Review: the Hilton Berlin hotel

This is our review of the Hilton Berlin hotel.

Hilton’s weekend sale is now on as you can see from our article here. We are reviewing a couple of Hilton hotels in the sale which may inspire readers to book a stay themselves.

Between Christmas and New Year we published a review of The Trafalgar St James hotel in London, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. For this review I headed over to Germany on an icy cold Monday.

We booked for cash via hilton.com but we will be reimbursed. Hilton has not seen or approved this review.

The Hilton Berlin website is here.

Where is Hilton Berlin?

The key selling point of this hotel is its location. Hilton Berlin is right in the city centre – to the extent that Berlin has a centre – opposite the Gendarmenmarkt.

You have the Deutsche Dom (German Cathedral) and Berlin’s Konzerthalle (Concert Hall) on your doorstep. Brandenburger Tor, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, Alexanderplatz and the Cold War Museum are just a few of the sights which can be reached on foot. You have very easy access to public transport via the U-Bahn station Stadtmitte which is literally outside the hotel’s front door.

I arrived at the new Berlin Brandenburg airport and took the S-Bahn (S9) to Friedrichstrasse rail station. The fare is only €4.40 and took roughly an hour. From the station it is a 15 minute walk along Friedrichstrasse to the hotel which was fine for me as I had only very light luggage.

If you want to take a train to the front door, Stadmitte U-Bahn would require a change at Alexanderplatz.

The Hilton Berlin is a huge building and impossible to miss:

Inside Hilton Berlin

The entrance opens up to an impressive hall which has been divided up into various designated spaces.

To the right are the reception and concierge desks:

To the left is a large lobby area with seating. The picture below also shows the entrance to the Executive Lounge on the right.

The centre of the entrance hall is reserved for “listo” – the cafe / bar / restaurant. From here stairs lead to a mezzanine level where the breakfast restaurant and conference facilities are located.

Next to the reception desks is a self-service shop with a very good selection of drinks and snacks. It’s admittedly handy but does give the impression that you are in a ‘select service’ hotel.

Rooms at Hilton Berlin

I had a booked a Deluxe Room with club access overlooking Gendarmenmarkt and was upgraded via my Gold status to a Junior Suite on the 5th floor.

The walk to my suite led along a dark corridor with brown doors which frankly has seen better days. You enter your room by sliding your card through a card reader – no smartphone mobile keys here – from which the metal paint had already nearly flaked off.

However, when I entered my suite I was pleasantly surprised. It was very homely with a blue velvet sofa and carpet.

As a welcome gift I received two bottles of still water, a bottle of red wine, some grapes and a sweet in the shape of an edible flower pot on chocolate soil and cake spilling out.

and

The view from my window was fabulous despite the area around the Dom undergoing some landscaping work. Once this is done it will be even better.

The bathroom is not exactly state-of-art design but was spacious with a single sink and shower-integrated bath tub. The amenities were from Crabtree & Evelyn and come in large bottles.

Inside the club lounge

The Executive Lounge leads off the lobby and is one of largest I have seen. There is lots of sofa seating and also tables to eat or work on.

and

The lounge doesn’t serve breakfast. Instead, an area of the main breakfast restaurant is cordoned off for those with lounge access. This was unnecessary on my stay but I suspect that it helps guarantee immediate seating when the hotel is full. You eat from the same buffet wherever you sit.

Dinner in the lounge is served from 18.00 and was well attended when I popped by. It offered a multitude of cold options:

There were two hot options – a mushroom soup and meatballs with potatoes:

There were a number of cheeses to choose from as well as some sweets for dessert and, of course, lots of wine and beer as well as non-alcoholic drinks:

There is more than enough to act as a full meal here if you want to eat quickly or casually before doing some work or heading out into the city.

The gym and pool

The spa and the gym are also located on the ground floor, accessible from the lobby or via a separate lift.

I was positively surprised how big they were given that this is a city hotel. I didn’t have a spa treatment but it is an Elemis-based treatment list. The pool is a good size with a number of loungers but has a bit of a functional feel.

The gym is large, excellently equipped and has daylight. If you are looking for a hotel with a good fitness centre then you will be happy here.

and the other end:

Food and drink at Hilton Berlin

The hotel has only one restaurant/cafe and bar, “listo”, which is based in the centre of the lobby. I had dinner here but alternatively could have also eaten in the bar area as a simpler option.

It is noticable that the hotel makes an effort to source ingredients locally.

For starter I had the tartare of Mecklenburg beef filet at €18 (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the state north of Berlin on the Baltic coast and is where I was brought up).

For my main I had the Brandenburger Pikeperch fish (Brandenburg is the state surrounding Berlin) at an admittedly chunky €37 (not pictured) and a warm chocolate cake for dessert at €14.

As you can see from the images, the food is well presented.

This is the bar area where you can sit and eat from a more casual menu of burgers etc.

and

Obviously, given the location of the hotel, there are plenty of other eating options in close proximity.

Breakfast

Breakfast is offered in the Beletage Restaurant on the mezzanine level of the entrance hall. The space is huge with large windows overlooking the front of the hotel on the Dom side.

Breakfast is served entirely from the buffet, including hot drinks. There is plenty to choose from, both cold and hot. Below you can see the cereal bar:

There are various breads and pastries, cold cuts, yogurts, salads and salmon. There is also German sparkling wine if you want a sip.

There were a number of jams on offer, including homemade apple and honey jam as well. The hotel even provides a leaflet with the recipe to try at home. I thought this was a cute touch and I took one with me.

There is no a la carte table service for hot items, but there is a live cooking station where you can get eggs made to order:

If you fancy a coffee-to-go on your way out there are cups provided, which I thought was helpful.

Conclusion

The main selling point of Hilton Berlin is its excellent location. It is the perfect starting point for business, sightseeing, shopping or cultural destinations such as Friedrichstadt-Palast or Museumsinsel (Museum Island). Anything which isn’t walkable can be reached via the U-Bahn station 10 metres from the front door.

I also thought the gym was outstanding and the swimming pool impressive for a city centre hotel. The large lounge means that this is also a good choice for Hilton Honors Diamond members who get free access.

The downside is that the hotel does feel dated in places, especially the corridors, but this is reflected in the price. If you can get a room overlooking the cathedral then you should have a pleasant time.

You can find out more, and book, on the Hilton Berlin website here.

Remember that the Hilton sale is currently running with discounts on weekend stays until 8th April. Full details are in this HfP article.

Rooms for a Saturday night in February and March cost from €110 or 35,000 Hilton Honors points. You will also earn 2,000 bonus Hilton Honors points per stay up to 1st May if you register here for their current promotion.

Berlin remains very cheap by the standards of European capital cities. This hotel is a particular bargain for Hilton Honors elites – you could pay €110 and still get free breakfast as a Hilton Gold and free lounge access as a Hilton Diamond.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (January 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)