Eight-bed room or a 20000-Euro-in Suite?

Between a cheap Hostel and a Five-star hotel, there are huge differences. A visit to two worlds.

Franz Kotteder

in the Morning at five the world is only so-so. In the Smart Stay Hostel at the Mozart street 4, next to the Goetheplatz, up creeps the night porter an hour before his shift to the first floor, and locks the community kitchen for the early guests. The can then here's your Breakfast, if you don't want to wait for the buffet in the Breakfast room or can, because that will only be opened at seven o'clock. The community kitchen may shut off the house guests throughout the day until 22 o'clock in the evening, then you will. In the refrigerator stored things in safety, but rarely anything is stolen here anyway: It holds together.

The community kitchen is, if you will, a clear advantage of the Hostels to the Five-star hotel. Because in the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten on the Maximilianstraße, one has not anything like that. Well, in the Ludwig Suite - a cost of 20 000 euros, the night is also a built-in kitchen. But interesting acquaintances from foreign countries is not there in all probability.

not tax: community kitchen at the Smart Stay Hostel in the Goethe Platz.

(photo: Robert Haas)

in the Morning to five starts in Four seasons but it's starting to life. The night cook is, as its title suggests, the whole night there, and then already to three o'clock, Eggs Benedict, if the has discovered a the Room Service menu and the like it felt. The Four seasons is the only Hotel in the city that has the luxury of a night chef. In the past has done at the reception. "It is actually ordered more often to night times than you would believe," says Christopher angel, as the "Executive Chief" of the Supreme Executive chef of the hotel: "people often come very early from the airport or need to leave early, then something in the room, and if it's just a fruit plate."

The night chef is never without employment, because the Distress, he also helps with the Breakfast preparation. At five o'clock the first shift of the 44 chefs coming to prepare everything freshly, squeezed fruits for ten to 15 liters of fresh juice, baking Croissants, slices of ham. So after the delivery trucks for the goods receipt and bring it all, what's a Five-star hotel needs the day fresh. A delivery does not arrive, you must purchasing Manager Sinan Yaman respond quickly and spare get. So some borders then, sometimes, changes in magic, in the case of rare Goods.

Makes what: Reception Manager Bettina moss Bauer and Executive chef Christopher angel in the Lobby of the Four seasons of the year.

(photo: Robert Haas)

Since you are doing the Smart Stay Hostel of course a little easier. At seven in the morning of the Breakfast to open room, until then, the buffet has to be built. Until eleven o'clock the guests from the 62 rooms and then have time to use. The last to have your room then, long since vacated, because Check-out time is already ten o'clock, then the external Cleaning crew comes in and makes the rooms ready for new Nights. Just under four hours, she has time to 14 at the new guests.

Overall, employs the Hostel, depending on the season, with 13 to 15 employees. There are three single and eight double rooms, the Rest are Four-, Six - and eight-bed rooms. All rooms have a private bathroom, and the vault consists of a padlock, with which you can make a drawer under the bed. "The sixth floor is reserved at the top for the staff room," says head of marketing Mirjana Scholz, "which helps us to get staff and to keep the expensive Munich housing market."

will be locked When the Mozart street seven o'clock in the Breakfast room, then the house opens to the Maximilian street on-site Laundry. The is then going to be busy all day, the bed linen out of the 306 rooms of the house, bathroom and table linen and to wash the clothes of the guests. Most of the other, a total of nearly 370 employees of the house until the departure one hour later, the service - apart from those with shift work, of course. The 60 rooms girls, Room Supervisors, and ladies of the house from swarming so slow to clean rooms and hallways. The managers meet, meanwhile, to the morning Meetings. Hanno Barkenhoff, the Deputy Director, makes a round through the house, "then we, what's coming up during the day, everything is so - discuss Arriving of VIPs who want to, for example, arriving via the underground garage, larger groups arriving later, and the like".

It is by no means so that in a luxury hotel like the Four seasons makes everything perfect plan, just because there are virtually no walk-in customers. Bettina moss Bauer, the Reception Manager, laughs when you talk to them, and tells the story of groups that arrive very early in the morning, because of the inter-continental flight went overnight. There are also strenuous guests? "No. We require a price, which stirs up certain expectations, since it is completely all right if you might have fulfilled these expectations." And anyway: "The phrase ,Naa, I'm sorry', anyway, ned!"

view in the Lobby Bar of the hostel.

(photo: Robert Haas)

moss-Bauer is, in fact, blessed with a magnificent Bavarian and, as one of the few in the international workforce of the house, which belongs to the worldwide Kempinski group, the in-house Motto, if there is an Emergency: "Zsamma einihaun!" error and an accent to pronounce. Together, you have to help from time to time, and there's also solve tricky situations. There was once, the sleepwalkers, the night, stark naked, walked through the courtyard: "we had to capture with a Bathrobe and to his room."

police with search dogs, which are controlled before the visit of foreign guests of state, the apartments, demanding Large delegations from the Arabian Peninsula, from one day to the other to arrive, within two hours, a buffet for 35 guests as well as 24-hour Butler Service for each of The problems, with which you do not need to be reflected in a Hostel. There you have to do it then with a predominantly young audience, students on class trips, student with a backpack. But there are also business people who attend trade shows, says Mirjana Scholz. The bed costs currently between 14.90 euros in the eight rooms of up to 52,20 euros in a single room. Sure, the luxury is manageable. There is a Lobby and a Bar, where Half the beer for the Happy Hour only costs € 1.90, there is a foosball table in the basement and a slightly worn pool table in the Foyer. And instead of the limousine service like the Four seasons has to offer a Bicycle rental service.

But the reception is also staffed at the Smart Stay Hostel for 24 hours. Antonio Cirrincione is there, at the counter. He has been working for two years in the Hostel, in October, he wants to move on but to Australia, where he has four years ago, once worked. He dominated, in a logical, Italian, and German, but also Spanish and English and sign language: "That helped me last year, as a Frenchman checked in, the could also. We spoke not a word, but everything went very smoothly," he said.

confidentiality is a top requirement for a Concierge. A guest wanted to buy a living cow.

(photo: Robert Haas)

No problems, also Cirrinciones compatriot Massimo Francucci is responsible. For 31 years, and he is a Concierge at the Four seasons, and he says: "I live in a kind of symbiosis with the house." About twice a day he has to do with special requests. "We meet, if it is somehow feasible," he says. This is often enough of a daily challenge, for he loves his Job but also: "The harder the task, the more it excites me." Name he calls, no, God forbid! Discretion is a top requirement for a Concierge. A guest wanted to buy a living cow, another with a power generator of an older model, could find the Francucci then in Amsterdam. Another wanted a "BMW" and not had to be by phone conference, convinced that the Munich-based automaker to manufacture such a thing. He dodged, then in eight Smart models in eight different colors.

these are the things you get to do only in luxury hotels, but never in the Hostels. And yet, there are a great leveler. On the question of the most rigorous time of the year, the answer is here as there: "Oktoberfest!"