Steve M

Funny! That was my exact experience with the concierge at that hotel as well.

genoval

Any good moderately priced restaurant near the hotel?

SASfan

There's actually a pretty good little bierkeller in the back of the Westin Grand!

Forstbetrieb

A good moderately priced restaurant near the hotel:

Cafe Möhring ( Gendarmenmarkt )

http://www.qype.co.uk/place/34177-Ca...ing-Berlin/map

only in german:

http://www.ich-will-essen.de/index.p...edCity/Berlin/

ajamieson

Yes - I quite liked it there, too. I'm sure it's not the best of its kind by a long way, and it is not at all formal, but it is very convenient and I had good German food and good beer. I think it is part of the hotel, so maybe you could add it to your bill and get Starpoints.

Forstbetrieb

As I have heard it is not part of hotel.

uberator

Checked in August 5th for 5 nights. Upgraded from Deluxe Room quoted at 125EU a night (priced match to expedia @ 91EU) to a Jr. Suite.

Nice bottle of wine delivered to room.

Awesome location and really great service.

Pool/Fitness area is nice as well.

brytpa

Checked in Oct 15 for a 3 night stay.

Upgraded from standard room to a 1-bedroom suite (the themed Goethe suite on the 4th floor). Extremely pleased with the upgrade and the room. They have several of these themed suites that are uniquely appointed according to who they're named after. You can see photos of the Bach suite on the property's website, for instance.

Large suite with a huge bathroom (including tub, dual sinks, large standup shhower), seperate toilet area with its on sink also, lots of closet space, some wood paneling, bookcases stacked with leatherbound books, nice furniture, very comfortable bed. Plenty of space! Also was one of just a few rooms on the property with a balcony, which could be neat to stand out on and peoplewatch.

Was one of the nicest upgrades I've been given as a plat and really did leave me feeling like I'd been given the "best available room at check-in".

SportsTech

Good to hear (via the last 2 posts) that this hotel has begun to recognize Plat status. It's a fine property in a great location, potentially one of the best Westins in the chain.

banzani

no upgrade, just as on my previous stay. They said there was nothing they could do. Mind you, it was ITB time, so is it that *W staff got the suites ?

Standard rooms are very very small, so moved out after one night and switched to Regent (which is a great hotel....too bad it is not SPG).

Ironically when I told them I would move on...they did offer me an upgrade all of a sudden. I found this a little unprofessional.

aleinvolo

no upgrade , but were you given lounge access?

banzani

There is no lounge/Exec level. Amenity (bottle of wine) was received, but there is nothing beyond that (Internet is close to 20EUR a day, bottle of water in the room EUR 8,50, no free breakfast, etc.).

It could be a nice hotel, but in terms of SPG it does not seem to care too much. I've been there quite a few times, did two events with plenty of room nights, and yet there is no recognition whatsoever.

Their challenge is that some 80% or so of their rooms are based on the old layout, and thus very small. With the competition of so many new, great, and affordable hotels in Berlin, they should try harder than just relying on people hunting for SPG points. It is not easy to push me out to go for a non SPG property

Tanic

I'm not sure if it was an upgrade or not, but I did get a renovated room on the north side facing Unter den Linden with a nice view. I thought the price for breakfast was much too high at €29.

francophile

I had two separate weekend stays at this hotel over the past two months and I've been pleased with my stays. I got upgraded to a spacious junior suite both times. Service is friendly throughout the hotel.

Yes, I agree that €29 is expensive for breakfast, but that's typical of most high end hotels in western Europe. However, German hotel breakfast buffets tend to be quite elaborate (sometimes you'll see sparkling wine on the buffet - I did at the Sheraton Munich Westpark) and the quality is higher than what you'd fine at a Sheraton or Westin in the U.S. I love the tasty sausages, fine cheeses, fresh breads and pastries in European hotels.

If you don't think you can't eat that much to justify the €29 price, you'll notice that the room service menu offers a la carte breakfast items for under €10. I think eggs benedict was €9, tax included and no annoying "delivery fee".

Flying Lawyer

I used to be a big fan and supporter of this hotel in the past before they did the makeover; I do not like the new "style" at all and have turned away from this hotel to a certain degree (down from 20 stays a year to 5). HOWEVER: In terms of SPG they still care a lot. The Westin is the place with the most consistent upgrades (they have a lot of suites). And: Free breakfast and free internet are not all SPG benefits. A lounge is not either. And the price for breakfast is very much in line with any hotel in Berlin.