In a city which once had two parliaments, two centres and two sides, the first question you might ask is: where is the heart of this city? It would be good to know, if only to help you choose a convenient place to stay. Although reunification happened 16 years ago, the divide is still apparent, not least since with over 300 hotels to choose from, people still talk of east and west.
Few cities have as many hotel openings each year, but the different routes to market are shown particularly clearly in the three choices available here under the Rezidor SAS brand: one a refit of a famous old hotel, one a stunning new-build, and the final a hybrid of a new-build luxury hotel which is already on its second branding in nine years.
Starting from the east is the refit. The 37 floors of the Park Inn hotel are not easily missed now that the new branding is on the exterior as well as the interior. This four-star hotel on Alexanderplatz has unrivalled views across the city.
Built in 1970, the property was formerly a Forum Hotel (Intercontinental's three-star brand). The management was taken over by Park Inn in 2003, and after a recent €20 million renovation of 700 of its 1,000 rooms, it now is a modern comfortable and functional business hotel which also welcomes a hefty number of tourists (business travellers make up 45 per cent of the guests).
The hotel consistently has an occupancy rate of over 70 per cent according to general manager Mr Jurgen Gangl. He says: "Ten years ago nobody came to Berlin, everyone just went to Munich. But now it is changing." This is largely because the main railway station has shifted from Zoo in the west to a new building in the east, effectively giving the Park Inn a more central location. The Park Inn is well placed to profit from this with its large room allocation and a capacity for meetings of up to 320 people: there are eight meeting rooms, a huge ballroom, a casino on the top floor – one of only two in the entire city, and two buffet style restaurants able to serve up to 1,700 people at a time.
The new rooms at the Park Inn are compact and stylish with air conditioning, internet and features to maximise the space: flat-screen TV, sliding desk and a glass wall separating the bathrooms from the bedroom. Rooms cost from around €115 to €135. In November the renovation of the last 10 floors began, aiming for completion by February 2006. A new business centre for 800 people is also planned.
Mr Gangl says: "The hotel is directly on the Alexanderplatz in the centre of Mitte and the historical district is within walking distance from the hotel." This makes it ideal for both business travellers and tourists alike. And from the top floor with Berlin at your feet, the Park Inn feels at the centre of the world.
A 10-minute walk west along Karl Liebknecht Street, past the Television Tower and Alexanderplatz, takes you to the Radisson SAS, a huge block of polished windows set on the main road. One side enjoys views of the Berliner Dom on the River Spree and another overlooks the dilapidated communist Red City Hall. A short diversion from the hotel takes you to the trendy "new" east Berlin area with the old courtyard buildings housing theatres, boutique shops and trendy eateries.
But inside the hotel there is a sight more surprising than anything nearby. Towering over the entire lobby is the world's largest freestanding aquarium (25 metres high) holding one million litres of seawater and home to over 2,000 tropical fish. The five-star hotel has 427 guestrooms with 102 having "sea views", facing inwards onto the huge tank. The lifts have similar watery vistas. My room was a business class room with a view of the old Berliner Dom, still scarred from the war, and the cranes swinging over Museum Island.
Though a modern hotel, there is nothing standard about the Radisson. The door to my room was at an angle (apparently in line with the curved flowing movement of the water) and there was no door on the bathroom. All rooms have dark wood furnishings and white walls, LCD flat-screen TVs, high-speed internet access, and tea and coffee-making facilities. Breakfast is included when staying in a business-classroom, and a complimentary bottle of water is placed by the bed.
How popular is the hotel? General manager Mr Werner Knechtli told me he was at full capacity, which is impressive for a 427-room hotel. "We are always busy," he tells me. "Our only slow months are January and February." Around 70 per cent of the 160,000 overnight guests a year are business travellers. For those attending meetings, there is a bright, glass-roofed conference breakout area which has the Berliner Dom peering over the top. The foyer has clever seating areas placed at intervals along its length, where curtains can be pulled around in a circle for privacy. There are five function rooms, which can accommodate up to 440 people, and on the tables there are small cylinders of water and plastic orange fish wriggling in the bubble stream.
The aquatic theme runs throughout the hotel from the tiny fish-shaped jelly sweetson the bedside table to the hotel's trendy Aqua bar with its glowing florescent lights and the "Splash" fitness centre and swimming pool. Guests can also take buffet-breakfast boat trips on board the "Adele" with a guide explaining the historical sites along the river.
In the evening I ate at the hotel's Noodle Kitchen. Seating is informal, on long shared tables with views of the open kitchen.The noodles were delicious – especially the seafood dishes. The hotel also has HEat restaurant, with four open ovens cooking dishes from Asia to Europe. Guests spill out into the lobby area and river bank when the hotel is full.
The final hotel, The Regent Hotel is another entirely different experience. Set in Berlin's Mitte district at 49 Charlottenstrasse and the famous Gendarmenmarket Square (with the French and German Cathedrals) the Regent is a five-star hotel and inside, marble floors, chandeliers and huge sprays of fresh flowers adorn every floor. The building was previously a Four Seasons hotel and The Regent has not strayed from its predecessor's splendour and luxury.
The Four Seasons opened in 1996 but closed in 2004 when the landlord terminated the lease. I asked my city guide why it was terminated and he replied: "I can only think there was not the demand at the time for a five-star [hotel] in this area."
This problem may remain. The Regent's general manager Wolfgang Nitschke puts it simply: "We are not at full occupancy." There may be various reasons for this. From the outside, the hotel is easy to miss – just another tall, grey building on a discreet street. There is also a surfeit of five-star accommodation in Berlin. Perhaps the most famous hotel in Berlin (if not Germany) is the Hotel Adlon, on Unter den Linden with a view of the Brandenburg Gate, and yet over the last year occupancy there has been around 60 per cent.
The Regent opened last year but despite being a Four Seasons before, it still seems as though no one has realised there is a hotel on the premises (for the guests, this can have advantages; Elton John, Depeche Mode and Destiny's Child have all stayed in the presidential suite – a snip at €2,700 a night).
The hotel has 195 rooms and they are some of the largest in Berlin. The superior and deluxe rooms cover 40 square metres while the 39 suites are huge at 60 square metres. My suite was larger than my two-bedroom London flat and had two toilets, a marble bathroom with double sink, separate bedroom, two TVs and a walk-in wardrobe with safe. There was also a lounge with a desk, internet access and a view onto the courtyard at the back of the hotel.
The problems with recognition extend to The Regent's restaurant, Fischers Fritz (open 12pm-2pm for lunch and 6.30pm-10.30pm for dinner), headed by top Michelin chef Christian Lohrs. At 8pm on a Saturday night there was only one other table of diners, possibly because there is no door from the restaurant onto the street and so people do not stumble across it. One companion at my table said: "Berliners like to find places to call their own but perhaps this one is too hidden and no one has found it yet."
They are missing out as the food is superb. A starter of carpaccio of Atlantic prawns with Iranian Ossiettra caviar and sour cream fine gelée of Kaiser Wilhelm Apple set the tone; there is even a walk-in wine cellar for those who want to choose their own wine.
Of course the challenges faced by the top-end hotels in Berlin may be a temporary matter of supply and demand – there's no doubt that when the wall came down, every hotel group felt it should have at least one, if not more hotels in the city. With the German economy currently struggling, and until corporate business in Berlin increases, it may be that the top-end suffers as a result. Go now to experience luxury all to yourself.
Getting there
London-Berlin Served by Air Berlin and Ryanair both from Stansted. British Airways has flights from Heathrow, and Easyjet flies from Gatwick and Luton. Return fares with Air Berlin are from £80, Ryanair from £28 and Easyjet from £41. With BA, business class costs from £222, economy class from £96. Flights with Air Berlin and BA arrive at Tegel Airport, whereas Easyjet and Ryanair use Schonefeld.
