BACKGROUND

The Hotel am Steinplatz is part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection, launched in 2010 and expanding at a fair pace worldwide, with 60 hotels.

The properties are all different (“independent”, as Marriott calls them, although they are all managed by Marriott) and range from Kessler Canyon, a 15-room hunting lodge in Colorado, to the 3,000-room Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

Many of the properties are historic, as with this one, which was relaunched last year after a complete rebuild behind the August Endell-designed art nouveau façade, 100 years after it opened. More than 30 million euros was spent on the renovation.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?

The olive-green exterior and arched Moorish-style windows certainly look striking, if a little odd, in the residential area of Charlottenburg.

Inside, the design is very Berlin, with art nouveau touches, a black, white and grey colour palette, and photography and video screens in the corridors showing vintage footage from the hotel’s heyday, and Berlin’s golden age, in the 1920s.

The excellent staff are ready to help, escorting guests to their rooms and offering to print boarding cards.

WHERE IS IT?

In Charlottenberg, a five-minute walk from Zoologischer Garten station, which has links to pretty much everywhere in Berlin. To reach the hotel, walk up Hardenbergstrasse, past the new C/O Gallery and the Wyndham and Indigo hotels.

ROOM FACILITIES

There are 87 rooms across five of the hotel’s six floors. A keycard is needed to use the glass-walled elevators, and also to power up the room, although when you take the card out of the slot, the plugs by the workdesk stay on, so you can charge your laptop while you are out – a good feature.

All rooms are different sizes, with even entry-level Deluxe ones varying between 23 sqm and 30 sqm. There are views of either the central courtyard or out to the surrounding streets.

I had a courtyard-facing room on the fourth floor and it was extremely quiet thanks to the thick carpets in the corridor, excellent soundproofing and the fact that the courtyard garden didn’t have a bar or smoking area.

Its furnishings were discreetly luxurious – there was a lovely comfortable armchair in one corner with a lamp standing next to it, which was good for reading, and a great bed with a lighting system that allowed me to turn all the lights off without getting up. The desk was a good size, but the chair wasn’t really suitable for long periods of work, not being adjustable.

The granite bathroom had a heated floor, a twin-head shower (rain and power) and Etro products, but there weren’t enough places to hang towels.

All rooms come with free wifi, iPod docks and video screens on the back of the door, so you can see who is knocking.

I returned one evening to find housekeeping had left screen wipes for my laptop – yes, it did need it – and they made sure the capsules for the Illy coffee maker were regularly refilled.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS

Restaurant am Steinplatz has a glass-covered area facing the courtyard – in one corner is a smoking room where cigars are available to buy.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it serves a seasonal menu by Michelin-starred chef Stefan Hartmann with a focus on produce from Berlin. The design references the 1920s in everything from the chinaware to the cutlery.

Bar am Steinplatz is next door, and offers signature cocktails made from local spirits.

BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES

There are two 45 sqm meeting rooms – these can be combined and open on to the central courtyard.

LEISURE FACILITIES

On the fifth and sixth floors is a large spa with a sauna and four treatment rooms with natural light. There is also a small gym which has views across the roofs of Berlin.

VERDICT

A stylish hotel, that is modern yet gives a sense of Berlin 100 years ago, with excellent service and a well-connected location. An excellent addition to Marriott’s Autograph Collection.

FACT FILE

  • HOW MANY ROOMS? 87 – 39 Deluxe, 29 Superior, 16 Grand Superior and three Junior suites.
  • HIGHLIGHTS The good soundproofing, excellent security, free wifi and Illy coffee machine.
  • PRICE Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay in May started from Euro195 for a Deluxe room.
  • CONTACT Hotel am Steinplatz, Autograph Collection, Steinplatz 4; tel +49 305 544 440; autograph-hotels.marriott.com