Why can't hotels just be hotels these days? You know...places to lay your head, eat some good food, possibly get a massage and be mildly entertained by the box-office stinkers that you order from the hotel TV's movies-on-demand system?
Nope, not anymore. Hotels are routinely trying to best each other with new services (did anyone say "Gladiator Lessons"?), new amenities, and funky design.
One Berlin hotel, the Hotel Ostel, has really gone overboard by essentially recreating East Germany and all of the trappings of Communist living. No, we're not kidding you.
The Hotel de Rome, which despite the name is in Berlin, has all the trappings of a top-notch downtown hotel. The building is a converted bank, with the vault now turned swimming pool. Rooms are super-huge with price tags to match. And the bathroom is full of schmancy products and heated towel racks.
But that didn't do the trick for Denny Lee, who recently checked in for a New York Times article. Maybe it was the lack of WiFi, or the insane $26 a day fee for wired internet that got him miffed. Or it could've been the dicey service:
An empty minibar shouldn't require three follow-up visits and a dozen apologies delivered with sheepish grins. More regrets came when breakfast (omelet and coffee for 16 euros) arrived 15 minutes past the promised time of 7 a.m. The front desk, to its credit, removed it from the bill without prompting, but not before issuing another apology.
Rooms at the Hotel de Rome start at $555. $555? Pass the Jack Daniels Denny.
And we thought spending a night in the dizzying black and white rooms at the Night Hotel were bad enough. But now we find the Symbol Room at the Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin.
Actually, all of the 31 rooms here are pretty crazy. Funny Town has descriptions and pictures of all them, from the Orange room to the Castle room (which pairs with the Dwarves room), to the Mirror room (heh, heh) to Grandma's room and to the Table room, where your bed and desk are atop a giant table.
Each room was created by artist Lars Stroschen and the hotel asks that you remember that while you are staying there, you are living in a piece of art. Therefore, be careful of what you touch:
But however some of the materials are a lot more sensitive than usual: the plexiglas is getting easyly scratches, the same it is with or the dark and intense wall-colours when you slide your bags upon them - only to take two examples.
That is the nature of these materials and you cannot change it - except you make a boring hotel. If you are becoming guest of the for Propeller Island City Lodge we like to ask you to keep this difference in mind and to move with some care within that artwork.
So if you break it, you just might have to buy it.
Sorry guys, this one's not for your eyes (and that's not a ploy to get you interested).
Sometimes hotels are just for women. In Berlin there's more than one women-only hotel, and your experience can be good. In particular, the almost hostel-priced Intermezzo Hotel for Women isn't fancy, but has a lot of pluses. Location is the first bonus: in the heart of the center of old East Berlin, walking distance to Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial or the Postdamer Platz, and still near public transport like the subway (U-bahn line 2) and the tram (S-Bahn).
Berlin's generally a safe city for tourists anyway, but sometimes its size and constant day-or-night buzz can be a bit unsettling for women traveling alone, and that's why we rate these hotels highly. Intermezzo features relatively basic rooms--definitely no luxury--but with the extra touches that make you realise it's made by and for women. Cotton face-wipes, for example, replace the mini-bar scotch bottles, and more useful cupboard space is built in. And everything has this special quietness, cleanliness and fresh smell about it that's sometimes even missing at a 5-star.
Simple but good--sounds a bit like a healthy breakfast cereal.
Like movie stars and their affection toward gift bags, so are we to free surprises in the hotel world. It can as simple as a Godiva chocolate on our bed to free WiFi.
Every once in a while though, hotels really step it up. A recent past guest at the Derag Hotel Grosser Kurfuerst in Berlin was lucky enough to get a bigger prize: sparkling wine:
The staff at the hotel were very pleasant and helpful in getting us booked in and also with local knowledge of things to do, places to see etc. Upon reaching our room (which I had ordered flowers & chocolates for my wife) I also found a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine (on ice) had also been left. A very nice touch. The fittings in the room were of a high standard, and whilst not stunning, they did add to the character of the hotel.
Sure, this guest was already getting his romance on and the hotel stepped in to give him an extra boost, but that's not to say a thoughtful staff won't step in at other times too. Overall, the Derag Hotel Grosser Kurfuerst is highly praised for their staff so we'll be looking under our pillow at night for our gift, ja.
It's kind of hard to fathom that there's a Westin Hotel in Berlin. But one frequent guest assures that the place is modernized and that some rooms have been entirely renovated, despite the building having been built in the "Eastern Germany Days."
I was here many times before and have seen all kind of rooms (make sure, you get an renovated one with Heavenly Bed!). Due to my SPG Platinum Status, this time I had a corner suite with a great view, but it was a old interior... Try the breakfast, its fantastic, but expensive (€25). Beside the location the best thing is the atrium lobby ... very old fashioned, but a great spot!
Indeed, the hotel gets pretty stellar reviews with the location, off Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse, being the first thing mentioned. As with all old hotels, beware the small rooms especially the ones built during Communist days.
Staying true to Berliner form, the Bleibtreu is very cool, hip, and stylish. Located in the center of Berlin and surrounded by the poshest of boutiques, the hotel keeps up with the pace of the city with its original but functional design.
Rooms are loaded with the necessities including WiFi and the all-so-indulgent remote lighting so you can set it to your pleasure. The design of the rooms will not let you forget that you've chosen a cool boutique hotel as well. They've gone so far as to have their furniture specially made not only just for them, but also to be ecologically-friendly which we presume is a notch better than environmentally-friendly.
GenArt Pulse recently recommended the place and added that not only is the lighting set to your desires but it also has happy lights for those dismal winter days in Berlin and comfort foods.
With just 60 rooms, this slick guest house offers the usual high end fare plus furniture designed especially for the hotel and made in accordance with ecological standards. Bleibtreu also offers a "New York Deli" full of bagels, heroes and other fattening Big Apple fare.
The reviews are in for this place and they're great. Rooms start at 129 euros and again, with free WiFi, we're thinking that's better than we'll ever do in the real Big Apple.
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by juliana
Staying true to Berliner form, the 
