Märkischer Hof

We didn’t stay the night and never got a refund. The owner ignored our messages and Booking.com too. He’d even sent the wrong key box code, so we had to wait just to get inside. This place is a scam, and Booking isn’t on your side here. Avoid it. It should be shut down. The room we found was completely unacceptable: damaged furniture, a broken nightstand, an open toilet tank, and scratched walls that looked like traces of a fight. The bed linen hadn’t been changed after the previous guests, and there were no clean towels for us.

The only good thing is the location, right in central Berlin near the tourist spots. The room itself was the worst, and we’re not exaggerating. It was tiny, with two beds, only one dim yellow light so you could barely see, and it was untidy. No towels, no free shampoo or anything, just one plug and no lift. Honestly, everything else was bad.

There was no hot water or heating, and the window wouldn’t shut properly, so we felt a draft all night. In the shower there was mold everywhere, the drains were clogged, there was hair on the sink, and the toilet seat clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly. The guy from the hotel said 70% or 80% clean was okay because it wasn’t luxury. The problems started at the entrance, with trash on the stairs. When we got to the room, we were told the sheets still hadn’t been changed from the previous guest, though they said that wasn’t so bad because it had only been one person. This was a hotel of nightmares. Sleeping in front of the central station would have felt more pleasant and sanitary. I’d tell anyone who wants to spare themselves this experience never to book here.

I left immediately after taking photos because the room was unsafe and unsanitary, unfit to stay in, and nothing like the listing. This place shouldn’t be listed on Booking. I contacted Booking’s customer service right away. They asked me to send the photos and confirmed that I’d get a refund, so I paid for another hotel myself. A few days later, they said they “could not reach the property” and offered only €10 in credit instead of returning my money. That’s unacceptable when the accommodation is unsafe and doesn’t match what was advertised. Booking should remove the listing and take responsibility when a property is clearly unfit for guests. Avoid this place.