10 hotel tips for Berlin

The number of overnight stays in Berlin is growing steadily; tourists have the choice between around 800 hotels and hostels. New houses want to impress guests with a certain Berlin spirit. Here spending the night could be enchanting!

The Stadtbad was closed for 30 years before being resurrected as the Hotel Oderberger in 2016. In the middle of the trendy Prenzlauer Berg district, the cathedral-like swimming hall from 1902 is a highlight. The hydraulic floor of the pool can be raised. The water disappears underneath and the swimming area becomes a ballroom. Later you can sleep in the bedrooms which were formerly bathrooms.

Hotel 25hours Bikini Berlin runs under the motto "Urban Jungle": If you want to be woken up in the City West by real monkey calls and the shrieks of birds, book a room with a view of the world-famous Zoological Garden. On the other side of the building there is the hustle and bustle of the city around the Gedächtniskirche church and the Kudamm. The Monkey Bar on the roof offers the perfect view.

The most spectacular new hotel development from 2016, the Upper West high-rise, is MotelOne's first theme hotel in: 582 rooms on 18 floors, decorated with golden Berlinale award bears and shots of movie stars like Christiane Paul or Moritz Bleibtreu. The hotel lounge view from the 10th floor explains the theme: opposite is the Zoo-Palast, legendary premiere cinema and Berlinale venue.

The organic hotel Lulu Guldsmeden in Mitte is consistently sustainable and charmingly relaxed. From the bed to the toothbrush, many things are made of bamboo. Organic food is served mainly from Berlin suppliers. The Danish hotel family relies on their eco-friendly ideas, from bicycles to wooden menus, which also meant the renovation work gave the old floorboards of the hotel a new lease of life.

...even in the old guise of an imperial school building at Ostkreuz. Berlin's largest youth hostel opened here in 2016 in today's trendy Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district. The 125 rooms of various sizes with private bathrooms are furnished in a modern design. This small budget accommodation is appreciated by families and school classes, but also by couples and individual travelers.

The 1920s shaped Berlin like no other epoch with art, revue theatres and dance halls. Hotel Provocateur offers art deco style rooms, burlesque dance is merely projected onto the room wall. A real burlesque dancer however greets guests in the evening as they arrive at the restaurant, while artists dressed as cabaret hosts or golden cowboys invite guests to take a selfie at the bar.

Berlin was founded in the 13th century on the Spree Island, whose northern tip is now world-famous as the Museum Island. At the southern tip between water and thundering traffic, Hotel Capri has been offering 143 serviced apartments with kitchenette for long-term guests since 2017. In the foyer, the glass floor provides a view of an excavation with town houses from the city's founding period.

No uniform furnishings, but mixed together with traces of use - that is the feel-good design of many Berlin hostels. The Wallyard Concept Hostel (picture) in an old Moabit factory impresses with art, a living room feeling and Mama's cake, while in the industrial palace at the Warschauer Str. station party hotspot halved train compartments and historical suitcases spice up simple interiors.

From former East German border wall to the East Side Gallery - the world-famous open-air gallery attracts millions of tourists every year. Opposite, three large hotel chains will open in 2018: the Meininger, followed by Indigo and Hampton by Hilton. They are part of a completely new entertainment district that is being created here with event halls, cinemas, bowling alleys, restaurants and bars.

At 368 meters (1207 ft), the television tower at Alexanderplatz is the tallest building in Germany and a landmark of Berlin. It is also the inspiration for Berlin's top-selling hotel: the Estrel Hotel in Neukölln is expected to open Germany's highest hotel tower in 2021. With a height of 175 meters, it is probably one of the most spectacular new hotels to be constructed in Berlin.