Arcotel Velvet - Berlin, Germany     

My husband and I stayed here for a weekend and we really liked it.Room was extremely clean and we actually got what we requested - one that was far away from the elevator shaft - which is rare. We got a room facing the street at the front of the hotel but weren't bothered by noise at all. We struggled to get the blinds closed completely but given that we were in Berlin over a grey, wintery weekend there was no problem with light. Really liked the open plan bathroom, although my husband noticed that the shower was prone to sudden short, sharp increases in temperature - he tends to take hotter showers than I do, so beware of that if you're partial to parboiling yourself too. We took breakfast in the hotel each day - no doubt we could have found cheaper options in one of the cafes outside, but we noticed that most of these came with the cold meats and cheese that characterise German breakfasts which we don't eat, so taking advantage of the hotel buffet each morning was a much better option for us. You have the option to help yourself to champagne too if boozing at breakfast is your thing. Our only gripes with the hotel was that we had two small single duvets rather than one large one and the pillows were so flat and tiny that we woke up with sore necks - my husband's remained painful for a week afterwards. However, the receptionist took the time to ask us about this when we checked out which I thought was good. Watch out for the hotel bar prices - beers here were 6 euro compared to 3 euro outside. Overall I would recommend this place and stay there again.

We stayed at the Arcotel in September 2007 and couldn't have picked a better hotel if we'd tried. We booked a suite (more of an apartment) on the top floor, which was great value compared to other cities. The suite was spotlessly clean, had 4 rooms with great views and a very comfy bed. We didn't have the breakfast, as we had read it was very expensive, but there was no shortage of places to eat on Oranienburger Strasse, so no problem there. Also, don't get too concerned about the 'Working Girl's', they don't bother anyone (who doesn't want to be). Also, the post atomic looking hippy centre (I can't remember the name sorry), is definatly worth a look. We were initially put off but went in on our last night and realised we'd almost missed out on a bit of gem. Myself and my partner are in our thirties, so were aprehensive about the hotel and area possibly being too young for us. But on the contry, we found it to be a bit of something for everyone. The only bad point I can think of is on occasion the staff, while friendly, were lacking in customer service experience. When we were leaving, we were not informed that our cab had arrived (even though they booked it), eventually the cab driver asked us while sat in reception if we were his customer (luckily my German is good). Also, whenever we went to the bar, the barman was always trying to push us to buy cocktails, when the majority of the time, all we wanted was a beer. But these were very minor gripes compared to the overall experience, which was very enjoyable. I definately recommend the Arcotel Velvet and Berlin, a great hotel and fantastic city!