Holi Hostel Hotel

Breakfast was served until 10h00, but when I arrived at 9h45 about 75pct of the buffet was gone, including coffee, bread, juices and eggs. They refused to refill anything because it was considered a "late hour". I left at 9h55, and feel I should have received what I paid for.

The hotel is in a quiet area that felt safe, and the building itself is unusual in a nice way. Inside, it was bright and very clean. The staff were kind, and someone was always around when we needed help. We were eight family members visiting relatives in Berlin from the United States, and stayed at Holi-Berlin for three weeks. We booked three rooms: one for four people and two for two people each. Those smaller rooms were tiny, with bunk beds, a window or two, and a sink in the room. The bathroom and shower were shared down the hall. The larger room was fairly spacious, with a queen bed in its own bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room/kitchen area. It also had a private bathroom, microwave, sink, four plates and glasses, some cutlery, a small fridge, and cabinets for dishes and clothes. The mattresses were clean in all three rooms. The ones in the two-person rooms and on the sofa bed were thin but soft. The queen mattress was extremely firm and set off my sciatica. I asked the front desk for two extra blankets to put on it and an extra pillow to support my leg. You get one pillow and one blanket per person, so if you normally expect extras in a hotel room, be aware. The staff were accommodating when I asked for more bedding. Room cleaning was the most frustrating part. The posted information said to put the sign on the door before 11am for cleaning that day. Several times we did that for the four-person room and it still wasn't cleaned. When we went to the front desk and asked directly, it was always done. We had no problem with the two-person rooms, so I wonder if the door's position was a factor. If you're in room 110, you may need to check with reception to make sure it'll be cleaned. I spoke with one staff member who didn't know enough English for a quick conversation, so they used a translation app. That stood out because I found that many people in Berlin, including shop workers and waitstaff, understood what I needed. I last visited 20 years ago, when hardly anyone I met in shops or stores knew English, so I was expecting something similar this time. I think the language responsibility is more mine than theirs. I haven't stayed in other hotels in Berlin, or even across Europe, so take these details as one person's experience. I would still choose this hotel, but it would have helped to know some of this in advance.

We couldn't stay the night in this Private room with own bathroom. It was so bad that we had to book another hotel that same night, which turned into an extremely expensive lesson. I feel misled by the recent positive reviews. I told Holi about it, and all I got back was, "Sorry to hear that you are disappointed. The pictures we have are right".

We were welcomed warmly, and the staff were extremely helpful. The rooms at the Holi Hotel were modern and immaculate. Breakfast was delicious, with fresh farm eggs brought in. They were the best eggs we've had at a hotel. We'll definitely stay there again on our next trip to Berlin.