With the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Wall approaching, Berlin is braced for a much-needed deluge of tourists. Following German reunification, the city enjoyed a mini economic boom and a flurry of urban development that spawned the vast, new Potsdamer Platz, but bankruptcy followed prompting gay mayor Klaus Wowereit to famously declare that the vibrant metropolis was ‘poor but sexy’. Its huge student population has seen the emergence of a dynamic creative scene which, coupled with cheap rents and the low cost of living, has attracted artists from across the world. The global recession hit the city’s tourism hard and one top five-star hotel has even been trying to fill its rooms by promising past guests rates that are €50 below those of its competitors, but a brand new crop of accommodation is offering a much more authentic experience of the art capital of Europe.
Be-My-Guest.com is a high quality, stylish yet very affordable on-line portal for short stay apartments, guest rooms and bed and breakfasts for sophisticated travelers who have heard of the couch-surfing phenomenon but would rather sleep in a bed. Guest rooms start at only €18.75 per night and über-cool apartments from €56 Euros for 2 people per night.
The Michelberger budget design hotel is housed in a former factory in East Berlin and has been a favourite with the city’s clubbers since it was a building site as it played host to many an edgy underground party. Rooms start at €59, sleep up to four and are furnished with handmade beds and wallpapers, and a collage of recycled flea-market finds. Sugar bowls have been turned into towel racks, flower vases into soap dishes and over-sized lampshades in the lobby are made from German travel guide books dating back to the 60s and 70s.
Casa Camper Berlin is a sequel to the successful first hotel venture of the quirky Spanish footwear brand with the same low room rates and focus on recycling. Top-floor restaurant Tentempié has a 24-hour, free buffet for guests to refuel at rather than venture to the many restaurants in Hackescher Markt round the corner, and the hotel’s fleet of bicycles come with personalized maps prepared by the concierge.
