- Finding the hotel
The hotel itself is easy to find, just a short walk from the Kurfurstendamm or Zoological Garten stations. Once you arrive at Tegel or Schonefeld airport, I would recommend taking the Regional line (No.14) to the Zoological Garten station, from there it is a 5-10 minute walk to Joachimstaler Strasse, the hotel is easily found on the left side of the street, opposite the Metropole.

- The hotel
The hotel lobby was clean and spacious is appearance, with a really nice bar/seating area. The reception staff are friendly and checking in does not take a long time. I could tell that the hotel was an old hotel revamped into something more modern, with new paintings and artistic stuff placed subtley around the lobby/corridors. There is Wifi available for free the first day but chargeable thereafter if you want it. Would not recommend it's speed if you are working in your room on business, but for a quick Facebook-fix on your mobile it is ok, just use it free the first day and use McDonalds etc the rest of your stay.

- Room
The double-room I booked was clean, warm and bright. The bathroom, albeit basic, was tidy and looked-after with a great shower. There was the usual small TV with a selection of German stations and free English-speaking news channels and Eurosport, a minibar and very large double bed! Our room was at the front of the hotel overlooking Joachimstaler Strasse. This road was only busy in the mornings. There is a small arcade with a nightclub across the road. As we stayed in the hotel mid-week, this was not really an issue, however on the Wednesday night, the nightclub was busy with drunk people smoking outside up to 6am. This does not really bother me as it is just another noise you should expect on a city break, however if you are a light sleeper or easily irritated, I would recommend asking for a room at the back of the hotel. You may get the odd siren but there is no other overly-audible loud noises, like trains etc. as Joachimstaler Strasse is just off the main road.

- Location
The hotel is on a street which I guess is mainly offices. On a larger scale, the area is a part of Berlin that has the big city-centre feel, but also feels very safe, as there are many big name shops all along Kurfurstendamm which is only 5 mins walking distance from the hotel, as well as the Europa Centre which is good for shopping and eating out, but not many nightclubs. There is a Lidl in the Metropole arcade across from the hotel, for alcohol/cigarettes there is a Netto on Augsberger Strasse round the corner. There is a small traditional German bar/restaurant right beside the hotel which looked really nice and very reasonably priced, but I did not get the chance to try it. I would recommend Pizzaria Via Veneto, a great italian restaurant on the corner of Lietzenburger Strasse and Bliebtreustrasse. For a better variation of restaurants or nightlife, I would recommend you hop on the train from Zoological Garten to Potzdamer or Alexanderplatz areas. The main sites and nightlife would be around these places. Unrelated, a special recommendation from me would be the free walking tour leaving from starbucks at Brandenburg Gate at 11 or 1. And the best nightlife is beside the Warshaur U-Bahn. The trains only take 10 mins getting you to these places, so I think the hotel is ideally located in a busy but quieter area with very easy and quick access to the main sites.

Overall, the hotel is good for it's price and has a calm atmosphere in and around it. It may not look central when checking on the map, but it takes no longer than 15 minutes getting to the main attractionsfrom the second you walk out the front of the building, and there is plenty to see/do around the hotel. I would recommend you do not stay in the hotel for too long though, as every minute you do, you are missing out on seeing something amazing in this awesome city.