BERLIN, Germany – Treating myself to a 5-star hotel in Berlin is always something that’s akin to the opposite of an adventure. I want my experience at luxury hotels to be filled with certainty, assurance and sureties.
That’s not what happened at the Regent… but this time around it was for the best.
The Regent in Berlin has a bit of a nondescript facade, which usually means that the hotel inside is somehow modest. For 5-star hotels, this usually means solid service, perfectly clean premises, consistent food, an experienced concierge and every single possible perk in the bathroom. Certainty, assurance and sureties.
But once the front door of the Regent in Berlin is passed, a whole world opens up.
Simply by passing through the front doors, I’ve discovered one of the most luxurious hotel lobbies I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.
Mind you that this is the Regent – hence the mandatory “Regency-era design” in every single one of their hotels – however the chandeliers, the grand piano, and most of all, both floor and walls made of 100% marble are truly stunning. The lobbies at other Regent locations are also beautiful – Taipei, Beijing, Singapore, Warsaw – though the Berlin location is uniquely special.
Of course, this being a Regent, the service was fast and efficient, and the experience and training of the staff shone throughout my stay.
The hotel is located near Unter den Linden, Berlin’s downtown’s main boulevard. It also overlooks the Gendarmenmarkt, one of Berlin’s yuppiest squares where the haute likes to see and be seen. Many of the Regent’s rooms have a beautiful view of the beautiful and historical Französische Friedrichstadtkirche. Finally, it’s also a couple of corners from Checkpoint Charlie, one of the most famous landmarks in the world.
The Regent, 5-Star Hotel in Berlin: The Rooms
Of course, first things first when time comes to step in a hotel: once check-in is dealt with, it’s off to the room to drop my bags, check out my new digs and take a quick shower.
Here, the bed is the main focal point, which is nice. In my mind, today, many hotels forget that people pay are willing to pay a certain amount of money for a hotel in order to sleep there. It’s the main reason to go to a hotel, and I’m glad that Regent didn’t forget that.
For me, one of the coolest features of the room is the desk. Inside of this hyperclassic Regency-era formal work desk is a built-in electric plug adaptor, including American, English, Swiss and European plugs. This is a little attention that shows that the designers behind the rooms truly care.
The Regent, 5-Star Hotel in Berlin: Great Restaurant, Great Bar
Fischers Fritz, the hotel’s restaurant, owns 2-Michelin stars. It serves great fish in an over-the-top, white tablecloth, super-attentive service.
However I was personally impressed by the cocktail bar more than anything. There, getting a cocktail can surely be an endeavour, in the best way possible. They infuse liquors with their own blends of herbs and spices, turning gin into a basil elixir, bourbon into drinkable bacon and infusing tequila with lime essence.
They also have a Martini guéridon. Yes, a bartender will walk out from the back of the bar to your table, publishing a rolling a trolley, and make you a Martini the way you like it. Luxurious.
The bar also serves some of the food that the chefs at Fischers Fritz prepare. This means that for a fraction of the price of the food at the grand restaurant, you can get a delicious beef carpaccio or a shrimp pasta dish made from the best ingredients out there to go along with your 2pm basil G&T.
From the view from the room to the location, the 2-Michelin-starred restaurant and the out-of-this-world lobby, there’s a reason why Regent Berlin is one of the best reviewed luxury hotels in Europe.
The Regent Berlin, Charlottenstraße 49, 10117 Berlin, Germany
