After spending the first two nights in London, I took a flight to Berlin. It might seem a little far but this is one of the main plans as we wanted to visit the Christmas Markets and Berlin is one of the cities that the market runs a little later. I wanted to soak in the vibes. It will be nice to be back after a good 5 years. Berlin is one of my favourite German cities out there. I love how diverse it is. The previous time, I also stayed at Hilton Berlin. This is one of my favourite Hilton hotels in Europe! I love their breakfast and they have a decent lounge. I stayed here back in 2019 and enjoyed it. You can check out my old review here. Let’s see how things are after all these years.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I booked directly with Hilton for the stay and got the Courtyard View room. That is the cheapest that is available for my stay. I will be staying here for two nights. I also contacted the hotel ahead to get some information as well as to put in some room requests for my stay. Hilton Berlin comes with 623 guest rooms and suites spread across 17 categories. You can check out the breakdown below. It is a rather huge property.
| Rooms | Executive Lounge Access | Bathtub |
|---|---|---|
| Single | No | No |
| Guest | No | Yes |
| Courtyard View | No | Yes |
| Dome View | No | Yes |
| Deluxe | No | Yes |
| Executive | Yes | Yes |
| Executive Dome View | Yes | Yes |
| Deluxe Studio | Yes | Yes |
| Junior Suite with Dome View | Yes | Yes |
| Executive Studio with Kitchenette | Yes | Yes |
| Family Studio | Yes | Yes |
| One Bedroom Corner Suite | Yes | Yes |
| Duplex Suite Dome View | Yes | Yes |
| One Bedroom Suite with Kitchen | Yes | Yes |
| One Bedroom Panoramic Suite | Yes | Yes |
| Two Bedroom Suite with Kitchen | Yes | Yes |
| Presidential Suite with Dome View | Yes | Yes |
Checking In
While I was supposed to land at around 4pm, my flight was delayed and we only got into Berlin at around 6.45pm from here I took the regional train before transferring to the U Bahn to the hotel. The Hilton is located in a very good and central location. The train station is just a min away and you can walk almost to all the main attractions. It is right in the heart of Gendarmenmarkt. There was no one outside to help me with my bags at the entrance but the concierge was just right next to the entrance. It is nice to be somewhere familiar.
Despite the late hour, it was still quite busy at the hotel. They do have a priority line and I was helped to after a short wait by a friendly guy. He thanked me for being a Diamond member and also informed me that I had been upgraded to an Executive Room. This would go for around 326 Euros a night. I was then provided with all the information. Late checkout was extended till 2 pm which will be handy for my train in the evening. The bags were sent to my room shortly.
King Executive Room
I was assigned a room on the highest floor of the hotel. 6100 on the 6th floor. This is a huge property with more than 100 rooms on each floor. It is quite a long walk from the elevators given how sprawling this property is. Upon entering, you can find a short entranceway with the bathroom immediately to the right. It comes with a single sink with plenty of counter space. The shower and tub combo is not my favourite configuration out there but at least this is one of the better ones. with a partial glass screen. None of those disgusting shower curtains. I also love that they have a handheld showerhead, one that can be mounted on the wall. The water pressure and temperature control are great and as per usual you can find Crabtree and Evelyn amenities in large pump-size bottles.
Moving on by the entrance, you can also find a spacious wardrobe set up with plenty of cabinets and hangers. There is also a nice space for your suitcase that you can open up cabin-size baggage. Inside, it is equipped with a safe and ironing it. I did wish that they had some hooks by the entrance. That will be good for your outerwear or raincoat which is prevalent in this season.
The minibar counter is next to the wardrobe. It comes with a fully stocked mini fridge. There is also a kettle with packaged tea and coffee. I did wish that they had a proper coffee machine over here but that is not crucial since they have an executive lounge.
The platform then stretched throughout the length of the wall with a TV in the middle. It comes with a good number of local TV channels. Most of them are in German. It is a good size for the room.
At the end of the room, there is a glass working desk and an office chair. This is a good set-up and offers great back support for working. Power outlets are within reach and the wifi connection is stable in the room.
By the window, you can find a small couch or daybed. It is nice to have an additional seating area in the room which will be handy for a cup of coffee or something. This can also be a bed for the little ones.
The plush king-size bed is in the middle of the room. Beddings were high quality and smooth. It’s comfy and has a nice firm touch to it. Generally, I am a person who prefers a harder sleeping surface. The pillows were soft but additional ones can be requested. On both sides of the bed, you can find nightstands with controls for the lighting and power sockets.
Fitness Centre
The 24-hour fitness centre is located on the first floor. It is a rather lovely facility and well-equipped. The equipment is also well maintained. They have plenty of high-tech equipment including those step machines. Towels and water are provided. This will be handy for your workout if you require one.
Executive Lounge
The executive lounge is open from 7am to 11pm. In the evening, from 6pm to 8.30pm, evening cocktails are served. I have fond memories of this executive lounge and this is one of the standout aspects of the hotel. I am rather excited for it. They also have a rather extensive evening cocktails service of 2.5 hours. There are several seats throughout the place. You can find various dining table-style seating around the place. It is a rather cosy place if it is not too crowded. They have some TVs in the lounge and I appreciate it that they are kept silent.
During other times of the day, you can come by for non-alcoholic drinks. They have some juices, soft drinks, coffee and tea.
The evening cocktails are naturally the highlight and the most crowded period for the lounge. Drinks-wise, there are some sparkling wines, white wine, red wine, local German beers and Heineken. There are also some non-alcoholic beers. How can you go without beers in Germany? There are also some spirits like rum, whisky, vodka and gin. It is pretty extensive in terms of drinks.
For food rise you can find a cheese platter, meatballs, soup, salad station and cold cuts. The selections change from day to day. On the second day, they had some fried chicken. This is one of the better executive lounges that I have encountered in Europe.
Breakfast at Glass Brasserie
Breakfast is served at Glass Brasserie. Breakfast is buffet style from 7am to 11am. I was down for breakfast at around 9.45am and it was really busy. I appreciate the long breakfast hours. There was a long snaking queue when I went down to have breakfast. This is even though the restaurant is big.
Do note that they also have a segregated area for executive guests and you do not have to queue. This area is more quiet and spacious. This offers extra tables to you and might come in handy with the crowd. It is nice of the hotel to offer this. The tables even come with a lovely view of the Dom too.
Breakfast is served buffet style and everything is self-service. Drinks consist of coffee, tea, juice and even sparkling wine. I am always a huge fan of German breakfast. You can find an extensive selection of items. There are pastries, cold cuts, egg stations, fruits, salads and typical Western items. I will let the pictures do the rest of the speaking.
In my opinion, this is one of the best Hilton breakfasts in Europe. The Germans always do breakfast properly. I can still vividly remember how amazing my breakfast was at Hilton Bonn.
Conclusion
Recommend this hotel. I had a comfortable stay. The Hilton Berlin is as good as it gets and in a very central location. This is a perfectly lovely base for you to explore the city. I walk everywhere around the city. I doubt that I will be back in Berlin in the future since I have already been there for leisure twice. If I am back, I would love to try the Waldorf near the zoo and gardens. That seems very nice too. I enjoyed the breakfast and the executive lounge. These are aspects that are very important to me when travelling in Europe.
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