Hotel Berlin City West

“Good hotel for sleeping after a busy day”

I stayed there for 6 nights. At first I got located in a very dirty room, but I asked to move and they put me in a great room, with a nice bathtub and the room was relatively clean.also a kettle to make tea and coffee. I had to ask the cleaning lady to change the towel otherwise she didnt do it. … Plus

I stayed there for 6 nights. At first I got located in a very dirty room, but I asked to move and they put me in a great room, with a nice bathtub and the room was relatively clean.also a kettle to make tea and coffee. I had to ask the cleaning lady to change the towel otherwise she didnt do it. The receptionist was very nice and also the young guy from the reception- they both were very friendly and helping. The neighborhood is very safe and quiet, 3 stations from kudam. The train station is 3 minutes walking. For a budget hotel, it is really nice. There is a lobby with place to sit and drink and a strong wifi. All at all, Was very nice stay ,maybe in the future I will stay in a closer place to the kudam to save the extra train.

Moins

“Concert Trip”

Our very first trip to Germany for a concert. On arrival at the hotel. We were greeted at reception by a very professional and helpful receptionist. The room and bathroom were very clean and well presented. Breakfast was very adequate and the staff very pleasant and polite.The hotel is set in a qui… Plus

Our very first trip to Germany for a concert. On arrival at the hotel. We were greeted at reception by a very professional and helpful receptionist. The room and bathroom were very clean and well presented. Breakfast was very adequate and the staff very pleasant and polite.The hotel is set in a quiet residential area. To get to the nearest main area for shops it takes about 15-20 minutes to walk. The city itself is wonderful and is very interesting. We did the open bus tour to get a feel for the city and also to get an idea of the size of the place. Unfortunately the concert we attended at the Max Schmelling-Halle was on the other side of the city but the underground system is excellent.

Moins

“3-stars hotel”

Medium Quality 3-Star Hotel (<- not an error) NOTE: This review is related to cheapest "Comfort Double or Twin" room. Please keep this in mind while reading this review. Impressions for higher-standard rooms might be different. So, my girlfriend and me opted for this hotel via Booking.com, becaus… Plus

Medium Quality 3-Star Hotel (<- not an error) NOTE: This review is related to cheapest "Comfort Double or Twin" room. Please keep this in mind while reading this review. Impressions for higher-standard rooms might be different. So, my girlfriend and me opted for this hotel via Booking.com, because it was the most suitable and affordable for our needs. We just wanted to see Berlin and were actually using the hotel for sleeping over and personal hygiene. The period was the first half of August.2019. To my best recollection, I would try to address the good and the not-so-good here. 1) Outdoor appearance: Hmmmmmm. Outdoor appearance was mostly OK. However, right next to the main entrance, in one niche under the stairs, there was a wooden bench with an ashtray right next to it. This was, obviously, the smoking area. Now, this would not be so important, but when the first thing that you see is a squatting guy in his tracksuit and flip-flops, holding a cigarette in one hand and the beer in the other, while toggling his smartphone with his shoulder and shouting something to someone in his mother-tongue - it does not present a nice picture. Actually, it gives a rather bad one. So this would be the minus point for the welcoming situation. This is not entirely the hotel's fault, because they cannot choose the clientele. However, they could relocate the smoking area. Compliments to the hotel for being a (generally) non-smoking establishment. 2) The reception: OK. The reception was in order. The photos from Booking.com are somewhat missleading (because the area seems nicer and bigger in the photos, than it really is), but the reception area is quite OK. On the very entrance, there was a small table with fresh water and clean glasses, so whenever you come in - you could help yourself. In the heat of the August sun (yes, even in Berlin), this was something to be praised. We ourselves, never used it, but other people did and it seemed very welcome. The bar, which is located in the reception area, is rather small. We also never sat there, but almost every evening somebody was there and the atmosphere seemed friendly and familiar. From other reception area amenities, there was a stand with rather rich offer of various Berlin tourist pamphlets and computer with hard-line internet (with printer). You could also get yourself a free newspaper every day. On the management part, I must say that they were very friendly and gave useful advice (i.e. about parking) whenever approached. They also readily provided a room with one big joined bed (instead of two separate beds) and a bathtub (we asked them for this arrangement, if possible). This was very nice, specially since this could not be guaranteed. This is a plus for the friendliness. 3) The room: Hmmmmm - not sure. So, we booked the cheapest "Comfort double or twin" room and it was...well...it lacked "comfort" part, for my liking. We did not care much because we did not (and did not intend to) spend much time in the room, apart from sleeping in it and using the bathroom. However, it was rather small(ish). Definitely smaller than it looked on the photos provided on Booking.com. It was not so much the size that was the problem, but the whole presentation on Booking.com indicated a rather spacious and comfortable room, while, in truth - it was rather crammed. I mean, everything was there all right, you could say nothing in a technical sense, but everything was a bit crammed and the difference between the facility presented on Booking.com and the reality was - well...disappointing. I do understand that everybody is trying to present themselves in the best possible way, but when you are slammed in the face with the sore fact that things are not as they seem - then you can only say that you have been tricked. We would have probably taken the room here even if the photos on Booking.com were not "doctored" (shot with "fish-eye" objective or otherwise...mended), but this left a rather bitter taste. The rather dark furnishing only made the room look smaller. Moving on - the furnishing was rather weathered. I do not expect to have a new (or even newly looking) furniture in the "budget" hotel, but...some items looked rather sad. One of the nightstands had built-in radio and the protection glass (plastic, of course) fell right off when I tried to switch it on. You could tell that the glue was rather old, but it came off so easily that it was difficult to believe that housekeeping did not notice. On the same nightstand, the top drawer was, obviously, slammed shut in the wrong way (by one of the previous tenants) that it was impossible to open it again. This should have been taken care of by the housekeeping. Broken furniture is not in anyway something the guests should find in their hotel rooms, regardless of the room standard. The refrigerator was missing. We knew this, but...the point is - there was the cupboard for the refrigerator and it was obvious than one was there before. Now, this hotel used to be "Best Western" hotel and I am pretty sure the "Best Western" standard includes refrigerator in ALL of their rooms. However, the Leonardo Hotel management decided to have this option removed. Now, this is not an issue, because, as I have said - we knew that the room had no refrigerator. But, the cupboard (initially designed to house the refrigerator) was still there with all of the refrigerator holding fittings. When you opened it, you could tell, without any doubt, that the refrigerator used to be there. And now it wasn't. Now it was just a vast empty and dusty space with refrigerator fittings that had an electrical extension cable and internet connection cable within. It was like a mocking. I must say, so discouraging. If I had to make a recommendation I would say (to the management) - either you get the refrigerators back in every room or redesign these cupboards into something useful because the way it is now - is just plain failure. After a minute of thinking, I recommend you put the refrigerators back in every room because people might need it for some medicines or cosmetics or some other personal needs. Bottom line - big empty and dusty space where the refrigerators, OBVIOUSLY, used to be - and that is just sad. Almost unacceptable, but generally - sad. The chairs were of somewhat old type, with stapled-on padding. The padding was - dirty. It is not a problem, it was not technically dirty (not disgusting), but when one can see the stains on the padding - then that piece of furniture is not for the hotel room. Period. I do not want to sit on months old baby pee or somebodies sweat. Nobody does. I recommend that you get new (even cheaper) chairs with replaceable padding (or pillows). The bed - quite clean and crisp sheets. It was somewhat harder (and we liked it) and we had some good night sleep there. Generally. The point is, yes - it looks great, but with all of the other issues, how can you be sure? However, we would come back tired, showered and go directly to bed, so we did not think about this. The sheets were crisp clean. The bed was made - everyday. That's how it should be. The bathroom....well...the bathroom was - crammed. Yes, the management provided the bathroom with the bathtub, but - it was crammed. It had big mirror, rather big sink area with marbled table, but - one person could barely close the door when inside. Literally, when you want to take a dump in privacy, you have to wiggle just to close the door. Two persons - this is not something this bathroom was designed to accomodate. Unless one person is in the bathtub. Sound isolation - non existent. The doors are just ordinary doors and you could hear everything and everybody coming and going from the nearby rooms or walking down the corridor (if they were talking). If the kids were screaming and rushing through the corridor - it was a nightmare. However, during the night it was mostly quiet and we did not have any problems sleeping. Furthermore, we witnessed even during the daylight, the management taking care of such situations (literally knocking on doors and asking people to keep it down). So, plus point for the management and minus for the construction. Air conditioning - we did not use. Partly because we did not know how. Somewhat confusing and is not apparently obvious. Perhaps it is started from the reception or something. Anyhow, opened windows were sufficient for normal sleeping in the room (during our stay). From other things that we have noticed, the water kettle was - a disaster. A filthy water kettle that literally had black mold stains within it and scale on it. It had a hefty stench of vinegar as well. In my honest opinion, this was hygienically dangerous to use and possible poisoning source. This whole device, should not be in the room. 4) Restaurant: Did not use. We never ate at the hotel because it was rather expensive (12 € per person). For half of that price, we went to one of the nearby bakeries (and there are some rather nice ones) and had coffe and breakfast for two. We recommend this option. However, for little of the breakfast buffet in the hotel, that I have seen - this was rather good. 5) The service (room cleaning, housekeeping....): Hmmmmm. Now, I must be honest and say that the service was rather approachable and did their job. I have a feeling that one could ask anything anytime and would get it very quickly. However, if one did not ask - only the minimum requirement was met. And this is a bit discouraging. First of all, the hotel has an eco-policy in the bathroom, saying that if the towel is not thrown on the floor but left hanging on the railing, it will be considered as intended to be used again - and it will not be exchanged. And this is OK. However, to leave the same towel hanging for a full week, without exchanging it - is not acceptable. If I want to run the hotel with even basic standard of hygiene, then I would insist on common sense to change the dirty towel, even if it is left hanging on the railing. Period. Second - glasses (for drinking). Now, when we've got to the room for the first time, we were welcomed with a complimentary bottle of sparkling water (which is nice, even though we don't drink sparkling water) and two glasses (made out of glass). This I had to emphasize, because in the bathroom there were another two glasses made out of cheapest plastic. Neither set of glasses was EVER changed during our stay. And this is unacceptable. Yes, when the glasses are real glasses, made out of glass, it is no problem to use a bit of a soap and wash them and rinse them in the bathroom. But is this really the hotel standard? At least once per day, the glasses should be exchanged. BOTH sets. Period. The mirror in the bathroom was - not cleaned. My girlfriend used to clean it when she was putting on makeup or brushing teeth, but - again, is this the hotel standard? The mirror should be cleaned daily. Period. Other than that, the bathroom looked OK. We were not disgusted in using it (the toilet bowl was cleaned daily, the shower was rinsed and cleaned daily...), but - again, when everything else is the way it is - can you really have no doubts? 6) The Automobile Parking/Garage - beautiful! Oh god, yes - the parking. This was so relieving that I had to include it separately. Now, the parking for the guests is among the cheapest you can find in Berlin and costs only 10 € per day. The hotel has some 20+ parking spaces divided between underground garage and parking lot above the garage. Since it is obvious that it cannot accomodate all of the rooms (if every guest had a car) it is not possible to reserve a parking spot. and, indeed, during the first night, I had to leave the car on the street. This was not a problem for two reasons: a) The neighborhood is quite calm and friendly. b) The parking on the street is charged only between 09:00 and 19:00 and, in my book, this left plenty of time to take care of the parking. The very next morning, I asked on the reception and got a parking space in an underground garage. The fact is, the throughput of parking requirements for such a hotel (it has some 208 rooms), is such that there is always someone leaving or canceling their parking space. So all you have to do is wait a bit. Perhaps there will be an open spot in one hour? This is really the strongpoint of this offer. 7) Other: Good. Wi-Fi is decent throughout the hotel. We did not experience any difficulties. There are two grades: Free (slower connection but still OK for Youtube, e-mailing, surfing and general use) and Premium (you pay a bit, but supposedly get a superfast connection). We used the free Wi-Fi and it was more than enough. The proximity of public transportation is such that you are literally a one minute away from the nearest underground station. The bakeries around the hotel are good and affordable (like little cafe's or diners, you can have breakfast inside or outside). The restaurants in the area, although a bit scattered, are quite OK. Even price wise. The bars in the area are also quite good (we recommend "Times"). 8) The final verdict: Hmmmmm. If I had to be completely honest, then I would say this would be a rather ordinary 3-star (and NOT a 4-star) hotel. Even in this lower category, there would be a lot of space for improvement, but then (with 3 stars) it would not be such a contrast between expected (AND PRESENTED) standard and the reality that guests have to face when staying here. I would not mind staying here again. I really would not. However, after all, I would rather look for AirBnB offers that come with the same price than opt for this establishment. The management was very friendly and kind, it would be unfair not to specially mention this here, but the management system is on a rather low/mediocre level. Definitely not for the 4-star hotel. Should you search 3-star hotels in the area, you would find much more affordable offers and have a rather similar standard.

Moins