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Bad Rate :: Back to the 80s at The Grand Hotel Esplanade

Where: Lützowufer 15, Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany, 10785

[Ed. Note: This is the Bad Rate in our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. This screenshot was taken on Sept. 11, 2006 for the days of Sept. 22 and 23. As always, rates are subject to change. Enjoy.]

Instead of a good rate Pop Art package at the Art'otel in Berlin, how about staying in a place that just looks like it's stuck in the 1980's? If you want dated decor and an inconvenient location, take a local bus to the Grand Hotel Esplanade in Berlin.

One of Mark Twain's letters he wrote while traveling in Europe goes on a rant about how most places with the word "grand" in their name are anything but, except when it comes to the bill. We think he would snort in appreciation at the $340 euro ($425) 2-night weekend tab at the Grand Hotel Esplanade, not including breakfast. (If you do want breakfast, that would be an extra $50 per day for a couple.)

Berlin is known for its hip, minimalist hotels, for rooms where you don't really have to fear about bumping into anything in the middle of the night since there's hardly any furniture. The Esplanade gets the second part right: there are no true double beds, only twins pushed together, covered by two separate duvets.

They seemed to have missed the target on the minimalist decorating though. Shooting for retro, they just end up looking tired, if these reviews are any indication:

· "The wellness area looks a bit like a 1980s YMCA"
· "The decoration is somewhat dated"
·"It's like a mix between 80's Wall Street and Miami Vice"
· "Breakfast is served in the "orangery" which is a room decorated with tens of orange plastic trees"

If you want to pay a lot and get a little (in decor that is), there are more contemporary options in hip Berlin.

Related Stories:
· Berlin Grand Esplanade reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Good Rate :: Art'otel Berlin City Center West [HotelChatter]