Ferien Hotel Südharz

The hotel is located in a the middle of the forest in nice surroundings. That's why we picked it. Alas, the service and the treatment we got leaves much to be desired.
The sauna was advertised to be running until 9 pm, but at 8:30 it was already cold and must have been turned off before. When I reported this back at front desk, the attendant was too busy tending the bar to see to it.
The amenities were also rather lacking. No towels in the sauna, no slippers in the room, etc. The worst experience was how we were treated at breakfast. We wore our socks to breakfast as the whole way was carpeted and there were no slippers provided. Someone who was a staff and might have been part of management too, just out of the blue and in a very accusatory tone, told me I couldn't go barefoot and I needed shoes, since it's a hotel. This happened while my white German friend was asking about the gluten free bread she had asked for the night before. Since we were both wearing socks, and yet I was on the receiving end of this rebuke, it made me feel like I wasn't welcome there cause I am brown. The staff also assumed I didn't speak any German as she only spoke to my friend. This is far from the treatment you'd expect in the service industry.
Some other minor beefs included ordering a room with a balcony and getting one without, and again the attendant being too busy to listen, let alone do something about it.
Rooms were huge and nice but a faint musty smell was present.

Disappointed with the hotel.
Arrived in pitch black no outside lighting. Not a welcoming first impression.
No WIFi in room despite it being advertised.
Evening dinner was in two seatings. We went on the second seating. The buffet was not refreshed. Food had been sitting and rummaged through from previous seating. Some dishes looked awful. I didn’t enjoy the food at all. Drinks were included in the evening meal but noone explained the deal to us. They had some seating plan but we seated ourselves as the staff weren‘t there to ask. In summary, I wouldn‘t recommend eating the evening buffet here.
Breakfast buffet was good but wasn’t refreshed. Later guests had poor pickings.
Our room was clean with a comfortable bed but had a musty smell.
When checking in the staff were stressed and had no time to explain anything.
Couldn‘t find a bar although they advertised one.
The small lift was a scary experience. Very slow with some strange movements and noises. Use the stairs 😂