Review: Waldorf Astoria Berlin
I had a great time visiting Berlin in March last year, but my stay was too short, so when I came back to London, I couldn’t help but feel there were lots of places I wished I’d visited.
To get rid of that feeling, I made a plan to visit Berlin again during the long weekend at the beginning of May. Hoping it would be warmer this time, I looked forward to walking around the city comfortably.
I flew out of London City Airport on Friday evening and arrived at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, and headed to the city centre by train, just like last time. The nearest station to my accommodation, the Waldorf Astoria Berlin, was Zoo Station.
I like Berlin and used to go there often around 2004. At that time, Zoo Station was like a gateway to Berlin when entering by train from the west. I had no memory of the hotel, even though it was right in front of Zoo Station, but it made sense when I found out that it only opened in 2013.
At the entrance to the hotel, I discovered a wall of stone slabs inlaid with guests’ signatures. From politicians like former Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit to the most recent Matt Damon, celebrities from all walks of life have left their mark here, but it seemed like there are more actors, perhaps because this hotel is close to Zoo Palast, the venue for the Berlin International Film Festival.
I was upgraded from the room I had reserved and shown to a City View Junior Suite. I was excited to open the door, wondering what kind of room it would be, and was surprised by how spacious and deep it was.
It was a corner room with windows that reached the ceiling and were on two sides, offering views of Zoo Station and as far as the Tiergarten.
The bathroom also had a shower room separate from the large bathtub; this luxurious layout is definitely worthy of a Waldorf Astoria hotel in a high-rise, urban location.
The area around Zoo Station, one of the busiest areas in Berlin, has many cars passing by as soon as you step outside, but the quiet environment inside the room must be due to the high performance of the windows.
Thanks to a double-skin facade, the soundproofing and insulation levels are high, but it is still possible to open windows in both layers of facade to allow fresh air to enter the room.
Many travellers in Germany may not have high expectations for food, but the breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria was exceptional. When I sat down, our server handed me a menu; I chose one dish from the savoury section (such as egg dishes) and one from the sweet section (such as pancakes).
As with the Hilton Berlin where I stayed last time, there was a wide variety of breads, which was great for me as a German bread lover. There was also a broad selection of items other than bread, so I would have been satisfied with just the buffet, but having also chosen dishes from the a la carte menu, I was very full by the end of the meal! Since I was there, I decided to have a light lunch and take my time to enjoy it.
In between busy sightseeing, we recommend using the spa facilities in the hotel.
Massages and other treatments are charged separately, but you can use the indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna, etc. You can also go up the stairs to the rooftop. It seemed like a good place to relax after a sauna session.
Unfortunately, like other Waldorf Astorias, there is no executive lounge, but the hotel offers more than enough luxury to make up for it. The interior is unified in the Art Deco style, which was all the rage around 1920, and I felt like I was reliving the elegant atmosphere of “Berlin’s Golden Twenties.”
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