Hotel Aldea Berlin Centrum

The rooms were decent enough for a lower-end hotel, and the breakfast had a nice selection each of the three mornings I was there. It’s also well placed near the metro, with a pleasant walk to Potsdamer Platz and beyond, especially in summer. The hotel looks half decent from outside but feels basic and older inside. Front desk staff seemed lazy and uninterested in helping, often looking at their phones. While I was there, it appeared refugees were being housed at the hotel. That’s a good thing in many ways, but I wish the hotel or third parties had mentioned it, since it was noisy into the early hours. It does the job for two or three nights, but I wouldn’t suggest it for families or couples generally.

The garage arrangement was awkward: you have to get out of the car, ring a bell and wait for someone to open the door. There’s no sensor, and the bell isn’t by the driver’s window. A large step gap between the garage and hotel entrance also felt unsafe, and I nearly fell several times. We found a bug by the bed, which was unpleasant and made me worry about cleanliness. Housekeeping knocked and tried to enter before checkout time, so I had to remind them we had until 12:00. On arrival, we were first assigned a room that was already occupied and had other guests’ belongings in it. After we told reception, they moved us, but the replacement was smaller and in worse condition. This stay fell short on comfort, safety and hygiene. I hope management addresses the service and maintenance issues.

We were able to check in before 3:00 PM, and our double room had the two separate beds shown in the description. It was clean, and the shower had very hot water. Breakfast was excellent, with lots of choices and plenty of seats. The U2 station is two minutes away, with easy connections from the airport and to Alexanderplatz. The U1 and U3 are also nearby, as are buses to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Despite the mixed reviews, I was pleased with my stay and recommend it for a short visit of 3-4 nights.

The staff were kind and helpful, and I booked at the last minute for the convenient location before an early train to Munich. The bathroom was tiny but usable. The room felt dated and claustrophobic, and I thought I could feel bugs crawling, but I was too exhausted from travelling to get up and check. I also hadn’t realized that trains pass now and then at night. After a long day on the road, I kept waking up to the sound.