I'd been recommended to this property by a colleague who'd used it when visiting the nearby…read moreICC/Messe, with the summary that this was a pleasant 4* alternative to the cookier-cutter chain hotels.
So what did I find?
Location: at quiet end of Ku'damm, very close to Halensee S-Bahn station (Ring line) and Ku'damm bus routes, easy walking distance to Westkreuz (RE/S-Bahn)
Style: Nicely renovated mansion house in quiet residential street
Dining: Affiliated with nearby "Nordwind" neighbourhood restaurant - good authentic German food, well priced
Facilities: Relatively modern, with flat-panel TV (albeit small) and WiFi (albeit payable)
But ... for me the expectations from regular use of big, chain hotels left this one lacking:
- No air conditioning (not a problem in October, but with 10C ambient the bedroom was 19C with NO heating, so suspect summer may be challenging)
- Uses old fashioned keys they like you to leave at reception - 1st time I've encountered a throwback like this for several years. I had a bad feeling about this, and when returning lat-ish from drinks with colleagues, the front door was locked (most keycard based establishments can open the door on the keycard), and the problem is exacerbated by its small size meaning there was a single night duty person who took a long time to respond to the night bell
Conclusion:
Probably works OK in winter if you don't go out in the evening. On the other hand, the niggles from its obsolescent view of some technical facilities will simply irritate the regular business travel who just expects "things to work"