Germany and curry make for an unlikely pair. This is a country most famous for colossal cuts of pork served with salted potatoes in every variety — boiled, pan-fried or shaped into cricket-ball-sized dumplings. Black pepper, to many here, is considered a spicy flavour. And yet, currywurst — sliced sausage topped with a tomato sauce flavoured by spices including yellow curry powder, paprika and potentially a few secret ingredients too — has been a German favourite for over half a century. It can be eaten at almost any time of day, and at any level of intoxication. You’ll find versions sold for €4 (£3.40) from shabby stands and haute interpretations costing €25 (£21) and paired with Champagne. It’s the fuel served in factory canteens and there are pop songs dedicated to it, politicians have even posed with it and there are festivals celebrating the best of the wurst. So how did it come to be?
What Customer Rights Do Hotel Guests Have? Not Many.
27.07.2023 - 18:16 / smartertravel.com
When someone raises the question of travel rights, the focus is usually on airlines and not hotel guest rights. That’s probably because air travelers have lots of rights, many guaranteed by government regulations and airline contracts. Moreover, key government-enforced rights have teeth: Failure to honor your rights often leads to some combination of mandated traveler repayments and airline-paid fines. But on a typical trip, you spend more on a hotel, resort, or at vacation rental than airfare. So what are your resort, vacation rental, or hotel guest rights?
Your (Limited) Hotel Guest RightsFew people have much to say about hotel guest rights—mainly because they’re so limited. Here’s what you can (and can’t) depend on as a hotel guest.
A RoomA room reservation—even when it’s not prepaid—is a contract, which a hotel is legally obligated to honor. Occasionally, however, when you arrive to claim your reservation, the room you chose might not be available. At that point, usually, the hotel will give you any room at all, even if it’s a more expensive suite. The worst-case (and rarest) scenario is that the hotel is 100 percent occupied and, contract or not, can’t simply give you a room. So your legal right to a room becomes moot, at least in the immediate. You could sue for breach of contract, but that won’t solve your immediate accommodations problem. You’re better off asking the hotel to pay for your stay elsewhere.
Related:What to Do When a Hotel Tries to Screw YouWhen a hotel can’t honor a reservation, it’s customary for them to “walk” you—or arrange for accommodations of equal or better grade. In addition to the stay, they should also pay for your transportation to the other hotel. I’ve never seen an actual law or regulation that ensures this—instead, it seems to be an industry custom with no legal footing.
The hotel can’t suddenly create another room or toss some other guest out to give you a room, so your best strategy is to find an acceptable solution for yourself, and to present it to them. Get on your laptop or phone and find an acceptable (or better) room nearby. It’s usually easier for an agent to say “yes” to a specific option than to respond effectively to a whiney complaint. I’ve been walked a few times, invariably to a less desirable hotel. But a room in a less desirable hotel beats no room at all.
Not as AdvertisedWhat do you do when someone fires up a jackhammer under your hotel room window at 8:00 a.m.? Or when that “luxury” condo with a “spectacular ocean view” you prepaid for turns out to have a broken air-conditioner, dirty sheets, and a window that overlooks a loading dock? In many ways, disappointment is trickier than the open-and-shut “no room” situation.
Here again, whatever
The story behind currywurst, Germany's favourite fast food
How to get around in Germany
Germany is a traveler’s dream. The birthplace of the Autobahn boasts one of the most extensive, reliable and well-integrated transport networks in the world.
Top tips for seeing Germany on a budget
Western Europe’s most populous country doesn’t always spring to mind as a low-cost destination. However, in a place this big and diverse, there will always be a smarter way to spend your euros.
Kimpton Hotel Guests Can Now Borrow Chic Accessories From Anthropologie—For Free
Traveling carry-on only just got easier for guests staying at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.
6 of the best hikes in Germany
There is a long and rich tradition of rambling in Germany.
Key things to know before you go to Germany
Germany is the world’s fourth-biggest economy, has a history that’ll take you a lifetime to unpack, a capital city that seems to be crawling into the future and a population of more than 80 million people, almost one-fifth of whom have an immigrant background – that makes it almost impossible to form any generalisations about a singular Germany. Instead, expect a country full of bewildering contradictions, quirky social norms and, in the capital especially, stereotypes turned on their head.
Six road trips to see the best of Germany's countryside
Germany, birthplace of the autobahn, is a wonderful country for driving tours. It’s big and varied enough to allow longer, more ambitious trips, yet has plenty of small, distinctive regions begging for in-depth exploration. Throw in a superb road network (including over 13,000km of autobahnen), an orderly and predictable driving culture and a wealth of rental options, and you’ve got everything you need for a driving holiday.
The best time to visit Germany
Germany is a country that embraces its seasons, with events and celebrations spread across the calendar.
The 8 best places to visit in Germany
Germany, western Europe’s largest country, is a boundless feast for travelers. Its endless variety of historic cities, dark, romantic forests and contemporary cultural riches can leave visitors bewildered. But, while you can never hope to see all this fascinating country’s highlights, you can cut to the chase with our guide to eight of the very best places to visit in Germany.
17 of the best things to do in Germany
For grand castles and gritty industrial architecture, half-timbered taverns and edgy techno nightclubs, head to Germany.
In Another United Fiasco, Family’s Dog Dies During Flight
UPDATE: As if United weren’t already getting enough bad press from the dead-dog-in-the-overhead incident, just days later the airline mis-shipped two dogs to two different destinations. A Kansas City-bound German shepherd was flown to Japan, while the Japan-bound Great Dane landed in Kansas City. Once again, United issued an apology, and “is looking into the matter.”
America’s Worst Cities for Bedbugs: Is Your Next Hotel Stay in One?
If you’re planning on visiting any of these destinations, you should read up on how to spot bedbugs in your hotel room (and what to do about it). Pest control company Orkin just released its list of the top cities for bedbugs, using data from both residential and commercial (i.e., vacation rentals and hotels) calls. Orkin noted which destinations had more bedbug outbreaks (Los Angeles, for example, moved up two spots on the list), and which had fewer (good job, New York, dropping four places).