Nordica Hotel Berlin

The daytime receptionist was extremely helpful, and the staff were great. The place was clean, and breakfast was nice, though the coffee wasn't. The rooms feel dated and run down, with a torn sofa, a tiny TV showing blurry channels, and a bath that wasn't great. There were also wires hanging from the ceiling, maybe because they’re upgrading the smoke alarms. I’m not sure what earns it four stars beyond the service.

There’s no air conditioning in the rooms, and smoke from people outside came in at night. The smoking sensors had been removed to avoid setting off alarms. The rooms weren’t clean, were very basic, and didn’t have much light. No minibar, kettle, tea, or water either. Water from reception costs €8, and breakfast was average. Not a great hotel.

The gardens are well kept, the place is clean, and the staff are super friendly. We arrived before check-in and asked to leave our luggage, but the gentleman handling reservations let us straight into our room since it was already clean. They also provided soy milk at breakfast for our food allergies. A few small things were missed in the bathroom: the sink was clogged, the dispenser had no tissues, and there was no hair conditioner. Those should be checked during daily room cleaning.

I went in July, right in peak summer, and was disappointed to find the pool and everything else closed for renovation. The rooms were clean but old fashioned. There was no iron or ironing room, and the curtains were so poor that the light woke me up, almost as if there were no curtains. No mini-fridge or mini-bar either.