<strong>The welcome</strong> I arrive on foot at the 158-room, four-star hotel, opened last year as part of the Meliá group’s sub-brand, about 20 minutes’ walk from the train station. The lobby is bright, light-filled and spacious, with an array of colourful seating and artworks, and I’m swiftly checked in at the light-wood reception desk. <strong>The neighbourhood</strong> As the westernmost city in Germany, near the Belgian/Dutch border, not much of Aachen’s pre-Second World War architecture remains, having been razed during the Allies’ advance. The four-star Innside reflects that modernity, in a curved, green-and-white, six-storey complex in a quiet corner of the centre. Although the scale of this relatively small spa city means it’s only a short walk to the few historic sites that did survive, such as the foreboding cathedral, the resting place of famed Medieval monarch Charlemagne. <strong>The room</strong> My third-floor premium room has a leafy view of the quiet shopping street below. The overall minimalist approach employs a black-and-white palette, and good use is made of relatively limited space, with a wall-mounted television, a small circular desk with two chairs and a well-thought-out storage area furnished with a magazine shelf. The bathroom is poky but functional – more of a compartmented alcove than a room in its own right – and in a open-minded European touch, the shower cubicle’s glass side is visible from the bed. Soft drinks in the minibar are complimentary and there’s a Nespresso machine, while the premium TV channels include Sky Atlantic. The gripes are almost as minimal as the decor: confusingly, the air-conditioning control panel doesn’t seem to feature an actual temperature, while the king-size bed has two individual duvets, which are barely a single size each, a strange quirk of many continental hotels. <strong>The service</strong> It might be a cliché about the Germans, but everything is impressively organised and efficient. The waiting staff at dinner are particularly affable. <strong>The scene</strong> Other guests are mostly Germans on business, although the Innside’s sole dining outlet, the Uptown Sky Lounge & Restaurant, seems to attract non-hotel-guests from around the city. Aachen is also a popular medical tourism destination with Middle Eastern visitors, and I see a couple of Gulf Arab families at breakfast. <strong>The food</strong> Uptown might be the only restaurant at the Innside, but it’s an excellent one, with a contemporary vibe and embellished by a delightful little rooftop terrace equipped with parasols and looking across the nearby terraced buildings and the city beyond. Dinner is à la carte, with a strong regional slant, such as my starter of bitterballen (three for €6 [Dh24]), although there’s plenty to keep less-adventurous diners happy, including the fabulously fresh flank steak (€28 [Dh112]). Even the bread is imaginatively presented, in a bowl atop a bed of stones. The breakfast buffet consists of cold cuts, cheeses, cereals, fruit and hot items, with a few welcome additions: passion-fruit juice and lactose-free milk. <strong>Loved</strong> The terrace at Uptown and the efficient service. <strong>Hated</strong> The Wi-Fi is limited to a rather miserly 100MB, although you can purchase unlimited access. <strong>The verdict</strong> A modern, likeable base from which to explore one of Germany’s lesser-known curios. <strong>The bottom line</strong> Double rooms at the Innside Aachen (<a href="http://www.melia.com">www.melia.com</a>) cost from €119 (Dh477) per night, including Wi-Fi, breakfast and taxes.