The 135 cruise-goers remained unhurt after the 110 metre long tourist vessel collided with the hotel just after 2 am, leaving it seriously damaged but still afloat.
River police from the German state of Hesse at first blamed the cruiser’s captain for the crash, but later found that one of the boat’s three main engines had failed.
The floating tourists, who began their trip in Strasbourg, had to abandon ship and take a bus to reach their final destination of Koblenz.