aletto Hotel Kudamm

We stayed three nights and the location worked perfectly for us. The rooms were very clean and cleaned daily, and someone was always available at the 24/7 reception. We especially appreciated the luggage lockers. Every hotel should have them. A great experience, highly recommended.

My main concern wasn’t the parking fee. It was the poor communication, lack of accountability, and bad judgment around a broken gate. The gate stood fully open with hotel signage, but there was no clear notice that parking required payment or registration. Nobody mentioned it at check-in or asked whether I had arrived by car, which could have prevented the whole situation. At 3:00 AM, a tall staff member with no visible badge knocked on my door as though there were an emergency. His manner felt unnecessarily aggressive and intimidating over what was clearly a misunderstanding. Waking a guest at that hour for a non-urgent matter was inappropriate. I also wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t been in my room. There was no effort to de-escalate or find another solution, just pressure to move the car immediately. Later, I spoke with the night shift employee on duty (Dec 30). He admitted the gate was broken but took no responsibility, saying “parking and registration are separate” and that I should have declared the parking myself, despite the unclear signs and faulty gate. If someone had simply asked at check-in whether I drove, or explained the parking rules clearly, none of this would have happened. The burden fell entirely on me as the guest, and the issue was handled in the worst way. Clearer signs, better check-in communication, and much better training for the night staff are needed.

I expected the room to be small and was fine with that. Having a desk and chair was essential for me while I was there, and the room had both. A few little issues came up, but they were all sorted out quickly. I was pleasantly surprised by how customer-friendly the hotel was. The hotel, staff, and location were perfect.

We ended up leaving and staying somewhere else, then contacted booking.com to get a refund. The receptionist later claimed he refused service because I had no ID, which wasn’t true. I had offered my ID when he asked for my passport, and booking.com told me the hotel policy didn’t say they would ask for ID anyway. While I was filling out the paperwork, I asked why they needed my address for check-in. He shouted at me, asking why it would be on the form if it wasn’t necessary and what kind of hotels I’d stayed in that didn’t ask for an address. It turned into a heated argument with my friend. He snatched the paper from my hand, refused to serve us, said “we don’t accept people of your kind in this hotel,” and threatened to cancel our reservation, which he didn’t have authority to do. I tried to compromise and apologize even though I’d done nothing wrong, because I just wanted the keys to the room I’d already paid for. He told me to learn how to talk to people, fix my attitude, and behave, saying “here in Germany we don’t talk like this.” He also made extremely disrespectful, racist remarks and threatened to call the police. The receptionist had asked for my passport, which I didn’t have, so I provided my ID. Then he started asking invasive, rude questions about how I got there, how and why I was staying in Germany, and why I didn’t have my passport. It was a horrible experience. Other employees were there and said nothing. A hotel that treats customers this way and employs racists is unacceptable, and it seems to keep happening without consequences.