We stayed two nights at the Daniel hotel in Graz. I generally prefer "designer hotels" because I want to avoid hotels that have old and dusty feel to them. This was not the case with Daniel. We stayed at a "Loggia" double room, which is bigger and has its own balcony. The room was nice and reasonably large. You have to keep in mind that there is a glass wall separating the shower from the room so you can see... ...everything. While this may be fun for some, it may not be ideal for everybody. It is also inconvenient when you want to go to the bathroom at night - a single switch lights both the bathroom and the shower, which will probably wake up your room mate. The breakfasts were really nice and the lobby is great, too. You can rent DVDs at the reception if you feel like it. The hotel has its own parking lot, which is great if you travel by car. The only true downside of the hotel is the surroundings - it is very near the train station which is almost always the worst-looking part of any European town. To get to the historic center, you have to walk about 10 minutes on a very busy street. All in all, we liked our stay at the Daniel. At 79 EUR per the Loggia room, it is a nice and affordable hotel.

Excellent value for money for this design hotel located a few steps from the railway station. My room was large, with a basic but lovely modern decor, a huge shower and a DVD player. I loved the total silence, thanks to double windows. Very good breakfast: wide selection of food plus fresh fruit and juices.

Myself and my partner stayed in this hotel for the beginning of the advent festival in Graz. The hotel was really good and extremely well designed. I did not find the rooms to be too small (about the same size as a travelodge). I would definitely recommend using this hotel with someone you are comfortable with as the shower is quite revealing! We stayed in a room to the far right of the hotel (as you look at it from outside). Right next to the hotel is an all night disco that was extremely loud on our first night. It wasn't unbearable but did disturb our sleep. We complained about this in the morning and we did get an upgrade to our room (we had to be persistent though). The breakfast was really good and great value and it set us up for the day. Overall we had a great stay and the hotel was beautifully designed. Very easy to get into the old town and convenient for getting in and out of Graz on all public transport. Travel tip: If you are going to Graz for the advent festival public transport is free on the 1st December for the opening of the festival.

Actually I don’t like Designer hotels, feeling that they are artificially made to represent something, which they actually are not. In that way they (sometimes) draw the guests’ attention away from the key criteria for choosing an accommodation solution by stimulating the fun factor only. The Daniel has a long history and an excellent location, close to the station, the Joanneum University and some other recently built places of cultural and business interest. It was old, had small rooms – now the designer made it colourful, young, new and trendy. Stay there and feel 20 years younger, without cosmetics, pills or voodoo. Many businessmen – old and young – obviously like this proposition. Don’t mess with a traditional shower cell, if you can have sliding doors (:-)) closing either WC or shower – the choice is yours (!?!) Have a shower with an inside window, offering a view from shower to bed and vv. (!?!). Forget chairs, if you have a bench with comfy light blue upholstery (which is already full of stains, unfortunately). Well I liked their sauna and wellness area - you may choose between 50 degree or cold water (businessmen obviously don’t compromise) and I truly appreciated their welcome area and lobby, with the young retro Vespa ambiente and Daniel’s scooter rental offer Hot buffet breakfast is a really good investment. For ? 9 you get fresh fruits, variations of ham and eggs, salmon, some Styrian specialities and a daily changing selection of delicious desserts. Juices are 100% fruit in contrast to the coffee which is provided from the machines you know from your office – slow, hot and average aroma. The staff is very busy, but tries to create an attentive atmosphere, with better success in the breakfast than in the reception area. Shall I come back ? Maybe in spring for a Vespa city tour or whenever I feel, I can afford an adolescent behaviour myself when staying in Graz …..