Hotels: an alternative movement

Berlin is rich in palaces. Very rich. The noble Adlon, one of the jewels of Berlin hospitality, has stood in front of the majestic Brandenburg Gate since 1907. Discreet luxury, subdued elegance, a whispering atmosphere and unrivalled service... Not far from there, at the other end of the famous avenue Unter den Linden, lined if not with lime trees, at least with museums with neo-classical colonnades, the Hotel de Rome, housed in a nineteenth-century building, decorates Bebelplatz with its proud silhouette. Both the Adlon and the Hôtel de Rome belong to the Leading Hotels of the World family, an absolute guarantee of exclusivity. But the luxury offer doesn't stop thereBerlin also boasts a number of five-star establishments, including an Art Deco-style Sofitel on the Kurfürstendamm - the 'Ku'damm', Berlin's Champs-Elysées - and a Ritz-Carlton on Potsdamer Platz.

In short, there's a plethora of choice, and yet... What drives today's Berlin in terms of the hotel trade lies elsewhere, in originality and uniqueness. Over the last two years, the German capital has been enriched by a large number of sparkling or intriguing hotels, each with its own personality. Some even refuse to conform to any category, perhaps out of a desire for independence, and declare themselves to be 'out of the stars'.

This is the case at the Sir Savigny, a new address from the Dutch chain Sir, which set up in Charlottenburg a few months ago. The entrance to this establishment of just 44 rooms is not a sumptuous lobby, but a room lined with art books, an aesthete's library in the middle of which sits an immense table carved from a tree trunk. Reception" is just a small, barely visible office. where a young woman in jeans and trainers welcomes visitors as if they were friends passing through. You'll feel right at home in this cocoon, complete with a winter garden and a painted wall behind it, specially designed for the place by a street artist called Dome.

This spirit can also be found at the Max Brown, which, like the Sir Savigny, is part of the Europe Hotels Private Collection. Opened in 2016, this 70-room establishment - soon to be extended by a further 11 rooms thanks to the addition of a new floor - does not open onto a real lobby, but onto a café decorated with wallpaper featuring lush foliage. Here, everything invites you to sink into deep Scandinavian sofas with colourful fabrics and, at the same time, to immerse yourself in an atmosphere full of freshness and softness, absolutely in tune with the times. All just a stone's throw from the Ku'damm, the vibrant heart of Berlin.

The art of provocation

Even more surprisingThe hotel Provocateur, whose name alone is already attracting interest. Opened last March, its spirit is that of a turn-of-the-century pleasure hotel, reinvented by Israeli designer Saar Zafrir with refinement enhanced by heady perfumes and a touch of old-world Parisian elegance.
The walls have been painted dark grey to highlight the blood-red velvet headboards and banquettes. Travellers in search of tranquillity - the hotel has just 58 rooms - and tired of hotel rooms without personality will not feel at all cut off from the business world, since the underground is just a stone's throw from the hotel and you can reach the Ku'damm and its congress centres, offices and banks in around ten minutes on foot.

The Museum Island, meanwhile, is currently undergoing a major transformation with the forthcoming opening of the Humboldt Forum, which will house the Museum of Non-European Cultures. This is where the Capri by Fraser hotel opened in May 2017. Almost next door to Amazon Germany's new headquarters, this 143-room four-star hotel combines design with functionality. The hotel has been labelled a 'lifestyle hotel for millennials', in other words, for a very young business clientele with an appetite for ethics, aesthetics and practicality. While the Scandinavian-style seating is bright orange or aniseed green, the rooms are all equipped with a kitchenette. The flats available to long-stay guests are equipped with washing machines and tumble dryers. A little surprise: in the lobby, a glass floor overlooks the remains of a sixteenth-century building, discovered when the hotel was being built...

Unexpected combination

Another new address in Berlin, the Lulu Guldsmeden opened at the beginning of 2018 just a stone's throw from the Philharmonie and offers 81 bohemian chic rooms, half-Scandinavian and half-Balinese in style. An unexpected combination, but one that works wonders in a remarkable nineteenth-century building, whose majestic staircase has been artfully renovated. Another pleasant surprise among the new boutique hotels is the Henri, acquired by the German chain of the same name. Housed in the former Hôtel Bogota - a pure marvel of Art Nouveau Some remains of which can still be admired, notably the coloured mouldings in the shape of arachnids resting on voluptuously shaped tree leaves - this hotel is a great option located close to the Ku'damm.

Despite this recent and extensive offer, Berlin may still be lacking a larger capacity to accommodate the extra visitors attracted by major trade fairs such as the IFA, the International Electronics Fair, which is held in September and attracts 30,000 participants every year. The forthcoming opening of the Mallorca-branded Barcelo Berlin and the extension, by 2020/2021, of the Estrel conference hotel with a tower containing 814 rooms - in addition to the 1,125 already in existence - will no doubt solve this thorny problem.