Berlin is always reinventing itself, and the post-pandemic period has seen a boom in innovative new lodging options, with some old buildings undergoing opulent renovations. In typical Berlin flair, abandoned and often surprising structures have been transformed into chic boutique accommodations.
These include a former jail and one of Germany’s biggest post offices. Berlin’s hotel options are geographically diverse, with new establishments springing up to join the more established but still quite desirable East and West mainstays.
The new Berlin has something for everyone, from classics that never go out of style to trendy design hotels and affordable, edgy choices. These are our recommendations for the top hotels in Berlin at the moment.
How we choose Berlin’s top hotels
Each hotel review on this list was authored by a writer from Condé Nast Traveller who has visited the establishment and is familiar with the area. Our editors prioritize architecture, location, service, and sustainability credentials when selecting hotels, taking into account accommodations at all price categories that provide a genuine and insider experience of a region.
Berlin’s Waldorf Astoria
This Berlin location, which is housed in a sophisticated tower in City West and is close to the upscale retail district Kurfürstendamm (Ku’damm), will appeal to fans of the flagship Waldorf Astoria New York. Starting at 42 square meters, the rooms are quite spacious and have a modern design with neutral gray velour furniture, carpets with swirl patterns, and a striking gold wall behind the beds. Aesop soaps and in-mirror TVs lend an opulent touch to the spacious marble bathrooms with separate tubs and showers for each category. The views of the city, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, or the nearby Tiergarten park and Berlin Zoo make the Tower Suites (floors 22 to 31), which are accessible by a separate elevator, worthwhile. Both the 31st-floor Presidential Suite (with a grand piano, open fireplace, and two balconies) and the enormous 30th-floor Astor Suite (with floor-to-ceiling windows, a balcony, and a separate dining room and kitchen) provide expansive city views and are a real indulgence.
Berlin’s Chateau Royal
Situated in the heart of Mitte, only a short distance from the Brandenburg Gate, this elegant hotel offers unique guest rooms that have been designed by both domestic and foreign artists. Once inside, you’re taken to a dimly lit living room that resembles the salon of an art patron, with the huge neon sign on the exterior positioned strategically over a bronze self-portrait by artist Alicja Kwade. On their approach to the Staatsoper (German State Opera), sophisticated couples who have just completed their drinks engage in a quiet conversation. It everything seems so serene and mature, like a romanticized reenactment of Berlin’s previous artistic splendors, modernized with a vibrant feeling of the creative present. Settle into a room with a hand-carved folding screen or hand-painted wallpaper; each is individually designed and may have a unique large-scale artwork on the wall or perhaps a quirky video projection. Large walk-in showers and heated flooring are features of the bathrooms, which are lined with glazed subway-style tiles. The Reichstag is only a short stroll from the property; Friedrichstrasse is a block away if you’ve come to shop; and the expansive green space of Tiergarten is just a hop and a skip if you want to exercise or ride a bike.
The Telegraph
The city’s extensive telegraph office was headquartered in this magnificent neo-Baroque edifice, which was constructed between 1910 and 1916 and was once the most advanced postal structure in Germany. It has a prime site on Monbijoupark in the Mitte neighborhood. Since then, it has been painstakingly renovated and made into an upscale destination for discriminating tourists wishing to stay near to a wide variety of hip eateries, pubs, and retail establishments, as well as the Hackesche Höfe’s former courtyards that have been converted into commercial areas. With exposed brick walls and brick-barrel vaulted ceilings separated by metal beams, each of the 97 guest rooms has an industrial appearance. The building’s past is referenced by Art Deco design features like lit glass capsules that show the room numbers and hanging lights that dangle on each side of the bed like the chandelier earrings of a movie star. The bar at ROOT is bustling after dark, and a DJ blasts techno rhythms weekly beginning at 8pm, despite being populated by digital nomads during the day. This is Berlin, after all.
Hotel & Residences KPM Berlin
The hotel has been located atop the 18th-century Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin site since 2019 thanks to the efforts of Berlin financier Jörg Woltmann. The ultra-modern, cube-shaped structure has won several awards for architecture and design, and the 2021 World Travel Awards have nominated it as Europe’s Leading Design Hotel. With practical workstations, sophisticated wall control panels, and ingenious built-ins that make the rooms seem bigger than they really are—aided by the floor-to-ceiling windows—rooms are sleek, minimalist, and cleverly conceived. Enjoy the rooftop terrace with stunning views of Berlin if the weather allows; however, there is no bar, so don’t forget to pack your own beverages. The Berlin Zoo and Tiergarten, two important locations, are ten and fifteen minutes away on foot, respectively.
Berlin, Orania
Located in a renovated Art Nouveau structure from 1913 on the verdant Oranienplatz, Orania is the only high-end hotel in the trendy, party-heavy Kreuzberg. The “Living Room” is a spacious, open-plan space that serves as a restaurant, bar, and lounge. It is flanked by wide windows and has two roaring fires at each end (during the winter). A Steinway piano sits on an elevated corner stage; most evenings include jazz or classical music. Although the sizes and layouts of the rooms and suites differ, they are all furnished identically, with plenty of rich woods, deep red linens that include the hotel’s characteristic gold elephant, handcrafted Persian rugs, and curvy lamps by Catellani. This hotel is perfect if you like the nightlife and go to Berlin often.
Hotel Bikini Berlin for 25 hours
Situated between the Berlin Zoo and the fashionable concept mall Bikini Berlin, the Berlin location of this hip German hotel brand is housed in a refurbished 1950s high-rise. The third-floor welcome room, called Bikini Island, has a lively vibe as soon as you enter. It features a whimsical jungle-themed décor with tropical plants, cuddly monkeys, and hammocks that are well situated to overlook the zoo’s bird and monkey cages. The quirky Jungle Rooms, many of which have their own hammocks with views of the zoo, provide a distinct kind of getaway from the rest of the city, even if all of the rooms—including the XLs—are quite tiny. One of Berlin’s most well-liked drink establishments, the Monkey Bar, is located inside the hotel, and visitors may bypass the wait by taking a private elevator right to the entrance.
Berlin’s Ritz-Carlton
This five-star establishment, which boasts a refined aesthetic reminiscent of 1920s Berlin, is well-known for its flawless white-glove service. Although the entry-level Deluxe Rooms are rather roomy—they are 430 square feet—it is worthwhile to upgrade to a Deluxe View Room in order to enjoy the breathtaking views of Potsdamer Platz. The 42 Club Level rooms and suites on the 10th and 11th floors include free food and drink, a private concierge, and 24-hour access to a lounge with expansive city views for even more exclusivity. A short walk from the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, and Tiergarten park’s 210 hectares of floral gardens and tree-lined walkways, the graceful sandstone tower blends in well with the other skyscrapers on busy Potsdamer Platz.
Wilmina
It’s surprising to discover a tranquil boutique hotel in a former women’s jail, yet the Wilmina is the epitome of Berlin: a masterful blend of challenging past and the present. With a few dusty antique stores scattered throughout, the hotel is situated on a busy, extremely urban, and very local stretch of Kantstrasse in West Berlin (officially Charlottenburg, but a section so far west that few East Berliners, including myself, and visitors have ever visited). Wilmina is even more of a discovery since, while it’s definitely not a spot you’d frequent often, visiting here gives you a true feeling of Berlin. With soothing white walls and light wood furniture, all 44 of the guest rooms share a similar minimalist aesthetic. The majority were constructed by joining several old jail cells; they are tastefully embellished with framed pressed flowers, and there is a variety of books on nature on the little desk.
Berlin’s Hotel Zoo
For almost a century, Hotel Zoo has been one of West Berlin’s most upscale lodging options. It was first constructed in 1891 as a private home and was transformed into a hotel in 1911. It was the Berlin International Film Festival’s VIP hotel in the 1950s, and celebrities like Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren frequented it. Thus, it is appropriate that two Hollywood designers, Ted Berner and Dayna Lee, have reimagined the hotel’s glitzy past. Anyone would like to stay there because of its hip style and prime position on Ku’damm, Berlin’s most retail avenue.
Charlottenburg’s Hoxton
The Hoxton’s structure, which dates back to the 1970s, doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy from the outside. However, as you enter the spacious lobby, which is filled with comfortable seating options (including a large communal co-working table and a variety of couches and sectionals grouped around tables of all shapes and sizes), you can understand why the young (and young at heart) might spend the whole day here. The elegant bar, which is located directly behind the lobby and is divided by staggered shelves with beautifully placed flowers, jars, books, and other design trinkets, is a great place to have a drink when the mood strikes. Additionally, the Hoxton is a site that encourages loitering since it has its own Indian cuisine and coffee shop, which is really a teahouse. The 234 guest rooms are all identical in appearance, with hardwood floors, Art Nouveau lamps, speckled terrazzo side tables, and scalloped headboards in subdued shades of pink and green.
Berlin’s Schlosshotel by Patrick Hellmann
This exquisite home, which was constructed in 1914 in the form of a French palace, has been used as a private residence, embassy, naval officers’ club, and subsequently as a luxury hotel. Notable visitors have been there, including Paul McCartney and Romy Schneider. After acquiring the house in 2014, Berlin fashion designer Patrick Hellmann started renovations, bringing much of the design—which was created by Karl Lagerfeld in the 1990s—firmly into the twenty-first century while also preserving its magnificent historical elements. Among the 43 rooms and 10 suites are some really striking details: the first-floor Karl Lagerfeld Suite has charming Art Deco accents and a stone terrace with a view of the gardens, while the dual-bedroom Kaiser Suite features an ancient library with original murals.
Hotel am Steinplatz, Collection of Autographs
This opulent hotel has hosted guests such as Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, and Vladimir Nabokov. It was renovated as part of the Marriott’s Autograph Collection a century after it debuted in 1913 on a peaceful, green plaza in upscale Charlottenburg. Moorish arched windows, beautiful stucco work throughout, and a serpentine canopy over the door are just a few of the boutique property’s seductive Art Nouveau features. The perfect remodel combines modern accents with old ornamental features. Even after a makeover, the opulent boutique atmosphere and prime location—just a short stroll to the Berlin Zoo and the stores along Kurfürstendamm—make it a timeless attraction.
Berlin’s Adlon Kempinski Hotel
There is a feeling that the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is as bulletproof as the floor-to-ceiling windows of the presidential suites, having endured the storms of a turbulent century. Since the 1990s, it has been under the Kempinski umbrella, capturing that timeless quality and providing a sense of stability and history that is both priceless and calming. The Art Deco floor gauges in the elevators, an antique bicycle used by the bellhops, the walnut wood panels in the Michelin-starred Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer restaurant, acres of marble for a grand staircase, and gold flakes even on the currywurst in the lobby lounge are all examples of the past’s grandeur and elegance. Traditional perfectionism demands that butler-ironed newspapers be served to the table, along with three varieties of caviar and Champagne for breakfast. All of this adds to the delusion that you are isolated from the problems of the outside world and in a cocoon.
The Michelberger Hotel
With handcrafted glass chandeliers from the 1960s, comfortable low sectional couches, and shelves filled with secondhand books in every language, the freshly renovated lobby draws influence from the adjacent East Berlin architecture. At the recently opened black-tiled bar, where DJs perform every Friday and Saturday, locals enjoy indie wines. The 132 rooms are distinctive, with a few including built-ins and loft beds (imagine an expensive dorm room that cleverly utilizes a space intended for collective usage). If you like the hipster attitude and want to stay close to some of the best nightclubs in the city, including the renowned Berghain, this hotel is a must-see.
Berlin’s Hotel Oderberger
Located within the 19th-century Stadtbad Oderberger, a public bathhouse constructed by architect Ludwig Hoffmann, who also developed the city’s famous Pergamon Museum, Hotel Oderberger has one of Berlin’s most magnificent settings. Many of the big building’s original features, like the 65-foot-long indoor pool situated under a spectacular vaulted stone ceiling and flanked by gigantic arching columns and enormous, church-like windows, were maintained in the conversion to a boutique hotel. When you go into the lobby, it’s the first thing you see, and it’s impressive. Each of the 72 rooms has a different layout, and the contemporary style deftly integrates historical elements: the original numbered wood bathing cabin doors, which are now glassed in, are still used as bathroom doors. Choose the fantastic position in the center of the vibrant Prenzlauer Berg and the interesting historical elements.
Disclaimer
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