Name: Excelsior Hotel Ernst
Address: 1-5 Trankgasse 50667, Cologne, DE
Price range: From $275

Excelsior Hotel Ernst, CologneExcelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne, Germany has a corrected score of 3.9 ± 0.2 (solid evidence, 4 of 4 platforms), ranked 2 of 129 hotels we score in Cologne. Its platform ratings, normalised to 0-5, average 3.9 before correction: Booking.com 3.9, Tripadvisor 4.1, Google 4.0, Agoda 3.7. Rooms from about $275 a night (cached, not a live quote).The Excelsior Hotel Ernst is a five-star hotel opened in 1863 and still family-owned, standing directly opposite Cologne Cathedral on Trankgasse. It has 138 individually decorated rooms and suites, refreshed in 2017, and is the city's only member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The main railway station is a two-minute walk away, and the opera house, philharmonic hall and fairgrounds are all close by. Dining includes the Michelin-starred Hanse Stube, serving French cooking with regional influences, plus a piano bar with live music and afternoon tea. Facilities cover a pool, spa, gym, valet parking and a Green Globe eco-certification. Rates start around $275 a night, and some guests find parts of the decor dated.What stands out

Attentive staff and service

Comfortable, individually decorated rooms

Two minutes from the main station

Michelin-starred restaurant on site

Watch out for

Some rooms feel dated

Premium rates from $275 a night

Better-scored in Cologne

Atrium Apart Hotel Bruehl, Cologne: 4.0 ± 0.3 (fair evidence, 2 of 4 platforms), from $134 a night. Atrium Apart Hotel Bruehl is a smoke-free aparthotel in Bruehl, Germany, with 66 apartments ranging from 27 to 65 square metres.