Lodging Review: Motel One Stuttgart
I had stayed at a Motel One a few years ago in Munich, and thought the concept was quite attractive: modern rooms with just what you need at a reasonable cost. One of the Motel Ones in Stuttgart (there are a few) was just a block from the Hauptbanhof (train station), and given that I had late evening/early arrivals in Stuttgart both times I was passing through, this hotel was a logical choice.
The simple room had a bed, comfy chair, some hangars (no closets - easier to keep track of your belongings!), and a lightweight desk that was easy to maneuver and position. That was handy to configure either as a working desk, next to the outlets, or as a dining table away from the wall so that you could watch TV at the same time.
I would say, sheer curtains would be the only thing I felt was lacking from the room - there was no way to let in light while maintaining privacy. It wasn't a problem my first night, as I was high up looking onto an interior courtyard, but my second night I was just a floor above ground level, next to a sidewalk from where passers-by could look right into the room.
The bathroom is pretty brilliant, very compact yet very functional. I especially appreciate sufficient counter space to put toiletries, and places from which to hang towels. The shower head was also wonderful, giving a rain-shower-like experience without actually having a rain shower.
The toiletries are in large-sized bottles. More environmentally friendly, I suppose. But one big negative was the huge amount of greenwashing of this simple hand wash. It says that "with 100% Organic Lindenflower Handwash," and on Motel One marketing materials it's highly promoted as "Organic Lindenflower Handwash." But in reality, the vast majority of the ingredients are conventional detergent-type handwash ingredients, with a tiny percentage of Lindenflower. The drops of Lindenflower that the the handwash DO contain are 100% organic, which leads them to make this misleading label that makes it appear that it's a 100% organic handwash, when it's far from it.
