Can you help me pick a berlin hotel?
 

I would like some help finding a good hotel in berlin. I am not so much worried about price, as it is location, we like to be near shopping and dining. where would that location be the best? I know berlin is spread out and every time I use google maps to find hotels, i really don't see any shopping districts and dining, unless I am not looking in the right hotel. any ideas? thanks in advance

I stayed in the Radisson Blue on (close to) Alexanderplatz.
Very good hotel, very nice location.

Now there are a lot of others and some people do know Berlin much better than me.

We stayed at The Adlon. It is a Kempinski, a luxury hotel,but Berlin prices are reasonable. We paid less than $300 a night.Very well located, beautiful place.

What kind of shopping are you looking to do? My suggestion is that you do a bit of reading to decide which neighbourhood offers you the shopping experience you want, and then look for lodgings in that area. The shopping ares of Berlin are also filled with restaurants of all description/cuisine, so if you pick on the basis of your shopping desires, you needn't worry about the other.

Berlin has excellent public transportation, so if there is more than one shopping neighbourhood you like, you can easily get to the others.

We stayed at the Brandenburger Hof hotel. It's in a quiet street, but not that far from KDW and other shops and the U Bahn.

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt last December and really enjoyed it. There is a large (indoor) shopping center just across the street. We also liked the hotel's spa and fitness facilities on their top floor, including an excellent indoor pool. The mall, as I recall, isn't a place for high-end shopping but there is a good selection of stores. Also a short walk from the Sony Center with its excellent cinema complex. U-bahn nearby.

We will stay at the 'Arcotel John F' near Gendarmenmarkt and Unter den Linden next month. It's 5 km from Kurfürstendamm ... you have to make choices in Berlin.

WE have also used the Grand Hyatt on several visits and it is in an excellent location (Potsdamer Platz) for transport.

How is anyone getting the Adlon Kempinski for $300 a night?

That is unheard of.

Galeries Lafayette is located near the intersection of Unter den Linden and the Friedrichstraße.

You definitely want to visit the Food Halls on the top floor of KaDeWe. I like to have a glass of Champagne whilst browsing the goodies.


Thin

What's your price range? "Not worried" could mean anything.

I stayed at the Motel One on Leipziger Platz which is IN a shopping mall. Also right next to Potsdamer Platz and walking distance to the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate etc. with good transport links. But while perfectly comfortable, and with AC (much needed in July), it is not a luxury hotel.

http://www.motel-one.com/en/hotels/b...ipziger-platz/

Pepper.. Re: Adlon prices. It was on their website...

I stayed at The Regent several months ago and loved it. Great location and a beautiful hotel.

I agree with the suggestion to look at the things you mention an interest in and work back to the hotel from there.
What are the shops, what type of shopping and or restaurants do you fancy? For example we stayed at the Sofitel which is right next to the Regent right on the Gendarmenmarkt. It's right around the corner from Galleries Lafayette and lots of the other high end international store. We stayed there because a lot of the smaller boutique places I'd have liked were booked up for Fashion Week.

Personally if I returned I would look outside of this area, or the area around the Adlon to the area around the Camper Hotel. We kept finding ourselves moving in that direction for restaurants plus its a hip area that's full of trendy boutiques and locally run design places. I'm not a big shopper but if you're looking for a more local feel heading in this direction would be a possibility.

I have stayed at the Hilton, Marriott next to Potsdamer Platz and the Pro Maritim close to the train station. All were within walking distance of things to see and also shopping on Friedrichstrasse. I did walk through the park to the Ka De We but it was kind of far. The bus will get you there easy enough though.

OK, let's get VERY real here:

Do you care about being in a so-called "hip" neighborhood, whatever that really means?

Are you planning to actually USE any sort of public transport to actually get around? If yes, then location simply needs to be near a station if nothing else.

I am getting a little tired of these blatant fishing expeditions from people saying, "Help me pick..." and then we never hear from them again.

Go find a travel agent and PAY for it.

Dukey1- Remember the thread is read by many, maybe hundreds of people who will use the info provided in the replies to help with their own trip planning. The information is not wasted because the OP does not respond.

My thanks to all who help others with their thoughtful informative comments.

I usually travel 10 to 12 times per year to Berlin and stay overnight. Each time, I use www.hrs.com to find a good deal. Most of the times I have the choice between several 5-star hotel with pool for €99, sometimes even including breakfast. Then I select my hotel due to location.

Given you preferences, these locations may be of interest for you:

1. Berlin-Mitte. There is ample shopping and dozens of restaurants along the Friedrichstraße, Unter den Linden and around the picuresque Gendarmenmarkt. You are also close to many tourist attractions and museums and have excellent access to public traffic. Good hotels in this area:

- The Westin Grand used to be the number hotel of the German Democratic Republic to impress their international guests. It is built in fake historical style, and certainly a five-star hotel.
- The Hilton is in a rather ugly building but is quite nice. The Executive rooms are really good, also the lounge (free meals and free alcoholic drinks of all kind), and sometimes you get good rates for the executive room.
- The Regent is a typical US-style hotel. I never stayed there because they have no pool but their restaurant Fischers Fritz (two Michelin stars) offers excellent deals for lunch.
- The Hotel de Rome (Rocco Forte) is Berlin's best hotel and has the style of a boutique hotel but is in the upper price range. But I have stayed there vor €230 which is a lot for Berlin but nothing for international standards.
- The Maritim Pro Arte also has a pool and still falls in the 5-star category but is a little lower than the other ones.

2. West Berlin. West Berlin is the old center of the western part of the city. There you find the very best shopping districts in town - the KaDeWe department store with the food halls and the Kurfürstendamm with a lot of posh stores. Also, abundant restaurants and vibrant nightlife. Here are the good hotels in the West:

- The Pullmann Schweizerhof is a 5-star hotel that often has very good rates. The largest pool in town.
- The Intercontinental on the other side of the street also has a large pool, a very good bar, a Michelin-star awarded restaurant and freshly renovated rooms.
- The Waldorf Astoria is brand new. I have not stayed there yet, so I cannot say something about it.
- The Brandenburger Hof is a charming boutique hotel with tradition (no pool).
- The Swissotel is a modern business hotel (no pool).
- The Hotel Q is the favourite of international movie stars. Very unique.
- The Hotel Palace is another 5-star hotel with a Michelin star restaurant, but showing some wear and tear.
- The Kempinski used to be a good hotel but has become somewhat run-down.
- The Grand Hotel Esplanade is an elegant hotel but requires a little bit of walking to the next U-Bahn station (which is where the KaDeWe is).

3. Potsdamer Platz
The Potsdamer Platz is a new development with a shopping mall and many office buildings. It is international style, has artificial atmosphere and is somewhat soulless. There are several US-style luxury hotels:
- Grand Hyatt.
- Ritz Carlton.
- Mandala.
- Marriott.

4. Brandenburger Tor/Pariser Platz
Located between Potsdamer Platz and Mitte you find the
- Adlon, a luxury hotel in fake historical style. Excellent service. Same price level as Hotel de Rome but not quite so good.

Dukey gets my vote.
One time OP's should have their account deleted.
As for others who might use the info, they all ask when they are in need, even if there is a similar thread going on...

Let us face it : we please ourselves by answering.

"The Pullmann Schweizerhof is a 5-star hotel that often has very good rates. The largest pool in town."

We almost picked that hotel, but then heard from a few others who'd stayed there that the pool was just too cold for them to enjoy.

The Hyatt's pool is big enough to swim laps in. Moreover, it has hours that are for families and children to enjoy, and hours that are adults only, which is great for the serious swimmers.

A drawback (to some) is the Hyatt's stark lobby. Not warm or inviting. When I traveled with my elderly, widowed Mom, I picked hotels that had a lively, comfortable and attractive lobby salon (preferably with afternoon/evening piano player). That way, if she was tired from sightseeing, she was happy to relax with a beverage and a book in the lobby salon, listening to the music and watching the world go by.

All depends on what you want from your hotel. Our default choice in lodging is a four or five-star full service city hotel with spa, fitness center and pool. We really enjoy that "urban resort" vibe. Others, of course, prefer something completely different.

If you click on the original poster's (OP) name you'll see they have been a member here since 2004. But with some of these responses it may be healthiest not to come back ;(.

I agree with Ruby lots of people read previous threads for information and never ask a question here.

Melia
stayed 3 times...perfect location in the east.
In the west, stayed at 10 Hotels...also excellent location.

I am the kind of reader who appreciates these kind of posts even if the op doesn't use the info, many people do.

>> Go find a travel agent and PAY for it. <<

I wonder if you can find a travel agent in, say, Bakersville or Greensboro who has first-hand experience of the hotels in Berlin which have opened in the last five years.

>> We almost picked that hotel, but then heard from a few others who'd stayed there that the pool was just too cold for them to enjoy. <<

Maybe it was just a temporary problem or a subjective feeling.

Last February we stayed at the Schweizerhof for €89 per double room including excellent buffet breakfast for two that was worth €35 per person. And found the pool warm enough.

The good thing about Berlin is that you have an overwhelming choice of good hotels and almost always you find one or two with killer rates.

As the Old West (Berlin) is the new hip, you find cool places to stay in walking distance to KaDeWe department store, like the 25hours hotel with a grand view into the zoo or the city center. Plus the currently very fashionable Neni restaurant.

For those with little money to throw around, there are also budget options like the Ibis Budget on Wittenbergplatz or the MotelOne or the new RIU one block East of KaDeWe.

When the new Upper West tower will open in 2017, MotelOne will open its largest flagship hotel in the lower 18 floors. That will be one of the best located low-cost hotels in town. At least the one with the best views.

Well, I've not visted here since 2013 (a trip to Amsterdam, Brussels and London), but I've been a "member" since 2004, and have often gotten solid tips from Fodor's posters on locations and lodging. I'm looking now for lodging in the large city of Berlin and, in my early stages of research, have not yet narrowed my choices to East or West Berlin. My wife would consider a pool a bonus, but shopping is not very high on our agenda, and we're more likely to concentrate on the historical aspects of the city.

What I'm really just a bit concerned about is that, at least in this thread, there seem to have been some ill feelings developing among some of the posters. I hope that Fodor's will not turn into an all-too-flaming forum like, for example, the otherwise useful Digital Photography Review forums.

Otherwise, thank you all for your contributions. We'll be looking for an en suite 3-4 star hotel in the +- $150 US class. I'm not sure if that's possible; we're not really in the Adlon economic class, but we're of an age that a walk-up with shared baths is not quite our cup of tea, either. We're not English, but we're saving a part of our travel budget for the second half of our trip, a week or ten days in a nice London flat.

Welcome back, mohun!

>>ill feelings<<

Don't take it too serious. Maybe someone had left his bed with the wrong leg. Most of the Fodorites try to be helpful. Still.

In my post above, I have tried to give you a description of several good hotels with pool in Berlin. It does not matter too much whether you stay in the Eastern part (actually "Mitte") or in the Western part, since public transportation works so well. However, in Mitte, you are in the midst of things and find many sights and attractions in close walking distance.

My advice for you:

Open www.hrs.com (or another booking engine) and do a hotel search. You can search for hotels with pools only. You can sort the results by price or by distance fromt the city centre. It displays pictures and maps. In addition, use tripadvisor for reviews and candid photos (tripadvisor also connects to booking engines). Try to find good deals.

And if questions remain, come back and ask here.

traveller 1959,

Thanks for the tips. I'd not thought of using a site like www.hrs.com to screen for, and help narrow down, our choices. Except for our first trip in 2000 when we used Venere.com for most of our search and bookings, we've since always booked with great success directly on the hotel websites.

My general research approach (other than working directly with London Connection for a London flat, which we've done quite happily three times before and will do again this time) is to read, and often purchase, the most recent Rick Steves' book and use the funky maps, together with his pretty good descriptions of the various attractions (museums, historic sites, etc), and, having by then generally picked a strategic hotel location with reasonable walking and/or public transport to what we decide will be those highest priority atractions for us, look online here at Fodors and at Frommers (and even, sometimes, Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide) for hotels with the most positive reviews and see what hotels are most often positively mentioned, and select among those.

Oddly, but perhaps not so oddly, we've seldom selected any of the Steves' recommended hotels, many of which are a bit more Spartan than those with which we older folks are comfortable.

We're not as comfortable with Google's Trip Advisor which has been a bit controversial (not so much as Yelp, the Better Business Bureau and Angie's list, however).

YOu can get the Adlon Kempinski for $300 or less on certain days and dates, it's not that difficult. Of course the cheapest double room, but it's do-able.

We Europeans are anything but happy about Rick Steves. His map of Germany is ridiculously wrong, even manipulated. And his books are helplessly outdated. Why should his hotel recs be better?

Berlin has many brand new hotels. Most of the travellers to Berlin come for Business. As a result, the rates vary greatly. One hotel might have a big conference and high rates while the next is booked lowly and offers great Deals. Therefore the search Engines.

I'm not a defender of RIck Steves except to the extent of his (sometimes) humorous but candid descriptions of sites to visit in the cities to which we've travelled, and we've not been disappointed generally with those recommendations, as well as with his oddly drawn city maps (we've not yet seen his Berlin maps); however, we've rarely lodged at any of his recommended hotels (only twice, I remember: one in Budapest which was clean and very well located but quite minimal in its amenities, and one in Madrid which was well located and actually quite nicely furnished with solid amenities)).

We're quite early in our search and we will make use of the search engines to focus on just a few hotels whose details we'll pursue further on those hotels' own websites to obtain the formal reservation contract with our final choice.