Hotel Adlon Kempinski

The Kempinski Adlon stands between the mighty Unter den Linden boulevard ("under the linden trees") and Pariser Platz - what a prestigious address and ideal location in the heart of the German capital city, a stone's throw from Friedrichstraße and almost every other luxurious place of the city. Many tourist attractions are located nearby: Brandenburg Gate (just under the windows of the hotel), the Reichstag building, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, etc. The nearest underground train station Brandenburger Tor will also enable you to get to every corner of the city.

As it was completely destroyed just after World War 2, the first version of the Adlon at Brandenburg Gate was entirely rebuilt and opened in 1997, which is 100 years after the original opened! A mass of visitors take a look at the interior of this legendary hotel or have a meal at one of its restaurants. If you wish to visit the hotel, you will need to know that it is closed to external visitors during the weekend in favour of the guests' tranquillity.

The revolving door literally opens to a human whirlwind throughout the year: the lobby is paced by wealthy guests, business people, celebrities, locals and tourists alike, all rubbing shoulders in an ever-elegant atmosphere. In the centre of the hall, under the reconstructed dome, stands the only original element, attempting to be heard through the constant hurly-burly: a pretty marble fountain given as a gift by a maharajah. A large stairway made out of white marble leads up to the first floor at the end of the lobby - a quiet little area perfect for small talk about the rain and bad weather! There is more, yet, to the common areas: other than the 500m² ballroom, the hotel also has conference halls and prestigious banquet halls, a mini shopping centre with luxury boutiques, a hairdresser's salon and a business centre (free for the first half-hour) and a spa equipped with a pool, a wave pool, a sauna, a hammam, a solarium, massage booths, a gym and a beauty parlour. Moreover, the Adlon has a 175-space underground car park at its guests' disposal. This hotel can definitely be visited like a museum!

The Adlon has 302 guestrooms and 80 suites spread out onto six floors. Three presidential suites (fitted with a working area and a kitchen corner) as well as many suites and rooms have a direct view of the Brandenburg Gate. The others will have to 'make do' with the Unter den Linden boulevard... But all you will need to do is look to the side a bit so as to see the lights of the Gate. All of the rooms have a surface area exceeding 38 m². Designed by renowned architect agencies, they offer all the luxury you could hope for: cherry wood furniture, wallpaper gilded with gold leaf, casement windows and decorative features specifically created for the hotel. Four colour schemes dominate the rooms: blue and beige, red and beige, green and golden brown and finally, gold. Other than the amenities expected in a hotel of these standards (minibar, safe, individual air-conditioning, plasma screen television, fax, cordless phone, etc), the Adlon provides extra facilities such as lit-up clothes rails or umbrella dryers. Decorated in black granite, light marble and wood, the bathrooms are equipped with a double washbasin, a separate shower, a bathtub, a separate toilet and a fitted multi-functional make-up table.

It is impossible to try out all the restaurants in one day, even if you go to a different one for each meal. The Adlon actually boasts four restaurants, two bars (not counting the wine store which offers wine tasting) and three lounges open to external guests. The executive gallery houses an elegant lounge-bar, away from the lively main hall, as well as the Lobby Bar and the Restaurant Quarré, which is open from early in the morning to late at night and where you can be served a gourmet breakfast, as well as international cuisine, traditional regional dishes or more contemporary meals. A terrace comes as an extension of this already large restaurant where it is easy to lose your bearings! Now as far as the prices are concerned, they are reasonable for a hotel as prestigious as this: allow roughly ?16 for the daily special. The Lorenz Adlon, the culinary mate of the Restaurant Quarré, has a view of Pariser Platz, and what a good omen: born under a lucky Michelin star! Open from 7:00pm to 11:00pm, it has a capacity of 35 - highly privileged - guests, who can enjoy a gourmet meal for ?165. On the other side of the building, the Adlon Palais (the more recent part) holds the Italian restaurant Gabrielle and the private club China, which you enter from Behrenstrasse, behind Berlin's Academy of the Arts.