Hampton by Hilton hardly compares to the Hampton Inns U.S. travellers may be familiar with. It’s not a motel off a busy autobahn but a full-fledged hotel located right in the middle of Berlin’s western centre, close to shabby Bahnhof Zoo and the posh shops on Kurfürstendamm. This part of town has been forgotten somehow in recent years when all the attention focused on Berlin-Mitte. But with the Waldorf Astoria to open soon this area is likely to get an injection with some new energy.
I have stayed at the Hampton Berlin on a number of occasions on business as it caters for everything you need whilst in the city. Beds are extremely comfy, rooms are clean and efficient, there’s a gym in the basement (leaving the road warrior with no excuses for not working out), and on top of that they thrown in a decent breakfast without an additional charge. Except for peak times during trade fairs (Berlin Messe is just three S-Bahn stops away) their rates are normally well below 100 Euros per night. This is one of the best deals you can get around Kurfürstendamm.
Staff are highly competent, always friendly and helpful. In particular, I’d like to single out Ms Stangl and Mr Gabriel who do a great job at the front desk.
While the location is central and public transport is nearby, the “sound of city” is all around and in particular the rooms facing the railroads can be noisy, even if the sound insulation is generally good. But if you like to sleep with the windows wide open you’d rather make sure to get a room facing the backyard already when making the booking.
I give the hotel a top rating as an inexpensive business hotel. For a romantic weekend, I would rather shop for special deals at one of Berlin’s many five star places. When checking out on Fridays I often saw busses unload herds of tourist, chiefly form Scandinavia. Well, if you know their drinking habits…
