Arcotel Velvet Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Arcotel Velvet Berlin 4 Stars
“This fashion-forward design hotel has oodles of arthouse cool, thanks in no small part to the award-winning Velvet Lounge Bar.”
Hotel Overview
Review of Arcotel Velvet Berlin, by Jeroen Bergmans
Right by the reception of Arcotel Velvet Berlin there's a patchwork of portraits stretched on canvas that speaks volumes about this fashionable, and affordable Berlin design hotel. A sultry Marlene Deitrich smoulders beside a stern Gunter Grasse, the enigmatic Nefertiti and an elegant Coco Chanel. These icons reflect the hotel's clientele, known in hotel marketing circles as the magical 'three ms' - music, media and models. Since it opened in 2004, Arcotel Velvet Berlin has proved the perfect pied-a-terre for the creative types and party people that flock to Berlin for its celebrated art scene and wild nightlife.
Arcotel Velvet's excellent location is a big part of its appeal. Auguststrasse with its smart art galleries and the KW Institute for Contemporary Art is literally opposite and the Museum Island, Unter den Linden and the shops and bars of Berlin Mitte are but streets away. And if you want to go gritty and experience the arty, alternative squat scene for which the city is famed, Tacheles, with its warren of cinemas, galleries and bars, is literally next door.
The facilities
The hotel's award-winning Velvet Lounge bar which serves 50 different kinds of vodka is a perfect place to kick-start a night out on the tiles. Lutter & Wegner Restaurant next door, which serves up regional and Austrian specialities, offers sauerkraut and schnitzel by day and serves breakfast to hotel guests in the morning.
The rooms
All 85 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows perfect for kinky exhibitionists; flat-screen TVs to satisfy the news-hound and film-boff; a heated red light in the bathroom to ward off winter chills and a mini-bar packed with Arcotel-branded snacks, chocolate, ready-mixed cocktails, mini-bottles of Piper Heidsick (with straw) and a hangover chill pill to cater to party animals. Disabled rooms, twin rooms, babysitting facilities and two long-stay apartments also cater to families and groups of friends.
Facilities
Hotel Policies
Rooms
85Who stays here?
Cool cats from across Europe who work in the fields of fashion, design, architecture, art and music.Come for...
- Floor-to-ceiling windows
- Great value
- Good Berlin Mitte location
- Funky minibars
Not Suitable for...
- Traditionalists with Teutonic tastes
- Those expecting a five-star, full-service experience - the service here is excellent but amenities limited
Children
It's more an adult affair, but cots and extra beds are available.Eating in
There's no room service but Lutter and Wegner restaurant next door serves hearty German and Austrian fare till late. Velvet Lounge bar has won awards for its cocktails and extensive vodka menu.Reviews
Review of Arcotel Velvet, by Caroline Major
Arcotel Velvet, in Berlin, has grown up on the back of the low-cost airline business. The luxury hotel spread its wings across the former Prussian empire, providing perks for guests arriving on Air Berlin flights. The Arcotel Velvet has an enviable location on Oranienberger Tor, at the centre of a thriving nightlife strip.
The facilities
The luxury hotel forms part of the city's entertainment. A Lichtenstein-inspired curtain over aquarium-style plate glass windows are the only things that separate the guests and the café strip below. With floor-to-ceiling views of the heaving street below from all seven floors, those suffering vertigo may be advised to find another hotel. The luxury hotel shows high standards of maintenance; the downstairs lounge and bar being particularly well-utilised and fun.
The rooms:
Arcotel Velvet's 85 simple, modestly sized rooms are excellent value for money. The bathrooms are shielded from the bedroom with a white curtain and finishes are excellent. The openness of the rooms provides guests with a unique style and feeling of freedom.