Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt

The restaurant was excellent, with refined dishes, lovely presentation, and impeccable service. Breakfast was outstanding too, with a wide range of fresh options. The hotel is right next to Berlin Central Station, and despite being so central, it stays quiet and well insulated. Rooms are spacious, modern, and comfortable, and the staff are professional and attentive.

Breakfast has a wide choice, from lighter food to more filling options, and the restaurant is a real highlight. The staff are efficient, and the atmosphere feels welcoming. Rooms are clean, modern, and cozy, with a comfortable place to unwind after a day out. It has more of a business-hotel feel, though it works well for leisure too. One drawback: if your room is below the gym, you may hear weights dropping now and then. It’s occasional but noticeable. If noise doesn’t bother you much, or your room is elsewhere in the hotel, it shouldn’t be a problem. A solid Berlin option for work or a casual stay.

For what the room costs, Wi-Fi should be included rather than tied to a Rewards membership. Checkout also took far too long. The person at the desk seemed confused about my payments even after I explained several times. She charged me, then realised I’d been right and had to refund the payment.

The broken toilet seat in Room 649 was a real safety hazard. Each time I sat down, it came loose and slid across the toilet bowl. It may have been attached to the wrong holder or simply broken, but either way it felt VERY DANGEROUS. Someone older or with limited mobility could have broken a hip. I was just trying to get through each day with all my bones intact. I complained three times by day 3 of my six-night stay, left a handwritten note on the toilet for the cleaner, and another note for reception in case they’d written down the wrong room number. Nothing was done, and I gave up. It felt like they either didn’t want to deal with it or didn’t care. If it hadn’t been the same weekend as the Berlin Marathon, I would have asked to move. If you get this room, check the seat before using it and ask to change rooms until it’s fixed. In any other country, I’d expect someone to come look within the hour. They could have earned a much higher score if they’d dealt with this during any of the six nights. There were good points too. The hotel is right across from central Berlin train station, Hauptbahnhof, a 24/7 hub with food and drinks nearby. The rooms are clean, modern, and spacious, and the upgrades just mean a higher floor. Housekeeping was immaculate each day and changed the towels. They also have a pillow menu. I asked to try one of each, and they brought them up. The lifts were unpleasant: first a strange burning plastic or diesel smell, then today a cannabis smell that filled the lifts. Since they’re quite slow, the smells lingered.