Where We Stayed: Munich

Motel One is a German hotel chain that bills itself as offering stylish yet affordable accommodations. We stayed at their Sendlinger Tor location on both the first and last night of our trip.

This Motel One did live up to its claim of stylish and affordable. It had modern furnishings and its price compared favorably with those of other hotels in central Munich. However, the small rooms keep it from being a good choice for families with young children. There was barely enough space to set up a crib in our room.

We also had some miscommunication with the hotel about our reservation. For both nights, we had requested a crib. When we arrived for the first night, the request had been noted in the reservation and they set up a crib in the room right away. However, they did not have a note about a crib on the reservation the second time we stayed there. Even worse, they said that all of their cribs were already in use. We ended up having them set up a cot in the room instead and hoping for the best (surprisingly, my daughter did pretty well there, but that wouldn't have been an option for a younger child).

The best feature of this hotel is its location. It is in the center of everything. You can walk to the Marienplatz in about 10 minutes. The nearest U-Bahn subway station (Sendlinger Tor) is less than 2 minutes away. The S-Bahn suburban train to the airport can be caught at Marienplatz (if you don't want to walk that far with your bags, you can take the U-Bahn 1 stop from Sendlinger Tor to Marienplatz).

Air conditioning: yes, though we had trouble getting it to work the first night we stayed there (maybe it was the jetlag)
Bathroom: shower with detachable head and handle, no tub
Blow dryer: yes! (I was happy about this because I decided to leave mine at home)
Breakfast: this was the only place we stayed where breakfast was not included. Instead, it could be purchased for 7.50 Euro per person. We didn't eat their breakfast because we thought we could buy our own at a bakery for less (and we were right).
Crib: yes, pack'n'play type
Elevator: yes
Internet: in-room access is free if you buy their breakfast, 5 Euro otherwise.
Nearest playground: across the street

Recommend to childless friends: if they plan to spend lots of time in the city and don't need a big room, definitely
Recommend to friends with young kids: only if they really want a central Munich location, in which case the price and nearby playground make it worth a look
Website (in English): http://www.motel-one.com/uk/motel-one-search/munich/hotel-muenchen-sendl-tor.html