Hotels near Palais am Festungsgraben, Berlin

We stayed during Oct of 2021. We were pleasantly surprised when they upgraded us at check in and it was a very nice room. The room was comfy and clean. We stayed for 3 days. The last day, we had an international flight in the afternoon. When we woke up, there was no water in the bathroom. So we called the front desk and we were told that there was an issue and they were fixing it. We asked when it would be fixed, the answer was they did not know. They told me that the issue was only on that floor (we were on the top floor) and other floors had water. We had to brush our teeth, shower and get ready, so we asked if we can use one of the empty rooms on the lower floor to get ready. We were told that nothing was available and when asked what they can do since we had to get ready for the flight, the answer was they cannot do anything. So I got dressed and walked to the front desk and asked to speak to the manager. I was told he was busy and he was working to fix the issue. The attitude of the front desk was, it is too bad we cannot provide water in your room and no, we will not do anything to help you. I got back to the room and we were trying to figure out what to do, then the water turned back on. In the end, we were able to get ready and catch the flight but the experience with the front desk makes me think twice before booking this hotel chain.

I spent a superb four nights here with a family member (my sister) to explore the city of Berlin. Having stayed here before I was expecting the high standards of service, cleanliness and professionalism that I'd experienced before. I wasn't disappointed, from the friendly reception and booking in, to the standard if room, everything was as I recalled. The hotel is in remarkably short walking distance of all the major sites. A stroll down Schiffbauerdamm, on which the hotel is situated, will quickly take you to the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial and much much more. Unter den Linden, Checkpoint Charlie and Alexanderplatz are all equally well within walking distance and almost as interesting is the history that you pass along the way. All staff interact with the guests with a smile and you really feel that nothing is too much trouble. Checking out was a simple, painless affair and leaving our bags safely in the hotel for a couple of hours til we were ready for departure was equally no problem. This hotel is highly recommended by this traveller and his travelling companion. The next time I'm in Berlin - you'll find me here.

Located in central of Berlin, this is probably the tallest hotel in town. They have a really nice view over the city. Very convenient with metro and all the restaurants and shops around. Rooms are clean but if you live high up, it’s hard to get mobile signal. Wifi doesn’t work so well when a lot of people are using it. One of the biggest issue if you live higher than 20th floor, the elevator won’t stop at your floor for so long. Not sure how the elevators work, you may have to wait 10 mins for getting down to lobby at busy hours (etc lunch/ dinner hour) Check in was easy and quick, and staff is friendly also.

Everything was perfect until the morning of departure, when the service staff knocked on the room door at 8.30 in the morning to tell me to check out because they had to clean, although on Booking, check-out was provided until 12 o'clock.It somewhat erased all the charm until then.

I stayed only two nights at a&o Berlin Mitte with Contiki, the stay was comfortable. The four-share rooms were very small and a bit tricky to fit our four suitcases. We also had a run-in with staff at the front desk. For a four-share room, we only got two keys. When a member of our group asked for a spare key, she was denied then given a temporary card and was rudely told to bring it right back - but how could she get back into the room to bring it back??? Others in our tour had the same experience. Besides that, the breakfast was great.

I went to this hotel for a mid-week vacation with my lovely daughter. With an UBER it was about 10 Euro to get to the hotel. Check-in was smooth, the older man behind the desk wasnt overly friendly but rather efficient and that was fine. We paid the tourist-tax and got one room-key for our room. We paid online about 80 Euro a night and we got a room with three beds at the back. The room was clean and simple. A desk with a big-screen TV, a shower-room with a toilet and a wash-basin. The shower was ok but we didnt like the shower-curtains. Also the water would be warm for about five minutes but it didnt bother us. Everyday cleaning with new linen and towels. In the morning you can have breakfast but you have to pay for it. We didnt use it. The hotel is set conveniently in the middle of Berlin near Kurfurstenstrasse and Dam. Near the U-Bahn and busses.

I recently visited this hotel with my boyfriend and I was very impressed. We arrived a little before check-in and we were allowed to go to our room. the room was very spacious with an extremely comfy bed and amazing shower. Also on the last day our flight was not for a while and were were allowed to wait in the lobby after checkout which had lovely sofas and seating areas. It was quiet and there were people working in there. The staff were very lobely and was great for the price.

We were in Berlin for a football match of our VfL Bochum and chose the Estrel because it is centrally located and you can get everywhere from there. Not far from the Sonnenallee S-Bahn station, we were greeted in a friendly and courteous manner at reception. The rooms are OK, if a little shabby, unfortunately the air conditioning was not really usable, you would wish for more modern functions these days. The breakfast was completely fine. What bothered me a little was that it was very, if not too warm everywhere in the hotel. And that was when the outside temperature was 20 degrees, I don't want to know what it's like in midsummer. Overall everything was OK, but I wouldn't necessarily book the hotel again.

Everything without a problem. Good breakfast. Elevator. Only a few parking spaces. You can park on the street. Pleasant surroundings of single-family houses. Perfect for a short stay. Quiet, no parties.

By the time this incident happened, I have already completed a 4 days stay in the hotel and was willing to increase my stay. For that purpose, I went to Mrs. Hausweld and asked to please consult the availability and the price of the rooms for extra nights. In response, I was told that the final price, including the city tax for 3 additional nights would be 350 euros with breakfast included. Consequently, I was willing to go along with that reservation and requested to pay by card. Afterward, then Mrs. Hausweld offered me the POS terminal to go along with the payment, and the amount ascended to 419 euros. Due to that unexpected difference, I kindly asked for an explanation and was told that 419 euros were the final price, and if I was not happy with it I would need to leave the hotel immediately. As a result, I kindly refused to pay that amount and asked her to please consult the price for two nights instead of three. In response to that, the front desk manager told me that no more rooms were available for me and that I needed to check out now and leave the hotel. Following that conversation, I went on Booking.com and reserved a room for the same days, without breakfast, and surprisingly rooms were still available. Next, I went to the front desk and asked to please pay for my booking Mrs. Hausweld looked at me in an unfriendly manner and told me she could not find any reservation. After 5 minutes of searching, she could finally open my booking. Then, although I already provided a credit card in my booking, she asked me to show it to her because she was not believing that it was not mine. I answered that the card was in effect mine and offered her to have a look, but it did not have any numbers on it. So she got ahead to request me to write down my credit card details, including the CVV code, on a piece of paper as ”a security”. Afterward, I was asked again by her if I would like breakfast or not, despite I selected the no breakfast option on booking.com. A moment later I was offered the POS terminal to pay by card, which stated an amount 30 euros higher that the price I booked the room for on this site. Due to the reoccurrence of the same, previous situation again, I refused to pay and respectfully asked her why the price was higher again. Mrs. Hauweld answered in a very disrespectful manner that I asked her to have breakfast included and that I was confusing her again. After that situation, I kindly asked them to speak with her supervisor. She answered, that she had no supervisor and was the only person working in the hotel for the whole weekend. That experience left me in complete disbelief of her professionality and her being in that important role in the hotel. However, despite that bad experience with that particular staff member, I would like to note that the other front desk managers were very friendly and helpful at all times.