Sheraton Hannover Pelikan Hotel

I have stayed regularly at the Pelikan Hotel in Hannover and I have to compliment the staff on always giving me a warm welcome. The Rooms for my taste are a bit dull but are clean and practical for a business traveler as i am. The Hotel offers a good quality mattress, Pillows etc although the soaps and bathroom supplies vary considerably from room type. A basic room is very basic but a suite is very well supplied. I am lucky to get the use of the Hotel Lounge where food offerings are very good and hosted excellently by the hotel staff. Breakfast food selection is excellent also with a wide variety of everything you could hope for at breakfast. I do however on occasion have cause to complain as the hotel struggles to find a chef in mornings that can cook an Omelette or simply fry an egg in the morning. I have given up on asking for a poached egg. Also the morning staff are a little regimental and dismissive to customers compared to the rest of the staff. A minor observation that doesn't really effect my stay.

First let me say that I am a seasoned global traveler as well as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum member. As I arrived via car on property and parked unloading the luggage, I began to search for the door leading to the hotel. SIGNAGE? I began to simply walk out the way we drove in. I happened to see a small sign on the door next to the Kasse for parking payment. Following small signs through several doors, I found an elevator with a sign, to the lobby. After dragging luggage into the elevator, nothing saying on which floor the lobby is located. There is a BIG Fitness / Spa SIGN but to hotel SIGNAGE. Long story short wandered 3 floors and down stairs and lucked into seeing across the walkway a Sheraton logo on what looked like a service door with a large security camera SIGN. (See picture) At check in, the person assisting us appeared to be new. I was patient understanding that everyone has a start. However, the other person on staff should have been more active after telling them about our “finding the lobby story” and definitely after being advised to take the elevator to my room….it was on the lobby level…no elevator needed. I was exasperated. I speak German and English but someone please COMMUNICATE correctly with signs and room directions. Suite 021 was our room. At 06:00 am a large refrigerated food delivery truck rolled up and LOUDLY idled for 20 minutes outside our window (see picture). We were up 2 hours early as a result. Finding the Club…I won’t even go there. No one bothered to make anything right after it was brought to their attention. A simple “sorry” and I should then just leave. The property has potential but some key elements need to be addressed.

I stayed for two nights in January 2024. The next day after checking in, the cleaning crew threw out two of my medications which were in large bottles that I placed in the shower. These plastic bottles were not small, completely full, and clearly marked. I’ve traveled with these bottles for over five years to numerous countries as I travel quite a bit for work and have never had an issue with someone moving them, let alone disposing of them. I was not checking out until the next day as all my clothes and the rest of my toiletries remained in the room, so clearly I had not checked out. When I spoke with the front desk, while apologetic, they said there is nothing they can do. When I asked them to help me understand why their cleaning crew would do this, they just said, sorry, and maybe it’s because they have turnover. Really? Not throwing out full bottles clearly marked in the guest’s room seems pretty basic. I would never stay at this place again. Do yourself a favor and book a different hotel as you have plenty of other options.

Lots of good points to the hotel Superb room! really large, well equiped, very quiet being in the roof! really comfortable beds - slept very well. Bathroom fine but a bit dated, and the shower flooded the bathroom floor however hard we tried to stop it! Breakfast was good - varying selection of all manner of fruit, cereals, yoghurts, breads, pastries, cold cuts. Hot food station too. Really enjoyed our breakfasts! The reception staff were SO helpful especially Nandi - hope that's right... went out of her way to book us on a tour to the fabulous World of Kitchens Museum (HIGHLY recommend this museum) to tell us how to get from A to B... saved us a lot of money by telling us about 'group' tram all day tickets too. Tram station 2 minute walk from the hotel but easy 45 mins walk to centre of town which we did a lot. Can walk back via the park too! BIG down side....NO provision for evening food bar room service.. .well if they condescend to actually give it to you! We arrived Monday afternoon......Monday Pelikan Bar closed (unless a smoker, stench inside prevents non smokers going in it!) Monday 12 Apostel restaurant closed too - rest of the week it was doing Xmas parties so not open to hotel guests! The Stromboli restaurant 5 minute walk was really good for Monday but fully booked for the rest of the week!!!!! We saw THREE other guests getting 'room service' served in the reception area as we sat there talking (we don't go on holiday to eat room service nightly in our room!) so, seeing a good looking club sandwich being served we asked the waiter if we could order the same. Yes, he said... he started to take the order, suddenly said... Oh I can't multi task, I can't do this, sorry, you must go to the Pelican Bar instead and walked off!!!! we were furious! So for the rest of the week all 4 of us ate at the Xmas markets and had a far better choice of food, served piping hot by happy people glad to have our custom and money! I told reception what has happened... I asked to speak to a duty manager or manager.... no duty manager, hotel manager in Munich... so I asked who was in charge... 'a good question' was the answer... I gave up! We of course wont be going back to a Sheraton, this is our second below standard stay in one of their hotels. There are plenty of other great hotels who know how to treat their guests properly!