Urban Loft Cologne

Urban Loft Cologne has a simple, relaxed setup. Reception is informal, with staff often hanging out around a round table by the entrance. The team is generally young and chill, and it honestly seems like a pretty nice place to work. The lobby itself is lovely, with a mid-century modern design and plenty of different seating options. The coffee is okay, although I’d say the Franke machine lets the fancy coffee beans down a bit. There’s also a machine with nice cold water available. Breakfast is served in the lobby. A sign says you should register your room number with staff, although hardly anyone seemed to do so. The spread is fairly typical for a German hotel: breads, cheese, cold cuts, yoghurt, granola, two juices, and some pretty average pre-cooked scrambled eggs. It does what it needs to do, but feels quite pricey for what you get. Otherwise, you can buy snacks and drinks from reception. The rooms are small and simple, but have pretty much everything you need — and you probably won’t be spending your days in them anyway. The bed is comfortable, although the pillows are very flat. There’s decent storage, a nice bathroom, TV, and a safe. One thing worth knowing is that there’s no fridge in the room. My main criticism is the temperature control. From what I could tell, the higher up your room is, the warmer it gets. I stayed on the fifth floor in late August, and my room never dropped below 23°C despite it being around 15°C outside at night. That was with the control panel set to “-3°C” and the fan on maximum, as recommended by staff. There also wasn’t much airflow, so if you’re not used to sleeping warm — especially with the fairly warm duvets — it can take some getting used to. I spoke to guests staying on the ground floor who said their rooms were around 21°C, so this may vary depending on where you’re staying. There’s also a gym on the ground floor. It’s small, with limited machines and weights, and only really fits a few people at a time, but you can definitely get a workout in. The rooftop terrace has nice views over the city. During my stay, though, the outdoor seating never had cushions out, so I didn’t end up spending much time there. The location is very central, just a few minutes’ walk from the main train station and Cologne Cathedral, with plenty of restaurants and cafés nearby. The street itself can feel a little sketchy at night, but I had no issues at all during my stay. Wi-Fi was fast and reliable both in the room and throughout the shared spaces. One thing to note if you’re planning to work from the lobby: the coworking area has light house music playing 24/7. The volume is perfectly reasonable, but it will likely be picked up if you’re taking calls. Overall, Urban Loft Cologne balances price, style, and value pretty well. I’d be comfortable recommending it to most people, although based on my experience with the room temperature, I’d probably avoid it during peak summer. I’d also recommend looking for a discounted rate rather than paying full price.

My wife and I just wanted a quick trip to Cologne to explore and this was the perfect spot. The location was excellent. We walked to the Cathedral and there was plenty of other stuff nearby to have a great time. Umar at the front desk was incredibly helpful and kind. He buzzed us up from the garage and had our keys ready by the time we got up the elevator. He even offered us coffee. Not to mention the price is excellent. 10/10 recommend. I will be telling friends to stay here and I will be returning.

My stay here was absolutely lovely! First, the staff. The second you walk through the door, you're greeted with a friendly smile, good energy, and really a lovely place to land, almost like you've arrived at a friend's place! Second, the room. I booked the Urban Basic, but it was anything but! It was very comfortable, soundproofed wonderfully (you can still hear noise, but considering the train tracks are practically right outside, there was less noise from them than even the busiest main road!). The space was lovely, clean, bed very comfy, huge pillows that served as a body-pillow! Bathroom was clean and modern too. I will have dreams about that rainfall shower... it was depressing having a normal shower at home, afterwards! Plenty of towels provided, with the basic soaps in the shower (note - no conditioner, so be sure to bring your own if you need!). Third, the rooftop! This wasn't advertised as far as I could see, but there are signs inside. It's stunning and overlooks the city with a gorgeous view of the Cathedral, perfect in the sunset! I was happy to get a fair bit of writing done there! The lobby is also a coworking/hangout space, well laid-out, with a nice bar area - I spent quite a bit of time sitting there writing, too. It's clean and inviting, the Kolsch is excellent, and the coffee will absolutely have you hearing colours (but maybe that's because I'm British and not used to proper coffee!!!). The free water was a godsend, and there's a well-stocked grab-n-go section of snacks and drinks. For the price, I do feel I was undercharged! I felt really sad to be going home! Thanks again for a lovely stay! :)

We had an amazing stay at urban loft! The hotel is a 10 min walk from köln hbf, or a