Hotel Abendstern - Berlin, Germany     

And thats all I really want. Sure there are plenty of other nicer hotels around, but I like the Abendstern simple enough rooms with decent facilities, friendly breakfast room. The other really handy thing about the Abendstern is that it is a stones throw from Charlottenburg station (One minute hotel door to platform). There are overground trains every 2-3 minutes into the centre of town during the day, which is really nice as you get to see things rather than been on the underground and it's especially useful for getting home in the early hours after a nigh out. That said if you need the tube it's also one minute walk away. I've stayed at Abendstern three times now (and probably again later inthe year) , it's by no means the Ritz and may not suit everybody. But if you are happy with cheap and cheerful in a nice area with great transport links then it's definately worth a look.

The problems started when I arrived at 1:00 PM and was told that my room wouldn't be ready until 3:00 PM. I was tired from a transatlantic flight and would have liked to check in for a rest. Then I was given a room on the 4th floor (5th floor American), with no elevator! I got changed to a room on the 2nd floor, which was adequate. I noticed construction on the stairways and construction material in the courtyard. Well, they are building an elevator, but right now there is just construction noise. It started at 7:00 AM and continued all day. Note too that on the street side there is construction on the S-Bahn across the street. This is not the hotel's fault, but it is there. After two days I told the management I was leaving. They were not very pleased but I explained that I had asked for a quiet room and was not told about the construction. I don't consider this good customer service. I also believe I was charged more than I should have as my weekly rate was based on different daily rates. This was also my first experience in Germany in which taxes were added to the room rate; I have always been quoted a rate that included all taxes. The hotel is a budget hotel, similar to the City Pension right down the street where I have stayed before. I don't expect a lot of amenities, just a good clean bed, but I should have been informed about the construction when I made my reservation and when I checked in.