Hilton Berlin {DEU}
Apr 23, 2002, 8:49 pm
#31
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA, USA
Posts: 129
This is a wonderful Hilton. If you're gold you'll get an upgrade ( if available ), access to the club ( always available ) and sometimes a big buffet breakfast. Club is great with good food and drinks, and even a no-smoking area. Pool is good, but smoking bar is next to it so there is often a layer of smoke over the water. Concierge is world class. Very central location - can walk everywhere in East Berlin. Subway station right out front for more distant destinations. Also, the management is extremely professional and helpful and make you feel very welcome. This information is 8 months old, but I doubt things have changed that much. Have a nice stay!
[This message has been edited by mileageslave (edited 04-25-2002).]
[This message has been edited by mileageslave (edited 04-25-2002).]
Apr 24, 2002, 3:51 am
#32
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 723
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mileageslave:
This is a wonderful Hilton. If you're gold you'll get an upgrade ( if available ), access to the club ( always available ) and a big buffet breakfast. Club is great with good food and drinks, and even a no-smoking area. Pool is good, but smoking bar is next to it so there is often a layer of smoke over the water. Concierge is world class. Very central location - can walk everywhere in East Berlin. Subway station right out front for more distant destinations. This information is 8 months old, but I doubt things have changed that much. Have a nice stay!</font>
This is a wonderful Hilton. If you're gold you'll get an upgrade ( if available ), access to the club ( always available ) and a big buffet breakfast. Club is great with good food and drinks, and even a no-smoking area. Pool is good, but smoking bar is next to it so there is often a layer of smoke over the water. Concierge is world class. Very central location - can walk everywhere in East Berlin. Subway station right out front for more distant destinations. This information is 8 months old, but I doubt things have changed that much. Have a nice stay!</font>
Good info, thanks. I should point out that I am using my hilton points for this stay. It would be nice to have the comp breakfast but I'm not expecting it. I really just want the room upgrade and loung access.
I will post a report when I get back about my experiences.
Thanks,
James
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US-CP; UA PE; Hilton Gold VIP; Crowne Plaza Gold
Apr 25, 2002, 8:21 am
#34
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Munich, Germany LH FTL, Marriott Silver
Posts: 45
We had a reward stay at the Berlin Hilton just before Christmas (with Point Stretcher award available!) and had a very pleasant stay: As HH Gold we got an upgrade to a Junior Suite, access to the clubroom with a wonderful choice of drinks and good hors d'oeuvre at the evening. There was no breakfast in the lounge because it was so short before the holidays, but we got free buffet breakast in the restaurant (wich has a nice view on the Gendarmenmarkt). The hotel is located very central. The subway is just steps away, you have a two minute walk to the shopping area of Friedrichstarße and the boulevard Unter den Linden is near as well. We loved this place and the concierge is very, very helpful with all questions! We plan to do the same this year again!
Markus
Markus
Aug 23, 2003, 6:05 am
#36
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: chicago,illinois
Posts: 150
Spent a week at this property in May on a GLON award.As a Gold,was upgraded to executive floor without asking.Lounge had bountiful,breakfast,afternoon tea with cakes,pastries etc and afternoon/evening cocktails along with great food spread.Staff in lounge were EXCELLENT!!!
Great location,walking distance to many sights,shopping and reastaurants.Subway station across the street from Hotel.
Great location,walking distance to many sights,shopping and reastaurants.Subway station across the street from Hotel.
Aug 23, 2003, 7:05 am
#37
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Naples, Florida
Posts: 7,419
I second sjk616
The hotel is nice. And the location (Am Gendarmen Markt in Berlin Mitte) could not be better. Some rooms have nice views to the Dom (cathedral).
The two best hotels in Berlin, Adlon & Four Seasons, are nearby. Also Westin Grand Berlin.
Some nice chicky-micky restaurants, like Rest. Paparazzi, are at Prenzlauer Berg, take the U-Bahn.
The hotel is nice. And the location (Am Gendarmen Markt in Berlin Mitte) could not be better. Some rooms have nice views to the Dom (cathedral).
The two best hotels in Berlin, Adlon & Four Seasons, are nearby. Also Westin Grand Berlin.
Some nice chicky-micky restaurants, like Rest. Paparazzi, are at Prenzlauer Berg, take the U-Bahn.
Aug 23, 2003, 10:43 am
#38
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,096
I stayed at this hotel a couple of years ago. Being the stupidest Gold around, I didn't know to ask about lounge access or exec room. Although I did get a very large room, so maybe I was upgraded & didn't realize it. But nothing mentioned about a lounge.
I was supposed to get paper every morning & didn't, but they fixed that.
Something that a lot of overseas Hiltons don't have is skirt hangers (obviously this only applies to women); the Berlin Hilton didn't have them either, although the manager offered to buy them at a store the next day. I thought that was quite nice of her, but also thought - do overseas Hiltons not think that women travel?
I liked the lobby bar area quite a bit, and had soda & read the paper there.
I did use the biz center once to check email.
My room overlooked the church that's in the square.
Hotel is about a 5-10 minute walk from Checkpoint Charlie. There's a great restaurant about a 5-minute walk from the hotel (think it's Luther's or Luther Van Wagner's or something). I enjoyed it so much I ate there a few times.
The Four Seasons is about a 5-minute walk away, so I went over there for a drink (all the western chains are located in the former east Germany, which i find amusing).
Lot of cabs are in front, which makes getting around by cab easy (if you do that vs public transportation); cabs take credit cards there.
The square in front of the hotel has a lot of the busses that you can tour the city in stop; the concierge can sell you a ticket or you can just walk over (I only had 1 free day; rest was bizness, so I did the touristy bus thing in the morning & then walked back to some of the spots on my own after).
Anyway, I enjoyed the Hilton & would stay there again.
ps - this was weird, but i had a very early flight so i preset the phone for wake-up, but then decided to change the time allowing for the last possible minute wake-up. so it rang at both preset times - yawn. i thought putting in one overrode the other but i was wrong.
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Sharon
[This message has been edited by SkiAdcock (edited 08-23-2003).]
I was supposed to get paper every morning & didn't, but they fixed that.
Something that a lot of overseas Hiltons don't have is skirt hangers (obviously this only applies to women); the Berlin Hilton didn't have them either, although the manager offered to buy them at a store the next day. I thought that was quite nice of her, but also thought - do overseas Hiltons not think that women travel?
I liked the lobby bar area quite a bit, and had soda & read the paper there.
I did use the biz center once to check email.
My room overlooked the church that's in the square.
Hotel is about a 5-10 minute walk from Checkpoint Charlie. There's a great restaurant about a 5-minute walk from the hotel (think it's Luther's or Luther Van Wagner's or something). I enjoyed it so much I ate there a few times.
The Four Seasons is about a 5-minute walk away, so I went over there for a drink (all the western chains are located in the former east Germany, which i find amusing).
Lot of cabs are in front, which makes getting around by cab easy (if you do that vs public transportation); cabs take credit cards there.
The square in front of the hotel has a lot of the busses that you can tour the city in stop; the concierge can sell you a ticket or you can just walk over (I only had 1 free day; rest was bizness, so I did the touristy bus thing in the morning & then walked back to some of the spots on my own after).
Anyway, I enjoyed the Hilton & would stay there again.
ps - this was weird, but i had a very early flight so i preset the phone for wake-up, but then decided to change the time allowing for the last possible minute wake-up. so it rang at both preset times - yawn. i thought putting in one overrode the other but i was wrong.
------------------
Sharon
[This message has been edited by SkiAdcock (edited 08-23-2003).]
Aug 25, 2003, 6:38 am
#40
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,518
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jbh11:
I'm slated to head to the Berlin Hilton in November. Any comments, suggestions, sage words of advice about the hotel and vicinity?</font>
I'm slated to head to the Berlin Hilton in November. Any comments, suggestions, sage words of advice about the hotel and vicinity?</font>
Stayed there last year over new years (Dec 29-Jan 2) and was told there were no upgrades for golds, because the hotel was full. Plus "you should not expect one with this price."
The hotel was also holding a new years party the evening of Dec 31, and when we arrived back around midnight, the doorman was rude enough to tell us "the hotel is open to guests only. Please find another restroom."
Unfortunately, I felt this hotel delivered the most pretentious service I've ever received, and would be very reluctant to give it a second chance. Fortunately, Basel and Prague came through with flying colours on the same trip!
Aug 25, 2003, 4:10 pm
#41
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: London, UK
Posts: 180
Just spent a few days there and thought I'd add my impressions too.
As a gold (and now frequent guest) I have always been treated excellently. This is truly one of the few Hiltons worldwide where I can say I felt "respected as a human being and valued as a Gold member".
Upgrade to Executive floor and a front-facing room (with fantastic view on the Cathedral) was automatic, water and sweet-box were provided in room. The lounge is indeed one of the best, with very nice breakfast and even nicer cakes in the afternoon, and the staff both at reception/concierge and the lounge are some of the friendliest I have ever encountered in a Hilton, always willing to go the extra mile for a special request.
The Health club swimming pool is also very nice, which is a nice bonus when you're used to some of the tiny "Living Well" clubs in the UK
The hotel is very well connected, with a taxi rank outside and a subway station on the corner, making most destinations reachable within 15 minutes. Also, the TXL airport bus stops at the other end of the square (about 5 minutes walk dragging a suitcase) which is nice...
As a gold (and now frequent guest) I have always been treated excellently. This is truly one of the few Hiltons worldwide where I can say I felt "respected as a human being and valued as a Gold member".
Upgrade to Executive floor and a front-facing room (with fantastic view on the Cathedral) was automatic, water and sweet-box were provided in room. The lounge is indeed one of the best, with very nice breakfast and even nicer cakes in the afternoon, and the staff both at reception/concierge and the lounge are some of the friendliest I have ever encountered in a Hilton, always willing to go the extra mile for a special request.
The Health club swimming pool is also very nice, which is a nice bonus when you're used to some of the tiny "Living Well" clubs in the UK
The hotel is very well connected, with a taxi rank outside and a subway station on the corner, making most destinations reachable within 15 minutes. Also, the TXL airport bus stops at the other end of the square (about 5 minutes walk dragging a suitcase) which is nice...
Aug 25, 2003, 6:05 pm
#42
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Alameda, CA, USA
Programs: UA 2P (will be 0P next yr), HH Diamond (thank you Surpass Card!)
Posts: 807
I can only agree heartily with the other positive responses. As a brand new Gold, this was my first GLON and I was very impressed. As I have learned, the Berlin Hilton is an exception and not the rule, alas.
I was sent directly to the executive lounge to check in and was upgraded to the executive floor. As others have noted, the lounge is fantastic. Great amounts and variety of food, all very tasty. I could easily have made dinner from their Happy Hour appetizers (but my husband prefers three course meals in real restaurants). What others have not mentioned was that, in addition to the food, there was a great variety of liquor, from good German beer to wine to cognac et al. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful.
The location is ideal. Berlin has an excellent public transportation system, and a subway entrance is right outside the door. The hotel is within walking distance also of a lot of the museums and other interesting/historical sites in the former East Berlin.
All in all, it was a most wonderful vacation. If only other Hiltons were as good...........
I was sent directly to the executive lounge to check in and was upgraded to the executive floor. As others have noted, the lounge is fantastic. Great amounts and variety of food, all very tasty. I could easily have made dinner from their Happy Hour appetizers (but my husband prefers three course meals in real restaurants). What others have not mentioned was that, in addition to the food, there was a great variety of liquor, from good German beer to wine to cognac et al. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful.
The location is ideal. Berlin has an excellent public transportation system, and a subway entrance is right outside the door. The hotel is within walking distance also of a lot of the museums and other interesting/historical sites in the former East Berlin.
All in all, it was a most wonderful vacation. If only other Hiltons were as good...........
Aug 25, 2003, 6:44 pm
#43
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA, USA
Posts: 129
More positive comments. This is my favorite Hilton in Europe. Always Gold upgrade and wonderful lounge. I don't eat anywhere else when in Berlin. Only problem was usual European one of too much smoke - even the pool was smokey since a pool-side bar was there. But this may have changed by now since the smoking situation is slowly getting better in Europe. Best central location in Berlin. If your stay there is not really enjoyable, please let us know.
Aug 26, 2003, 3:26 am
#44
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Birmingham, England
Programs: LH SEN, Hilton Diamond, AF/KL & BA basic memberships, Tufty Club Exec Plutonium
Posts: 1,668
Just returned yesterday from a three night paid stay as Gold and had a previous stay in February when only a Silver.
Was sent to Exec Floor to check-in and given a nice room overlooking the Gendarmenmarkt. Water, half a bottle of red wine and a tin of boiled sweets were my welcome gift.
Lounge facilities were excellent, although only the third best this year. I only used it for breakfast once, as the selection in the Beletage downstairs is much better and it was included in my rate. Afternoon cakes were OK, but there are better morsels available out in the city. Evening snacks were of good quality, although too many had a walnut component for me to go near. There were the usual selection of lounge-hogs in place who never seemed to move from it.
Ate in the Mark Brandenburg restaurant one night, it was the usual high standard of food and brisk service. Had room service on another night, which was of very good quality.
When I return to Berlin next year, I won't hesitate to stay there again.
Was sent to Exec Floor to check-in and given a nice room overlooking the Gendarmenmarkt. Water, half a bottle of red wine and a tin of boiled sweets were my welcome gift.
Lounge facilities were excellent, although only the third best this year. I only used it for breakfast once, as the selection in the Beletage downstairs is much better and it was included in my rate. Afternoon cakes were OK, but there are better morsels available out in the city. Evening snacks were of good quality, although too many had a walnut component for me to go near. There were the usual selection of lounge-hogs in place who never seemed to move from it.
Ate in the Mark Brandenburg restaurant one night, it was the usual high standard of food and brisk service. Had room service on another night, which was of very good quality.
When I return to Berlin next year, I won't hesitate to stay there again.
Aug 26, 2003, 7:13 am
#45
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,518
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by iainbhx:
When I return to Berlin next year, I won't hesitate to stay there again.</font>
When I return to Berlin next year, I won't hesitate to stay there again.</font>
