Weekly hotel top five of five - Germany

(Hyatt)

With the rather apt theme of "Efficiency - Innovation - Sustainability," the world's largest industrial fair begins in Hannover, Germany this week.

The Hannover Messe expects to welcome 4,600 enterprises from 63 nations to the event, which can only help the recovering German tourist market. Despite a fall in arrivals to Europe's largest economic power of 2.7 percent in 2009, German officials point to the overall rise in number of nights stayed in hotels as evidence that their country is more popular than ever.

Recent campaigns have sought to portray Germany as good value for money, which in economically troubled times is a strong case for a country, particular one often stuck in the shadow of its more popular (and more expensive) neighbor, France.

Berlin, which celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 2009, takes the lion's share of overnight stays in the country. Munich, home of the legendary Oktoberfest celebrations, comes a close second.

Berlin

The German capital is the most popular destination, around 2.7 million visitors in 2008 according to Euromonitor. That's a fairly impressive growth of 7.5 percent (Paris tourists fell by 4.4 percent in the same period). The mid-range Circus hotel took top spot, pushing Berlin's five-star options further down the top five properties.

1 The Circus Hotel
2 Melia Berlin
3 The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin
4 Hotel Concorde Berlin
5 Mercure Hotel & Residenz Berlin Checkpoint Charlie

Average price of top five $230/€168

Munich

Munich isn't far behind Berlin in terms of visitors (2.1m in 2008), helped undoubtedly by the phenomenal popularity of Oktoberfest. The luxurious Mandarin Oriental is the most popular hotel in the city, described by one traveler as "German perfection in every detail."

1 Mandarin Oriental
2 Hotel Laimer Hof
3 Exquisit Hotel
4 Sofitel Munich Bayerpost
5 Hotel Kriemhild

Average price of top five $531/€389

Frankfurt

Around 1.5 million people visited Frankfurt in 2008, in part because of the city's importance as a global financial powerhouse. The Hilton takes top spot amongst Frankfurt's hotels, with guests praising the views across the city. The "boutique-like" Movenpick came second.

1 Hilton Frankfurt
2 Movenpick Hotel Frankfurt City
3 The Pure
4 The Westin Grand Frankfurt
5 Villa Kennedy

Average price of top five $320/€234

Cologne

Hotel Domstern was the most popular establishment in Cologne, and was the cheapest of the city's top five establishments. Visitors described it as "small but perfectly formed."

1 Hotel Domstern
2 Pullman Cologne
3 Marriott Cologne
4 Radisson Blu Hotel, Cologne
5 Le Meridien Dom Hotel

Average price of top five $183/€134

Hamburg

Hamburg is a key transportation hub in Germany, popular with tourists from the Netherlands and Scandanavia. The most popular hotels are dominated by brand names, however, with the luxurious five-star Park Hyatt taking top spot.

1 Park Hyatt Hamburg
2 Lindner Park-Hotel Hagenbeck
3 Sofitel Hamburg Alter Wall
4 Grand Elysee Hotel
5 Le Meridien Royal Hamburg

Average price of top five $299/€219

Data is taken from millions of independent reviews and rankings surveyed at TripAdvisor taken on April 14, 2010.

Website: http://www.tripadvisor.com