Well, it took a tremendous amount of persistence and a number of firmly worded e-mails, but I finally convinced the folks at Park Inns to actually stand behind the terms of their best rate guarantee. So I will be staying at the Park Inn Alexanderplatz after all, which should make for an easy connection to TXL via the Jet Express bus. I wish I could say that my faith in the Park Inn chain has been restored, but if I did, I would be a liar. I strongly suspect that I am in a very, very small group of individuals who have ever prevailed with a best rate claim with Park Inns, no matter how meritorious. Accordingly, I wish others the best luck in their future dealings with Park Inns; trust me, you'll need it.

Thanks again to everyone for the helpful guidance. I appreciate it.