Hampton By Hilton Potsdam Babelsberg

If you're already in Babelsberg, this may be a good option, provided the service works out. Otherwise, I'd spend a few Euros more for the Hampton City West, which is older but in good shape and very well managed. The hotel itself was quiet, with bright rooms in the latest Hampton style and a reasonable amount of space. Mine had a balcony, though it was locked for some reason. Breakfast had a lot of choice for a hotel of this category, but the juices tasted like water with a little flavor. The main issue was management. Nobody seemed to read my message in the Hilton app chat. The app showed me upgraded to a "super king" room, but I arrived to find two twin beds, and it took several calls for staff to turn them into a king. Then the emailed invoice had no name or address. Getting there can take under 30 minutes by regional train when the system works. When I arrived, trains were cancelled, true to @deutschebahn's reputation, and taking the S-Bahn plus bus took almost an hour.

The staff were super friendly and helpful, and breakfast was more than satisfying. It’s a nice, new hotel near the German capital, with the train station within walking distance. The room was cozy and the bed super comfy. Worth every euro, and I'm definitely coming back! 🙂

There's secure underground parking, and the King room was a good size by European standards. The shower was wonderful, and breakfast had good options. It's a fairly new hotel and we had a good stay overall. Dining you can walk to nearby is limited. Parking near restaurants within 5km was difficult unless we went for fast food. Housekeeping missed us on two of our eight days. On Saturday, we probably had the "do not disturb" sign on while resting after 5pm. On Sunday they came at 5pm, so we told them not to bother. Also, there wasn't free coffee available all day and night like in North America.

The service was very friendly, and staff did their best to meet our needs. Rooms are standardized and rather small and boxy, unless you get an “02” corner room, which is spacious. The end-number “48” accessible rooms also tend to be bigger. The air conditioning isn't state of the art, though bearable. I still prefer the original Willis Carrier system, invented by Willis Carrier. A stocked mini bar would have sealed the deal for me, and luggage racks were hard to find. My main irritation was the hidden 15€ parking cost. For staunch Diamond Elite guests, that should at least be waived. That's better relief than the welcome drink, which feels redundant. Diamond members should be pampered differently. Hampton Inn started in 1984 in Memphis, Tennessee, home of Elvis Presley. The new location near Babelsberg Studios is fitting. Elvis would've enjoyed the amenities at this late offspring of the original Hampton Inn.