The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin

The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin

The Ritz-Carlton sits within a kilometre of Berlin's historic center, an Art Deco tower built in 2004 that reads as a design hotel rather than a generic luxury block. Nineteen floors hold 303 rooms; the standard Deluxe King runs 431 square feet, with blackout blinds, a minibar and soundproofing. What separates this address from the rest of the city's luxury hotels is the Penthouse Club Room, 3,068 square feet with its own kitchen, dishwasher and fireplace, built for people who want to cook rather than order in for a week. POTS restaurant covers German cooking, a second dining room and a coffee shop fill in the rest of the day, and room service runs all 24 hours. The indoor pool is heated, the spa has a sauna, steam room and massage, and the gym stays open around the clock. Families get a children's playground, highchairs and babysitting on request; pets are allowed; wheelchair access extends to the restaurant. Nearly 20,000 square feet of meeting space makes this as much a working hotel as a leisure one, staffed in English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. None of it is cheap: an extra bed adds 80 euros a night, parking runs 48 euros a day, and a deposit is required. This suits someone who wants Berlin's center within walking distance and a room built to be lived in, not just slept in. It does not suit anyone chasing anonymity on a budget, and it makes no apology for that. An Art Deco tower a kilometre from Berlin's historic center, built around a Penthouse Club Room that runs to 3,068 square feet with its own kitchen and fireplace. Expect a heated indoor pool, round-the-clock gym and family-and-pet-friendly service, all at luxury prices with extra fees for beds and parking.