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 Berlin Hotels
Berlin has 22 five-star luxury hotels competing for your business and there are now over three times the number of hotel rooms of all grades than there were when the Wall came down. So ask for a discount. Many of the new hotels are rather characterless tour group processors. But for people who mind about where they stay....for you...there are two very typically Berlin types of hotel to be tried. There are a number of pensions, often in converted pre-war apartment blocks, which have added modern touches that make them into something quite new, refreshing and comfortable. Askanischer Hof and Art Nouveau are examples that we like. There are others that have gone way down the designer route and have become art objects in themselves. Lux 11 is not so extreme, but will please the young and design-conscious. Brandenburger Hof caters for the same people once they have become successful. Traditionalists are well catered for...at a price. All in all the burgeoning hotel scene makes Berlin an even more desirable place to visit, both for the young (there is a vibrant club scene) and the not-so-young (the city is amazingly rich in culture, from museums to music). The hotels are listed by price category, and the order bears no reflection on our preference.
 Reviews by George Pownall |
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| Luxury: One of Rocco Forte's finest hotels |
| Location: Mitte; on Bebelplatz, off Unter den Linden |
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| Once the HQ of the Dresdner Bank, but now the least stuffy of Berlin’s grandest hotels, which opened in 2006. Bolder interior design than its rivals, without losing its sense of place. Practical, smart rooms. Linen-sheet comfort. Fine views of central Berlin from the top floor. A 20m pool and spa in the old vaults. |
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| Luxury: The grande dame of Berlin hotels |
| Location: Mitte; opposite the Brandenburg Gate |
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| The grande dame of Berlin hotels, rebuilt on its old site opposite the Brandenburg Gate. Capable of welcoming a head of state, holding a society wedding reception or a car launch with equal aplomb, it will look stuffy to some, a bit like Harrods (with signs prohibiting photography) to others. But the service is perfect, the rooms are large and luxurious, and the buffet breakfast - a bargain at E34 - is legendary. It was from the balcony of one of the rooms that Michael Jackson precariously dangled his baby in 2002. |
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| Luxury: Glitter and practicality combined in a well-run hotel |
| Location: Mitte; in Friedrichstadt district , Gendarmenmarkt |
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| For those who don’t take themselves quite as seriously as Adlon customers? Decorated in continental glitter, with English Country House touches; highly polished marble, panelled public rooms, chandeliers and a mock-Biedermeier TV cabinet, but Victorian landscapes and English period prints. No pool. Double Michelin-starred restaurant. A very well-run, capable, conventional hotel, worth its place among the leading luxury hotels in Berlin, with stand-out dining. |
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| Luxury: Privately owned; luxury with a design-conscious twist |
| Location: Charlottenburg; close to the shopping centre |
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| Highly regarded small (58 rooms, 12 suites) private hotel in a ultra-modern conversion of a c.1900 mansion block. Bauhaus furniture. Luxury with a design-conscious twist. Attention to detail (e.g. fresh figs in the bedroom, copies of Architectural Digest, Japanese flower arrangements) can seem self-conscious. The Michelin-starred Quadriga restaurant is one of Berlin’s best and has a cellar of over 850 German wines. Recommended. |
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| Luxury: Courtier's palace, decorated by Lagerfeld |
| Location: Grunewald; in suburbs, 20 mins from city centre |
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| If you are rich enough to stay here you will not mind the taxi fare into central Berlin (20-30 mins). 54 rooms of great luxury, decorated by Karl Lagerfeld, in a 1912 courtier’s palace. Plush grandeur; not for the meek or ascetic. Two restaurants and a much-praised spa. Peace and quiet in the leafy Grunewald suburbs. |
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| Mid Price: Cool, all-white new addition to central Berlin's hotels |
| Location: Charlottenburg; in the shopping district, Kurfurstendamm,next to the KaDeWe department store |
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| Set in a historic 1920s building with a fabulous facade, the Ellington takes its name from the days when it played host to the jazz greats of the day, Duke Ellington included. Now a slick, trendy hotel, it still attracts stars, but as guests. The all-white lobby, restaurant and canteen-style breakfast room (echoes of the building's days as a factory) are hugely successful spaces. Bedrooms are understated, with bathrooms almost part of the room, so intimacy is required if you are sharing. |
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| Mid Price: Cool, easy-going designer hotel |
| Location: Mitte; close to Prenzlauer Berg and Gendarmenmarktof Alexanderplatz |
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| North-west of Alexanderplatz (not a pretty area, but where it’s at), this converted apartment block essentially offers you a medium-sized studio flat, designed by Constantin Silvestrin & Salmaso, with a kitchenette and rainforest shower, two large TVs in the Executive Suite and a very comfortable bed. Downstairs are a spa and an excellent, fashionable, Japanese/Italian fusion restaurant. Don’t expect big hotel service; it’s more like staying with designer friends; slightly scruffy, but undeniably cool. |
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| Mid Price: Eclectic, funky hotel, each room designed by a different artist |
| Location: Mitte; beside the railway between Friedrichstrasse and Hauptbahnhof |
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| With a railway line so close that it almost collides, this privately owned hotel needs to work extra hard to attract its guests – and it certainly does. Each room is designed and decorated by a different artist (who receives a small ‘royalty’ every time it’s used) and each is completely unique; the website tells all. Try for a non-railway room, though double glazing does much to dampen the noise. Breakfast is taken in the brasserie next door. Great fun. |
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| Mid Price: A solid choice, well placed for transport |
| Location: Charlottenburg; western central Berlin, between Kurfurstendamm and Savignyplatz |
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| This is an excellent privately owned four-star hotel, well placed for transport. The rooms are particularly comfortable and the bathrooms lavish – as luxurious as many five-star places. In reception and the public areas (with Bauhaus furniture and Andrée Putmann lights) the facilities feel less remarkable; you clean your own shoes on a machine near the lift, but that’s reflected in the price. A very good Greek-owned brasserie on site – the Cassambalis – also does room-service. |
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| Inexpensive: Spacious pension comfort at a bargain price |
| Location: Charlottenburg; close to the shopping centre |
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| Staying here is a bit like staying in grand theatrical ‘digs’ many years ago. It has perhaps seen better days, but offers thoughtful service, a good location and spacious pension comfort at a bargain price. The 16 bedrooms are large and idiosyncratic. We like the signed photos of matinee idols, curious old furniture, kind staff and outstanding Berlin-style breakfast. |
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| Inexpensive: Modern design on the 4th floor of an Art Nouveau building |
| Location: Charlottenburg; two minutes from the Kurfurstendamm |
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| Quirky uber-modern design touches (vast monochrome photographs of gourds, Mondrian-look rugs, etc.) in an 1898 apartment make this very Berlin Now. Rather communal (e.g. an honesty bar in the salon where the household congregates), rather green (only showers), rather nice. Friendly, intelligent owners....there are good books around...a safe and convenient part of Charlottenburg; and relatively low prices make this a very attractive package. |
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| Inexpensive: Atmospheric student-friendly budget hotel/hostel |
| Location: Kreuzberg, close to the U-Bahn stop Schlesische Tor. |
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| If you are going to Berlin for the bars and clubs and are on a budget, it's great to stay in happening Kreuzberg. This pre-war brick-built factory, restored in 1995, has atmosphere in spades and a friendly café, basic bedrooms and spotless shared (gender separated) bathrooms, and dormitories for groups. A few rooms have their own facilities; one is done out like an artist's studio. Fine for a night or two, and you won't forget it. |
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| Inexpensive: Simple, well maintained and full of charm |
| Location: near Kollwitzplatz in residential area of Prenzlauer Berg |
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| Located in a quiet area in a classical nineteenth century building this is a comfortable well maintained hotel, slightly off the beaten track but with good access to public transport. Simply furnished rooms; a lobby bar with parquet flooring and Cuban-style tables and chairs; an English-style tea room cosily furnished all add to the feeling of charm and nostalgia. Great breakfasts are served too. |
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