Goldener Anker Hotel

At the end of September, I spontaneously decided to add an extra night to my stay in Bayreuth. It's a beautiful place, and I received a super warm welcome at the hotel. It was a real pleasure to finally explore this venerable old hotel visually! A hotel steeped in history, with beautiful rooms and a tiny reception area. I was even given the choice of which room to pick, something I'd never experienced in any other hotel! When I asked, I received several recommendations for places to eat. It was late September, wonderfully warm, and incredibly crowded everywhere. So I had to take what I could get. Back at the hotel, I was lucky enough to be invited for a drink at reception and had a little chat with the receptionist. As it quickly turned out, she was the owner herself. An exceptionally friendly woman who, with incredible passion, spirit, and even more love, is truly on fire for her hotel, which has been in her family for centuries. They showed me their premises, including the restaurant—and here I should briefly mention, >It's a tragedy that this restaurant, with all its beauty, elegance, and wonderful ambiance, cannot operate due to staff shortages, and I hope that this will change again<—then we went to the breakfast room, and I was even given a brief tour of the kitchen. I was told a great deal about the history of the hotel, the city, and also about the long-standing connection of the "great" families to this city. It was a fascinating journey through the eras of the hotel and its guests. Hundreds of photos on the walls throughout the hotel bear witness to this. And their own family history wasn't left out either. Friends and other hotel guests kept coming into the hotel. They were either included in the conversation or were friendly listeners who gradually said their goodbyes and went to their rooms. Overall, it was very hygge, as the Danes would say. It was so incredibly entertaining that time flew by, and at some point the front door opened and two more hotel guests entered. As if to prove the many celebrity photos on the walls, one of them was a famous Hollywood star. You can't control encounters, but you can experience them in an exciting way, and this one certainly was, as it was living proof of the many pictures on the walls—and he was nice too! A roofer named Stephen from Pennsylvania sat next to me all evening. He probably only understood 5% of what was being said, but here too, Ms. Graf was kind, being bilingual, and translated most of it simultaneously. I should also mention that I had a very good and very quiet night on a very good mattress in a beautiful and spacious single room, and that breakfast was also very lovingly prepared, delicious, and personalized. ... Then came the farewell, and as so often happens, and really shouldn't, I was distracted by the charming hotel atmosphere and, in any case, forgot a few things, including some important medication. A quick call to the hotel while I was still on my way, and everything was immediately arranged and sent to me by express delivery. So, the unintentional part of my stay was taken care of, perfectly rounding off my positive impression of this family-run hotel! All in all, it was an excellent decision to stay there, as it was like stepping back in time in a lovely atmosphere with incredibly friendly and kind people. Dear Mrs. Graf, it was a great pleasure to stay with you, and I thank you most sincerely. It was one of the most wonderful hotel stays of the last few decades and will certainly remain a cherished memory! With best wishes, please stay healthy, sincerely, Stefan Jansen

We stayed there for two nights at the end of October. The remote hallway reeked of a disused and cluttered toilet room filled with old furniture. The service was friendly but completely overwhelmed. The hotel management was unprofessional. I'm simply disappointed.

Terrible. By what right does a hotel like this claim 4 stars? The price is outrageous for a hotel like this, which feels like it's from the 50s or 60s in 2025! It stinks, it's shabby, and completely run down. No smoke detectors and tripping hazards everywhere. On top of that, the breakfast is a joke and you feel like you're in a junk shop! Grade 6.