Detailed review by jipp05
I have recently returned from a short break to Copenhagen. The main reason for my visit was to just have a weekend away before christmas and to also visit the christmas markets at the Tivoli amusement park in the city.
When looking for a hotel price was an important factor as I have been to Scandinavia before and everything is expensive over there and as I wasn't planning on spending a lot of time in my room I just wanted somewhere cheap and cheerful.
I came across the Wake Up Copenhagen hotel whilst browsing through Booking.com and it seemed like it would be ideal. It was only rated as a two star hotel but the pictures of the hotel looked lovely so I assumed that it was rated so low due to lack of facilities. As this wasn't really an important factor for me I booked it for the bargain basement price of only DKK 1225.00 for two nights. This is around £140 which for Copenhagen is a steal.
When we arrived at the central train station from the airport we had seen the hotel from the train so we had a good idea of the general direction of where it was located. Ufortunately although it i near the train tracks there is no way to access it from there so we had to walk quite a long way to get to it. It is probably about a 15 minute walk from the train station which isn't so bad but when you consider the train station is located quite a distance from the centre of the city it means the hotel is probably good 45 minute walk into the centre.
When we got to the hotel first impressions were really good. The building it is housed in is modern and definately well designed and eye catching. When entering the electric doors you come into a large lobby where there are a couple of designer chairs sitting. This area serves absolutely no purpose but it does look good and feels much more like you are entering a design hotel.
There are some self service machines for checking in but of course these didn't work properly and we had to go to the reception to check in instead.
The reception takes up the whole back wall oof a large room and there were four receptionists working so we got seen to straight away. Check in was smooth but the staff could definately be a little more welcoming than they were. With our key card we wet to the lifts to go up to our room. There are four lifts and are located away from the reception next to a large aeating area with tables and chairs. This was also decorated really nicely and very modern and looked like an expensive bar of some kind. Unfortunately the hotel doesn't actually have a bar which seems a shame as this looked like somewhere I would have enjoying spending some time.
We had only booked the standard room which I expected to be small but I was in for a bit of a shock when we entered the room as it was absolutely tiny. This is definately the smallest room I have ever stayed in. There was a bed, a hanger with enough room for two jackets, a small double bed and the worlds smallest table with the TV on it. It is decorated nicely but to say it is spartan is an understatement.
The bed was pushed right under the window and on it was one pillow and a single quilt. I started to have a panic we had booked a single room when I was there with my partner but we found another single quilt and a pillow stored under the bed.
The en-suite bathroom contained a shower, toilet and sink and was absolutely fine. The walls of the whole bathroom were made of glass whcih was clear at the bottom and top and opaque in the middel. This was a little strange to begin with as it felt like their was absolutely no privacy as even the door was glass but we soon got used to it.
Although the room was tiny and quite strange looking I actually quite liked it as it reminded me of one of those Japanese pod hotels that I had seen on the TV and have always wanted to stay in.
The bed itself was extremely comfortable but don't be expecting any other little luxeries as there is no mini bar or even extra pillows to be had here.
Breakfast wasn't included which at the price we paid for the hotel is understadable and besides we had early flights so would only have been able to have it one day. We decided to treat ourselves to the breakfast on our first morning as it was very cheap at around £8 each which is half the price of other hotels I have stayed in. I was suspicious about the quality and I was right to be as it was by far the worst breakfast I have ever had in any hotel I have stayed in. I would go so far as to say they have a cheek even charging for it and it should be included in the room rate.
It is served in a huge room and was really busy when we arrived for it at 8 o'clock. To have breakfast you need to buy a pre paid ticket from reception and hand it to the staff which was actually problem free in getting.
It was quite a surreal experience as soon as we entered the room as the breakfast staff were all wearing carnival masks and dressed up in costume. Now I have no idea why this was and if they do it everyday but I loved it and think all hotel staff should do this. The staff at breakfast were a lot better than the reception staff and actually knew how to smile and be polite which is the only good thing I have to say about the experience.
Even though there was at least 100 people already at breakfast the hotel only had one serving station open and it was tiny and contained barely any food. There was some ham, some rolls, packets of cheese and some yoghurt and that is it as far as food goes. I always begrudge paying for breakfast but this time I was actually astounded that they could get away with serving such rubbish.
Luckily we were onyl staying the two nights but I would have been furious if we had been staying longer and had bought breakfast vouchers for every morning.
As for facilities the hotel doesn't really have any to speak of. There is an ironing room and they do provide some compters that are free for guests use but that is it so I can see why it has only got the two stars.
The reception staff were also some of the dourest most miserable of any hotel I have stayed in and they really need to have some lessons in serving members of the public.
The hotel is exceptionally clean and I didn't see the slightest bit of dust or anything that looked run down or worn out whilst I was there.
I quite enjoyed my stay besides the breakfast but it is such a shame that the hotel has made a big effort in the design of the public areas of the hotel and le itself down in the rest of the hotel. Although the small room didn't bother me all that much I can imagine a lot of people are going to be very dissapointed when they arrive and I doubt they will be getting all that many repeat bookings.
For the price of the hotel then I can't really complain as it was cheap and cheerful which is just what I was looking for but if you are wanting a central hotel with a few extras then look somewhere else.
Wakeup Copenhagen7
