Hamburg residents also book at The Bellmoor: when they themselves have not enough space at home, but who need to be put up near the city centre. "And lovingly looked after" winks Jochen Rolcke. Some guests take the family treatment literally, and at breakfast tell the hotel owner their life stories...

The absence of amenities such as a lobby bar or room service doesn´t seem to worry the guests. At night a nightwatchman guards the door, drinks can be had from reception or from a vending machine. Guests can dine in the numerous restaurants in the neighbourhood, and the university cafeteria is very popular for those on a slender budget, says Jochen Rolcke.

To date he has only had positive experiences with guests. There has been one exception however. A swindler brashly worked her way from floor to floor. She began on the first floor, checked in, stayed overnight and left without paying. In this way she managed to work her way up to the fourth floor. Because of the fact that the hotels are independent of each other, her trick was only discovered by chance.