Berlin hotels

When I want to admire Berlin from above, I go to the 18th floor of Motel One Alexanderplatz. In the bar, the view extends from Alexanderplatz to the towers of the Red City Hall and of course to the TV tower. The largest hotel of the Motel One chain offers 708 rooms and is one of the best hotels in Berlin.

From this super-central location, you can reach numerous sights on foot, which is a real advantage of this hotel. The Museum Island, the German Historical Museum, the Humboldt Forum and the Berlin Cathedral are just a short walk away. And the 100 bus line, which is part of the public transportation system, takes you along Unter den Linden avenue to the Brandenburg Gate and beyond. Back at the hotel, the lobby features a huge fashion-themed mural by the art collective Klub7.

What might interest families is that one child up to six years old stays for free with the parents, and breakfast is included.

Back to school, anyone? The 4-star H10 Berlin Ku'damm hotel is located in a listed former school from 1889. The space of the former school building has been extended with a new building, located just behind. In typical Berlin style, you're greeted in the entrance area by a two-metre tall Berlin Buddy Bear. To fully experience the historical charm of this hotel, book a duplex loft in the original school building with a huge window front.

The location of this hotel is outstanding, just a few metres from the famous Ku'damm. In this exclusive shopping street, you will find all the major global brands. The famous KaDeWe, the legendary department store of West Germany, is also not far away. When you return from shopping and sightseeing, you will be delighted to indulge in a Berlin virtue –simply chilling – on the hotel's relaxing outdoor terrace. Also good to know is that the hotel received the ‘Gay Weekends Tolerantia Award’ in 2023.

The Orania.Berlin is located on Oranienstraße, in the heart of the legendary Kreuzberg 36, as the district was called during the times of the Berlin Wall. In 1980, the band Ideal even dedicated a song to this neighbourhood: ‘...I feel good, I love Berlin!’ Today, guests and locals mingle while strolling along O-Street, where I love to hang out. There's always something to see!

I find peace in the bar Orania, which also hosts concerts. This has a long tradition in the building: as early as 1913, the same building housed Café Oranienpalast offering music and cabarets. In 2017, Orania.Berlin opened here, becoming one of the best hotels in Berlin.

The bright white, neoclassical building houses 41 suites and rooms. It welcomes not only hotel guests but also their dogs. A great place to stay for art lovers, many of Berlin's major museums like the Berlinische Galerie, the Gropius-Bau and the Jewish Museum are easily accessible from here.

‘Adlon – in your house, there is simply everything!’ Lorenz Adlon must have been pleased with the judgment pronounced by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1907. The ruler himself wanted the luxury hotel, and made its inception possible. Only the finest decor would do – as befitted the Kaiser!

The original Adlon burned down shortly after the end of the war. However, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it rose from the ruins in 1997 as Hotel Adlon Kempinski. With sandstone walls and a green copper roof, it stands at Pariser Platz near the Brandenburg Gate.

Here, you have a choice of 385 rooms and suites, some with a view of the Brandenburg Gate. Even locals book a table at its gourmet restaurant Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, crowned with two Michelin stars, for special occasions. Visitors from all over the world are guests at the luxury hotel, right in the heart of Berlin, in the beating heart of Germany.

To call the swimming pool at Hotel Oderberger a pool is an understatement. In fact, the Oderberger swimming pool used to be a public bath and opened as early as 1902. In 2016, the protected boutique hotel moved into this historic building, making it one of the best hotels in Berlin, located in popular Prenzlauer Berg.

You will find 70 rooms here, including five tower suites as a special feature. As a hotel guest, you don't need to book a time slot for the historical Neo-Renaissance-style indoor swimming pool. However, it's best to inquire about the opening hours at the friendly reception. This unique pool also hosts events and photo shoots.

We Berliners also enjoy swimming here, doing laps in the 65-foot long pool in the gloriously warm water. After an early swim, the fresh croissants with Berlin honey will taste even better, savoured in the breakfast room located in the former heating plant of the bath.

Stepping from the lively streets of Kreuzberg into the garden of The Yard, you'll be enveloped by a sense of true tranquillity. I always find this surprising, especially in the buzzy area between Checkpoint Charlie and Bergmannkiez. The garden with lounge furniture and lush grasses was designed by the Swiss garden architect Enzo Enea.

At this boutique hotel in Berlin, with its 55 rooms housed in a new building, breakfast is served on the ground floor, but you also have the option to dine in the garden if you wish. The hotel emphasises sustainability: If you want to actively contribute to environmental protection, the two-day housekeeping service will surely be of interest to you, saving water, energy, and cleaning agents compared to the usual daily cleaning typical of hotel stays.

You truly don't need a car here, as the Hallesches Tor metro station is just a five-minute walk from The Yard hotel. All in all, the hotel's inner tranquillity and proximity to the hustle and bustle make The Yard one of the best hotels in Berlin.

The 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin is one of the most unusual hotels in Berlin. Locals and tourists alike visit the Monkey Bar on the rooftop, from which you can actually spot real monkeys as the bar overlooks the adjacent zoo. The Bikini House is a modern architectural gem. Built in the post-war period in City West, with funds from the Marshall Plan, it stands as a low-rise building next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and is a protected monument.

The atmosphere of the hotel is casual, from the hammock lounge to the Jungle Sauna with its glass windows: sweat in style while overlooking the zoo. You don't even have to leave the building to shop – The Concept Shopping Mall is located in the same building. Here, I enjoy browsing fashion in the typical Berlin style. However, Berlin's major shopping streets, the Ku'damm and Tauentzienstrasse, are also right on the doorstep.

At the Ritz, celebrities and politicians from all over the world come to stay – it's even hosted entire football teams. The first thing they see at the entrance is the grand staircase and a lot of marble, gold, and Art Deco. The decor of this luxury hotel in Berlin is inspired by the style of the Roaring Twenties. It is one of the best hotels in Berlin, built in the post-reunification period, opened in 2004 with 303 rooms.

Directly in front of the hotel is Potsdamer Platz with an underground and overground train station, but you can also walk to the Brandenburg Gate, the government district, and the Holocaust Memorial. Despite its central location, the Ritz Carlton is anything but drab and grey: The Tiergarten, the green lung of the city centre, flanks the hotel. After a sightseeing tour, enjoy a drink at The Curtain Club. Perhaps you'll see some famous faces at the bar enjoying a cocktail like the ‘Count of Brandenburg’ with elderflower, apricot, quince, apple, and champagne.

Only a few hotels have settled in the trendy district of Friedrichshain so far, but one of the best hotels in Berlin can already be found here. The modern music hotel nhow Berlin is located on the Spree near the Oberbaum Bridge. Every time I pass by on a sightseeing boat on the Spree, I can't get enough of the spectacular building with its outstanding, mirrored upper floors.

The interior is also sensational. New York designer Karim Rashid created an ultra-modern look, light and bright, with splashes of pink. Guests are not far from the Uber-Arena and the East Side Gallery.

Moreover, many trendy hotspots are within walking distance, such as the Badeschiff, as well as the most popular clubs like Watergate and Berghain. Additionally, this unique hotel in Berlin features its own sound studio and recording rooms. The 24-hour room service is special. Alongside champagne, you can also have guitars and keyboards brought to your room. The integrated sound and music system in the rooms will also delight any music lover.

I like to go to this hotel even if I'm not checking into a room. That's because the formidable bar, ROOT, in industrial design on the ground floor is also open to us locals. The building's original purpose is clear from the moment you enter the lobby: Parts of the legendary pneumatic tube system can still be seen on one wall.

Construction of this telegraph office started in 1910, and it was then Germany's most elaborate postal building, housing one of the largest pneumatic tube systems in Europe in its basement. Over a hundred years later, the hotel bearing the same name opened directly at Monbijoupark. Here, you live amidst exposed brick walls contrasted with modern design and amenities.

Due to its ideal location, many attractions are just around the corner, such as the Bode Museum, the Hackesche Höfe, and Torstraße with its culinary offerings. Fun Fact: To this day, there are pneumatic tube systems in Berlin, one of which is still in operation at the Chancellery. Cybercrime? No chance!