Elaya Hotel Munich Schwabing Review: Rooms, Location and Our Experience
Looking for a place to stay in Munich? This hotel is one option to consider, offering a comfortable base for exploring the city. We spent a stay here to see what the hotel is really like, from the rooms and location to breakfast, facilities, and the overall experience.
Finding the right hotel can make a big difference to a city break, especially when you want somewhere comfortable to return to after a day of exploring. During our time in Munich, we stayed at The Rilano Hotel München, giving us the chance to experience the hotel for ourselves. From the room and location to breakfast, facilities, and the little details that shape a stay, here is what we thought of our time at The Rilano Hotel München.
A Little History of The Rilano Hotel
The hotel we stayed at was formerly known as The Rilano Hotel München, part of the Munich-based Rilano Hotels & Resorts group. The hotel opened in 2009 in Schwabing and has long served both business and leisure travelers looking for a base in northern Munich.
Since then, the property has rebranded and is now known as Elaya Hotel Munich Schwabing. So if you come across both names while researching the hotel or reading older reviews, they refer to the same property. Our stay was under the former name, The Rilano Hotel München, which is why we use that name throughout this review when describing our experience.
Location and Accessibility
📍 Address: Domagkstraße 26, 80807 Munich, Germany
One thing to consider about The Rilano Hotel München is its location in Schwabing, in northern Munich. The hotel is situated on Domagkstraße, close to the M.O.C. Veranstaltungscenter and the München-Nord business area, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and everyday conveniences nearby. It is not in Munich’s historic center, but the city center is easy to reach by public transport, making the hotel a practical option if you don’t mind being a little farther from the main sights.
Getting there from Munich Airport is straightforward. We took the bus from Munich Airport to a nearby stop, then walked the rest of the way to the hotel. The journey itself was straightforward, although we did have to waddle the rest of the way with our luggage. If you are traveling with heavy bags, a taxi might be the more comfortable option, especially after a flight. Public transport is still a practical choice if you are traveling light and want to keep the journey more budget-friendly.
For us, the location worked well as a base for exploring Munich and for our business meetings. We liked having a quieter place to return to after spending the day in the center, while still having public transport connections close enough to make getting around easy.
Hotel Surroundings
- Shopping Opportunities. The area around the hotel is more practical than traditionally touristy. For everyday essentials, you can find supermarkets such as REWE and PENNY around Alfred-Arndt-Straße, while Lidl is another option further along Leopoldstraße. For a larger shopping trip, SUMA Center and Euro-Industriepark are also in the wider Schwabing-Freimann area. The hotel is also close to the MTC world of fashion, which may be of particular interest if you are visiting Munich for fashion and trade events.
- Nearby Attractions. The hotel is not in Munich’s historic center, but a few interesting places are within walking distance. Leopoldstraße is about a 15-minute waddle away, while the English Garden is roughly a 20-minute walk. The M.O.C. München and the surrounding Schwabing-Freimann area are also nearby, making the location particularly convenient for business travelers and visitors attending events. For Munich’s major sights, such as Marienplatz, the Residenz, or Munich’s Old Town, we used public transport.
- Dining Options. You do not have to go far to find something to eat. The hotel has Restaurant Vitello. Several restaurants are also just a short waddle from the hotel. Al Vicolo Pizza & Birra is around 200 meters away and serves Italian food and pizza, while Gasthaus Domagk is another nearby option for German-style food and café fare. L’Osteria München Bauhausplatz is another nearby Italian option.
Check-In Experience
When we arrived, we waited a little at reception while other guests checked in and out. Thankfully, it didn’t take long, and we soon reached the front desk. The reception area was easy to find as soon as we entered the hotel, and the staff was friendly, welcoming, and helpful throughout the check-in process. Once everything was sorted, we headed up to our room and settled in.
The reception is open 24 hours a day, which is particularly convenient if you arrive late or have an early departure.
The reception is open 24 hours a day, which is particularly convenient if you arrive late or have an early departure. Check-in is available from 3:00 PM, while check-out is until 12:00 PM, giving you a little extra time in the morning before heading out to explore Munich or continuing your journey.
Room and Amenities
The hotel is a sizeable property with 379 rooms arranged across four floors, according to current hotel listings. The accommodation is divided into several categories, including Single and Double Rooms, Standard Rooms, Superior Rooms and Junior Suites. Rooms range from around 16 m² for Single and Double Rooms to 24 m² for Standard and Superior Rooms, while Junior Suites offer 48 m² with a separate seating area.
Our room was located on the third floor and made a good first impression as soon as we stepped inside. It felt surprisingly spacious, with enough room to move around comfortably rather than feeling like a typical compact city hotel room. The layout included a comfortable double bed, a chair to sit and relax, and a small work area with a desk and TV, giving us plenty of space to work when needed.
There was also a fridge with complimentary bottled water, which was a nice little touch after a day of exploring Munich. Room service was also available, so we could have food brought to the room when we didn’t feel like heading back out. Overall, the room was very clean and well maintained, and we were particularly happy with the housekeeping. Everything felt tidy and looked aesthetically pleasing, creating a comfortable space to come back to after a busy day in the city.
The mattress was slightly on the softer side, but we still found the bed comfortable and slept well. The bed was also large enough to give us plenty of space, and the bedding made it easy to have a proper lie-in when we wanted to slow down in the morning. We particularly appreciated the desk and workspace, which gave us somewhere comfortable to open our laptops and get some work done. With the generous amount of space overall, the room never felt cramped.
We also appreciated a few practical touches, including the fridge, coffee machine, and safe for valuables. One small thing we missed was having a bedside table within easy reach on both sides of the bed. One nightstand was positioned a little farther away, which is one of those small hotel details we always notice. It would have been more convenient to have everything we needed, such as a phone or glass of water, right beside the bed.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was also on the more spacious side, which we appreciated, particularly compared with the compact bathrooms you often find in city hotels. It was clean and well-maintained, with fresh towels and complimentary toiletries, including shower gel and the essentials you would expect for a comfortable stay. A hairdryer was also provided, so we did not need to bring our own. Overall, it was a simple but practical bathroom that had enough space to use comfortably without feeling cramped.
Culinary Experiences
Breakfast
Breakfast is served from 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM on weekdays and from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM on weekends, giving you plenty of time for a slower morning. It is served buffet-style, with a good selection of everything you would expect from a continental breakfast. You can choose from both sweet and savory options, including bread and pastries, cereals, fruit, cold cuts, cheeses, and hot breakfast dishes. Plenty of seating was available in the breakfast area, so finding a table was not an issue during our stay.
Overall, the breakfast was good, though not extraordinary. It had enough variety to start the day well, and we appreciated being able to choose something different depending on our mood. It may not be the kind of breakfast you will remember long after your stay, but it certainly did the job before heading out to explore Munich.
Restaurant Vitello
When we arrived at the hotel, we decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, and it turned out to be a highlight of our stay. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating, and on a warm summer evening, we chose to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere. We started with a glass of red wine with a lovely, deep, rich flavor. From the seasonal menu, we then chose the salmon with potatoes, which was nicely presented and enjoyable. The meal also came with complimentary bread and butter, a simple touch we appreciated.
Overall, we had a very pleasant dinner and found the restaurant a good option if you do not feel like heading back into the city after a long day of sightseeing. For us, the hotel restaurant was certainly one of the pleasant surprises of the stay, and we would happily recommend giving it a try.
Facilities and Services
In truth, we didn’t manage to use all the facilities and amenities during our stay, simply because we were only in Munich for a short time. Still, the hotel offers plenty to discover, from the restaurant and beer garden to the bar, room service, parking, and various services for both business and leisure travelers. Even if you are mainly using the hotel as a base for exploring Munich, it helps to know you have plenty of options if you have more time to enjoy the property itself.
- Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, including the guest rooms.
- 24-hour reception is available, so you can arrive or return to the hotel at any time.
- Underground parking is available with 150 spaces. The current rate is €19 per day or €2 per hour. The hotel also has two electric vehicle charging stations.
- Free coach parking is available, with two spaces at the hotel.
- Restaurant Vitello serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with Bavarian and international dishes.
- The beer garden provides outdoor seating during warmer weather, which we also enjoyed during our stay.
- The jazz bar is open daily from 4:00 PM to 1:00 AM, making it a great option for an evening drink without leaving the hotel.
- Room service is available daily from 8:30 AM to 10:30 PM.
- The breakfast buffet is served from 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM Monday to Friday and 6:30 AM to 11:00 AM on weekends. The current buffet price is €18 per person.
- Pet-friendly: pets are welcome, with a €15 charge if you bring two or more animals.
- Meeting facilities are available, with meeting rooms suitable for seminars, workshops, and presentations.
- Family facilities: children up to 12 can stay in the parents’ room free of charge, while extra beds are available for older children at an additional cost. Baby beds can also be requested.
- Early check-in and late check-out are available subject to availability, for an additional fee.
Overall, the facilities make the hotel more than simply a place to sleep. We particularly appreciated the restaurant and beer garden, the 24-hour reception and the practical services such as room service and parking. For us, though, the biggest advantage was having a comfortable base from which to explore Munich.
Value For Money
For our stay from 8 August to 10 August, we paid €194.40 for two nights, or €97.20 per night. This price was for the room only and did not include the dinner we had at Restaurant Vitello during our stay, which was paid separately.
Considering the spacious room, comfortable facilities, helpful staff, and convenient public transport connections, we felt the price was reasonable for what we received. The hotel offers plenty of amenities beyond simply providing a place to sleep, although we didn’t have enough time to use everything during our short stay. Overall, the combination of room comfort, services, and on-site facilities made the stay feel worthwhile for us.
Verdict
★★★☆☆
Overall, we had a pleasant stay. The spacious, clean room, friendly staff, good breakfast, and enjoyable dinner at Restaurant Vitello were the highlights for us. We also appreciated the range of facilities, even though our short stay did not give us time to use them all.
The location is a little outside Munich’s historic center, but public transport makes getting around straightforward. For us, the combination of comfortable rooms, helpful service, on-site facilities and a reasonable price made it a worthwhile choice for a short Munich stay.
Pros
+ Spacious, clean rooms
+ Friendly, helpful staff
+ Good breakfast buffet
+ Restaurant and outdoor seating
+ 24-hour reception
+ Good public transport connections
+ Room service available
+ On-site parking
Cons
– Further from Munich Old Town
– Public transport needed for major sights
– Not ideal if you want to sightsee on foot
– Some mixed reviews on maintenance
– Bedside table in our room was too far from the bed
All Ratings
| Category | Rating |
| Location and Accessibility | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Cleanliness | ★★★★☆ |
| Comfort | ★★★☆☆ |
| Staff and Service | ★★★★☆ |
| Value for Money | ★★★☆☆ |
| Dining and Food Quality | ★★★☆☆ |
| Amenities | ★★★☆☆ |
| Check-In/Check-Out | ★★★☆☆ |
| WiFi and Connectivity | ★★★★☆ |
| Overall Experience | ★★★☆☆ |
Official Penguin Rating
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