Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification
I don’t know what is happening….
The Happier the Hotelier, The Happier the Guest
Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification
I don’t know what is happening….
Where to stay in Berlin?
General
So I will be meeting a couple of fellow Travel Bloggers (T-Listers) at the PhoCusWright Travel bloggers Summit.
As a hotelier, my primary focus is Luxury Hotels, although I must admit that anyone who sees the various subjects covered here, might doubt that.
I use the tag Nothing Zen, because when you want to find a real gem, something special, something that doesn’t appear so easy on one of the big sites like Booking or Expedia or so, you have to spend still an enormous amount of time.
When I started this Zen Series I reached as conclusion:
My first conclusion is: Look at various dedicated hotel sites, be it luxury, design, romance or whatever you have in mind and then check back with the bigger sites as Booking, Expedia and the like.
And that still is basically my approach. Cumbersome? Yes! Time consuming? Yes! Stupid? No! The main reason for this approach is to see whether the search possibilities for the real small real luxury hotels (maybe B&B’s) are getting better on the Internet.
For the question “Where to stay in Berlin?” I did even more research than for the same question in prior posts of my Zen Series because there are a lot of hotels in Berlin and there is a bit of progress online:
Some Finds collected in Tumblr that have my attention:
While Tumblring around I found out that Hotel Chatter is easy navigable and quick and to the point (easy to Tumblr, Gridskipper is also good navigable, but has clustered 10 hotel suggestions around themes like Cheap, Historic, Pensions and so on. The creative Bloggers sites like Les Explorers and Wandalust are unsearchable. The International Herald Tribune Travel blog has hardly anything worthy to say about Berlin Hotels. The Guardian Site is very good navigable and searchable.
The “Classic” approach as per my earlier Zen Series posts:
Style 8, Atmosphere 7, Location 8
Arcotel Velvet
Smart but simple, this design-friendly hotel has a great location in the heart of Mitte…
From EUR 138
I skipped the really expensive ones here
Style 7, Atmosphere 7, Location 8
Westin Grand
Luxurious, classically designed five star hotel in Mitte – perfect for shoppers and gourmands…
From EUR 390
One of the latest boutique hotels in Berlin. After reunification, the Dorint chain carefully converted the structure into an upscale hotel of artfully simple, Zen-like minimalism.
Enjoy the opulent splendour of a castle full of history and charm. Now a luxury hotel, the Schlosshotel is an oasis of calm within easy reach of Berlin’s city centre.
Known for its personal service and classic elegance, The Regent Berlin is one of the most prominent hotels in the capital city.
A holistic atmosphere, where spaciousness, brightness and outstanding service combine to create an exceptionally personal ambience as tranquil as the countryside, all in the very heart of Berlin…Welcome to the Mandala Hotel!
Like its famous predecessor, the Hotel Adlon Kempinski which was reopened in 1997, is a symbol of luxury. Modern upgrades and uncompromising service standards have kept it a premier location in Berlin for either the business or leisure traveler.
Hotel de Rome, originally an old bank, was converted to make use of the buildings full architectural splendor, thereby offering guests an authentic Berlin experience.
Amid the energy of the city, The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin welcomes guests with a gracious atmosphere, exquisite amenities and impeccable service.
The OTA Sites
Haha I spent so much time on the research for this post that I almost forgot to make a reservation. Berlin is quickly selling out…
Updated Monday March 3, 18.00 hr
Finale Verdict
Finally I found a moderately priced place to stay in Pension Elite through Booking.com. I have not looked into Priceline.
My conclusion is that the aggregators like Hoteltip. Hotels Combined.Com and VibeAgent are becoming stronger and offer some help, but you need the reliability of a real OTA and you cannot book something without having checked out the property on Tripadvisor.
To to my view it is still much more of a hassle than would be necessary to DIY hotel bookings if you want something special, especially when you have time constraints or are a notorious late booker like myself.
Updated March 4, 2008 14.00 hr