quality of the food offered to be very high. A nice surprise was that even sparkling wine was part of the drinks buffet.
In addition, the restaurant team was remarkably friendly and accommodating, we have rarely experienced such an attentive team. Every used plate was cleared promptly, we were constantly asked if we needed more cold and hot drinks or had other requests. Everything was done with a casual smile. We felt very comfortable and really rarely experienced such an affectionate team. Keep it up!
LOUNGE
A special feature of the hotel is definitely the Club Lounge, to which guests of the higher room categories and status guests have access. The lounge is located on the 8th floor and has direct access to a surrounding roof terrace, where you can find tables and chairs as well as various sun loungers. This is a great place to relax and enjoy a cold drink in the sun. The indoor area is relatively large and offers many opportunities to work in a relaxed atmosphere. All day soft and hot drinks are available for free. There is also a small bar in the lounge, which is currently not being utilized due to industry staffing shortages.
In addition to the lounge, a so-called Club Dinner is also offered to access guests in the evening hours. Also due to the staffing situation, however, this will not take place in the lounge itself, but in the main restaurant Tafelhof on the first floor. Starting at 5 p.m., there is a small snack buffet for especially hungry customers, but between 6 and 9 p.m., an extensive evening buffet is offered.
We were really surprised by the selection and quantity, for a lounge this was really a strikingly diverse offer. The buffet consisted of various salads and cold starters, a large main course (in our case spaetzle with pork tenderloin tips in cream sauce) and various desserts. In addition, soft drinks and hot drinks were self-service, and alcoholic beverages (regional beer and wines) were served to order. All of this was included free of charge for customers with lounge access. We enjoyed an extensive dinner that lasted several hours and had good conversations with the restaurant team, who were again conspicuously attentive to our every wish.
The lounge offering was definitely one of the best we had experienced in Europe so far, especially in a rather smaller city hotel. When visiting the city again, this is definitely an important argument for the Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nürnberg for us.
RESTAURANTS & BARS
The hotel has the main Tafelhof restaurant, which also serves breakfast, and a separate bar area called Boymanns' Bar right next to it. Both currently open only in the evening hours - the restaurant takes the last order at 10 p.m., but the bar is still open until 1 a.m.
For a la carte customers, the atmosphere is a bit special in the evening hours, as they are seated mixed with Club Dinner guests in the same restaurant, but of course are not entitled to use the included services. While this is not really a problem, it could be adjusted somewhat by, for example, setting up a separate area for lounge guests within the restaurant.
ROOM SERVICE
Due to the extensive offer at the Club Dinner, we no longer had the need to test the room service offer, so unfortunately we can't share any experiences. However, since we can really recommend the food in the restaurant and the friendly team there also covers room service, we assume that dining in the room is also a positive experience. The menu offers a diverse selection, and there is no additional service charge.
GYM
The fitness area is fairly straightforward but equipped with modern equipment. In addition to various cardio machines, there's an free-weight area with dumbbells, balls, and other equipment.
POOL
The pool area is another highlight of the hotel. On the top floor, you'll find a larger pool in which it's perfectly possible to swim a few laps. There is also a large hottub that can accommodate several people. Both pools have floor-to-ceiling windows that allow an impressive view over the rooftops of Nuremberg.
SPA
Besides the pool, there are several saunas and a steam bath. There is also a large relaxation room on the floor to relax after the sauna session. For the same purpose, there is access to several terraces around the spa area.
In addition to the sauna and pool area, one floor below there is also a large multi-room studio for spa treatments. There is a large menu with various additional offers that can be booked individually.
OVERALL SERVICE
In every area of the hotel, it is noticeable how approachable and friendly the staff is. In a very obliging way, they try to fulfill every wish of the guest. We were very surprised at how well this pleasant and helpful atmosphere has been maintained in all areas and departments.
STAY DETAILS
We spent one night at the Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nürnberg in early August 2023. Nightly rates start at around 140€ for a standard room, depending on the season and local events.
STATUS RECOGNITION
As part of the Marriott Group, our Platinum status was recognized. In addition to an upgrade to an Executive Room, we received complimentary breakfast, access to the lounge including included benefits such as the Club Dinner and complimentary hot and cold beverages all day, and late check-out at 4pm the next day was no problem.
SUMMARY
All in all, we can recommend a stay at the Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nürnberg. The hardware of the hotel is a bit outdated but the rooms are well maintained and absolutely clean, only on hot days the weak air conditioning in the hotel is unfortunately not sufficient. However, the friendliness and approachability of the entire team definitely invite you to return. Last but not least, the impressive offer of the lounge and the excellent granting of status benefits is convincing.
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