Travel News
Berlin offers some of the cheapest five-star hotels in Europe
By Ulrike von Leszczynski
Nov 2, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Berlin - The latest luxury hotel to open in the German capital has increased competition in a sector which already offers some of the best bargains in Europe.

Guests can let themselves to be pampered in the comfort of a five- star hotel for just a fraction of the price they would have to pay in other European capitals.

The latest addition is the Hotel de Rome, which opened this week in Berlin's fashionable Mitte district on the premises of what used to be a banking house.

It is the 22nd five-star hotel in the capital, and offers spectacular panoramic views of city-centre attractions ranging from the television tower to the historic Humboldt University.

Hotel de Rome is just a short stroll from other plush auberges like the Ritz Carlton or Hotel Adlon, where singer Michael Jackson dangled his baby son from an upper floor balcony four years ago.

The new hotel is a conversion of the building that was the headquarters of the Dresdner Bank until 1945, before being taken over by the East German Central Bank later.

The ornate and classical design of the original building from 1889 has been given a contemporary twist by designer Tommaso Ziffer, who also designed the Hotel de Russie in Rome.

Guests can tread on the original mosaic floors, dance in a ballroom that has a double-height ceiling or take a swim in the pool located in the original vault of the bank.

A night's accommodation can set you back 420 euros (525 dollars), but far cheaper prices can be obtained by guests who book well in advance, according to hotel spokesman Kai Simon.

'The luxury hotel market in Berlin is fiercely competitive,' says Natascha Kompatzki, spokeswoman for Berlin's Tourism Marketing department.

The average cost of a night's stay in Berlin five-star hotel is 127 euros, she says. 'In London it costs 277 euros, Paris 282 and Milan 294 euros.'

Another characteristic of Berlin is that many of the capital's four-star hotels are of the same standard as their five-star cousins in terms of service and furnishings.

But operators are reluctant to apply for the higher classification for fear of scaring off business travellers who feel such luxury would look bad on their expense accounts.

One hotel which has adopted this strategy is the Hotel Melia, which opened without fanfare earlier this month in the heart of the capital, a short walk from the historic Brandenburg Gate.

The oval-shaped superior standard hotel has 355 rooms, a tapas bar, steam room and fitness centre among its many facilities. It is located just 200 metres from other four-star accommodation like the Jolly Hotel and Maritim.

But the Spanish investor obviously felt the risk was worth it. And it has also become something of a prestige issue for major chains to operate a top-class hotel in Berlin.

Hotel de Rome investor Sir Rocco Forte says he wants the atmosphere to be informal at his 146-room establishment, despite its luxury design and trimmings.

The hotel, which cost 70 million euros, is the last big five-star project in Berlin for the time being.

'But investors are always on the lookout for suitable locations for a hotel,' says Kompatzki. While the central Mitte district is the preferred choice, they are also looking a bit further afield in the west of the capital.

West Berlin was the location chosen by a French chain which recently opened the elegant five-star art deco style Hotel Concorde near the Zoological Gardens.