The best hotels in Berlin
Three decades after the wall came down, Berlin remains a city in constant flux, where the past and present intertwine in wildly innovative ways. A booming capital brimming with youthful energy and creative ideas, it is reinventing itself brick by brick – and nowhere is this more evident than its dynamic hotel scene. New life has been breathed into landmark properties and dilapidated buildings have been rescued and refashioned into chic boutique stays. Luxe global brands such as Rocco Forte and trendy independent chains such as Sir Hotels arrived on the scene, joining timeless classics that have stood for the past century. From the splashy west to the grittier east, choices in every style and at every price point span the city. Here are the best hotels in Berlin that are open for check in now.
Felix Brüggemann/Chateau Royal BerlinChateau Royal Berlin
Featured on our 2023 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
If you listened to the naysayers, you’d believe that Berlin was rather boring these days. “Berghain is so vanilla,” they say. “All the artists are moving out.” Well, here’s a hotel that proves otherwise. Several of the city’s artists hang out within these walls – one or two, perhaps, sitting with an Oyster Eau Martini to hand at the bar – and many more have been involved in designing bedrooms or displaying pieces up the stairs and down the corridors. A bronze self-portrait by Alicja Kwade stands outside, Karl Holmqvist’s neon piece signposts the kitchen, and a bold pink painting by Simon Fujiwara in the lobby picks up the colour of the Persian carpet below. While other so-called art hotels are little more than blank canvases, Château Royal walks the walk: Owner Stephan Landwehr’s connection to Berlin’s contemporary scene goes back to the 1980s when he started out as a picture framer; later, as a restaurateur, he opened Grill Royal, which became popular artists’ haunt. His partner, Kirsten, co-curated the spaces, which flow from the bar through a darkened fireplace room to the restaurant, Dóttir, where Icelandic chef Victoria Eliasdóttir plates up buttermilk-steeped artichokes and linseed meringue. Artists were given free rein in the bedrooms, with results that are occasionally challenging but often surprisingly restrained. With Berlin currently rebalancing itself – the west is regaining its confidence, while Kreuzkölln in the east picks up hipster points – this arty but not too-cool-for-school hotel in central Mitte is a fine place from which to reframe the city. Rick Jordan
Address: Neustädtische Kirchstraße 3, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £170
Hotel Oderberger
Best Berlin hotel for: architecture buffs
Pergamon Museum architect Ludwig Hoffmann designed this palatial public bathhouse in 1898, and the building’s grand spaces and marvellous historical elements were preserved in its conversion to a boutique hotel. The centrepiece is the original 65ft-long heated indoor pool, set beneath a towering vaulted ceiling and framed by enormous windows and dramatic stone arches. Equally striking, the tri-level restaurant, housed in the former boiler room, retains its 50ft ceilings, brick walls, steel girders and old pressure valves. Chic, neutral rooms come in a variety of layouts, with the most impressive being the top-floor apartments with floor-to-ceiling windows, kitchens and balconies overlooking the charming Prenzlauer Berg district.
Address: Hotel Oderberger, Oderberger Str. 57, Berlin 10435, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £107
Sir Savigny
Best Berlin hotel for: creatives
The Berlin outpost of the Amsterdam-based Sir Hotels keeps with this mini-chain’s trendy, artsy reputation. Public spaces are decorated with eye-catching local artwork and tall shelves displaying art and design books; the best is the lounge area, with huge windows looking out onto the garden and natty retro-style seating arranged around a central fireplace. The 44 Art Deco-inspired rooms are cosy but impeccably designed, with leather headboards, jewel-toned armchairs and mirrored mini-bars with vintage-style glassware. It’s a short walk to Savignyplatz, home to the famous Bücherbogen bookstore, and Charlottenburg’s many art galleries.
Address: Sir Savigny, Kantstr. 144, Berlin 10623, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £89
KPM Hotel & Residences
Best Berlin hotel for: minimalists
This slick new-build stands in stark contrast to its historical location: on the site of West Berlin’s 250-year-old Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (Royal Porcelain Manufactory) complex. Made up of interlocking steel cubes with floor-to-ceiling windows, the hotel is as cutting edge outside as in, with high-tech control panels for lighting and climate control and sliding doors that cleverly conceal fully-equipped kitchenettes. The 117 minimalist spaces are done up in an understated palette of greys, beiges, and creams, with custom-made contemporary furnishings, stylish pendant lights, and warm wood accents. A rooftop terrace provides soaring city views, while Tiergarten, Berlin’s largest park, is just a few minutes away on foot.
Address: KPM Hotel & Residences, Englische Str. 6, Berlin 10587, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £112
Jens BösenbergAMANO East Side
Best Berlin hotel for: design lovers on a budget
The newest entry from Berlin’s stylish-yet-affordable Amano Group sits in the vibrant, edgy Friedrichshain neighbourhood, a short stroll to the nightlife along the banks of the Spree and the East Side Gallery, the longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall. The ground-level East Side Bar is a lively spot with swish cocktails and late-night DJs; come summer, the rooftop Sky Bar – with its stellar TV Tower views – promises to be one of Berlin’s top drinking destinations. The 174 rooms are sexy little hideaways, featuring dark wood floors, deep grey furnishings, and gold and marble accents. Opt for the larger Comfort category for a king-sized bed and rear garden views.
Address: AMANO East Side, Stralauer Platz 30-31, 10243 Berlin, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £60
© andreas rehkoppRadisson Collection Hotel, Berlin
Best hotel for: families
Following an extensive year-long renovation, the former Radisson Blu reopened in January as a Radisson Collection hotel, with a fresh new look throughout its public spaces and 427 rooms and suites. Refurbished accommodations feature an attractive, modern grey and plum colour scheme, along with subtle wood accents and stylish black-and-white photos. Many are tailored to families, from larger rooms with an extra bed or sofa bed to connected rooms for more privacy. The AquaDom — a two-storey-high freestanding cylindrical aquarium, the world’s largest — remains a focal point of the hotel’s lobby, and the surrounding Atrium Bar is a prime spot to gaze upon its thousands of tropical fish. A new restaurant, Balaustine, offers Middle Eastern-inspired fare and great views of the Spree from the riverside terrace.
Address: Radisson Collection Hotel, Berlin, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 3, 10178 Berlin, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £122
Orania.Berlin
Best Berlin hotel for: nightlife lovers
The first — and only — luxury hotel in the edgy Kreuzberg district, Orania.Berlin is surrounded by some of the city’s best nightlife. Yet you may never want to leave the hotel’s glorious restaurant-lounge—an inviting, open-plan space outfitted with a long, curving wood bar, cosy seating nooks, two wood-burning fireplaces, and a raised stage with live piano music most nights. It occupies the ground floor of a restored 1913 Art Nouveau building, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking leafy Oranienplatz. Upstairs, the 41 plush rooms and suites have a subtle Asian flair, styled with exotic woods, Persian carpets, and rich red textiles embroidered with the hotel’s signature gold elephant. The top-floor salon hosts numerous musical and literary events, worth the price of a ticket just for the spectacular views over the neighbouring rooftops.
Address: Orania.Berlin, Oranienstr. 40, Berlin 10999, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £150
Hotel de Rome, a Rocco Forte Hotel
Best Berlin hotel for: luxury and location
Housed in a magnificent 19th-century neoclassical bank building in the heart of east Berlin, this lavish five-star spot tops the list of the city’s finest addresses. The lobby is full of historical details – soaring columns, gilt-edged skylights, a wrought-iron staircase – shot through with whimsical contemporary touches, such as a neon-pink birdcage suspended above curved black-velvet booths. In contrast, the 108 bedrooms and 37 suites are far more restrained, decorated in neutral tones with low-key modern furniture and understated artwork. Its Chiaro restaurant now sports a unique Italian-Japanese concept, courtesy of superstar television chef Tim Mälzer. The roof terrace, overlooking cobblestoned Bebelplatz and the copper dome of next-door St Hedwig’s Cathedral, is the place to be in summer.
Address: Hotel de Rome, Behrenstr.37, Berlin 10117, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £300
25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin
Best Berlin hotel for: city panoramas
Given its location, in a 1950s high-rise adjacent to the Berlin Zoo, it’s not surprising that this design-forward hotel has put the jungle theme front and centre. The third-floor reception-café area, dubbed Bikini Island, is a playful homage to its neighbour, decked out with tropical plants, stuffed monkeys, and hammocks positioned to capture views of the zoo’s monkey and bird cages. The 149 modern, open-plan rooms come in three sizes, M, L, and XL, and two themes, Jungle and Urban. The former are cosy, wood-panelled spaces with zoo views, while city-facing Urban rooms are edgier in design, with exposed concrete walls, metal accents, and graffiti art. One of the biggest perks of being a hotel guest is bypassing the queue at its famous Monkey Bar: a private elevator whisks you to the rooftop terrace, offering panoramic vistas of the city and the zoo below from the massive wraparound terrace.
Address: 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin, Budapester Str. 40, Berlin 10787, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £114
Hotel Zoo
Best Berlin hotel for: design aficionados
As entrances go, the 22-metre-long, jade-green, leopard-dotted carpet leading to this swish boutique hotel is certainly one of the more dramatic. The lobby is equally striking, with double-height ceilings, towering windows and doors, and a huge chain-link chandelier at its centre. Below, the oversized red-velvet sofas and high-backed Tom Dixon armchairs look positively Lilliputian. Far less theatrical are the 141 rooms and suites, each individually designed with an Art Deco flair and beautifully appointed with luxurious hardwood floors and rich leather and velvet furnishings. The chic Grace Restaurant serves superb Asian-influenced cuisine and the swanky bar a rather good cocktail, but it’s the rooftop lounge (open seasonally) that really shines thanks to its top-notch views of surrounding West Berlin.
Address: Hotel Zoo, Kurfürstendamm 25, 10719 Berlin, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £130
Michelberger Hotel
Best Berlin hotel for: scenesters
Set in a 19th-century former factory in the nightclub-filled Friedrichshain district, this artsy enclave is a magnet for cool creatives. Locals and hotel guests alike relax on cushy, low-slung sofas in the open-plan lobby and in the adjoining wine bar-cum-café, a sleek, black-tiled space that buzzes day and night. The 132 accommodations are individually designed and cater to a variety of different groups and budgets, from Cosy rooms built for two to sprawling suites outfitted with multiple beds for larger groups to pricier fourth-floor rooms featuring organic German mattresses, terrazzo tilework, and handblown globe lights. Come summer, the lively courtyard beer garden draws a crowd with regular concerts from indie bands.
Address: Michelberger Hotel, Warschauer Str. 39-40, Berlin 10243, Germany
Price: Doubles from about £80