When looking for hotels to stay in around Berlin, Intercontinental hotel kept catching my eye during my search. The hotel is located in a great area and sits right next door to Berlin zoo. Whilst this area isn't one of the central points of Berlin, it is easy to get around and visit lots of different sights, due to the great transportation systems. Intercontinental hotel is a 5* hotel and is very reasonably priced, therefore this stunning hotel quickly became my no.1 option for my planned 3-day trip to Berlin.
I am going to give my honest review of Intercontinental Hotel Berlin and give you a bit more information of what to expect from a stay in this 5* Hotel. To do this, I will be basing my review on 5 main categories so if there is one particular category that you are interested in, please feel free to skip to that section. The categories are as follows: The overall welcoming/Check-In process, Room, Location, Food/Drink and Hotel amenities.
Welcome/Check-In
From the moment that we arrived at Intercontinental Hotel, we were impressed with the customer service. There was a concierge awaiting to greet us at the door, alongside a beautiful and spacious lobby area, that is home to a large reception. Due to the size of the reception, it was not long until we were being seen by one of the hotel's friendly employees. We flew into Berlin on an early flight and made it to the hotel before 11am. Due to check-in not being until 3pm, I was expecting that our room would not be available and we would instead leave our bags at reception to do some exploring, before returning to check-in later on in the day. However, I was pleasantly surprised that our room was ready on our arrival and we were able to freshen up in the comfort of our hotel room, before exploring Berlin.
The staff member that checked us in was very friendly and informative and she gave us a brief run-down of the hotel and everything that we could expect from our stay. The check-in process took between 5 and 10 minutes as there were a few forms to fill out, but the overall process was efficient and simple. The lady at reception informed us that we had been upgraded to the newly refurbished executive suite, which was very much appreciated after an early morning flight! There was also some confusion surrounding the pool and spa use within the hotel, so whilst this normally occurs a €10 charge per person, we were kindly given unlimited pool and spa use for free which was a lovely gesture and highlights that this is a hotel that is keen to please customers and place their need's first. Although, something that I would mark the hotel down on, is that when you arrive, you are expected to pay a €100 deposit for anything that you may purchase during your time at the hotel. Whilst this was not an issue, it would have been good to know this information in advance to have been better prepared with our cards ready. Unlike the majority of the hotels that we have stayed in, they take the €100 payment straight away, rather than holding it. However, on check-out this will be returned to you, or if you spent some money within the hotel bar/restaurant or spa area, the amount that was spent will be taken out of this payment and the remaining money returned to you.
Within the check-in process, we were given the option to become IHG members which is free to join and includes multiple benefits for a variety of different hotels. One of these benefits included a complimentary welcome drink within the hotel's bar, where Chris and I of course jumped at the chance to receive some free wine 🍷. The complimentary drink was a lovely gesture which helped to make us feel very welcome and there was a good selection of drinks that you could choose from. We ended up going for two different types of red wine and they were both delicious (and 2 of the most expensive things on the menu), so we were very surprised but grateful to be given them for free.
Room
After a smooth check-in process and the excitement of being given a room upgrade, we were both very eager to check out our home for the next 3 days. Our room was on the
sixth floor and there are multiple lifts located throughout the hotel, making the rooms and hotel amenities very accessible. As we exited the lift, we were met by a very grand but modern, long hallway leading up to our room.
When we entered our room, we both gasped at how incredible it was. There were windows strategically placed throughout the whole room which allowed a beautiful amount of light into the room, really highlighting what an amazing and spacious room it was. We immediately entered into a corridor where a large mirror and a closet homing an ironing board could be found. This was a nice entrance area where we could hang our jackets and place our bags without them getting in the way or taking up space. Once we walked through the entrance hall, we were met by a large sitting area that included a decent sized sofa, television and a desk area. Within the corner of the sitting room was a mini fridge and tea and coffee making facilities including a coffee machine, which Chris was in his element with! The mini fridge was fully stocked however, it is important to note that the fridge is electronically monitored and as soon as something is moved, it will charge the room so be careful whilst investigating the room and don't do what Chris did and get every item out of the fridge for a 'better look'😅. Although the staff were very understanding of this and luckily, we were not charged for his curiosity.
Once we walked through the sitting area, we made our way to the bedroom which was equally as bright and spacious as the sitting area and was also home to a very large TV and a king-sized bed (which was one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on!) At the end of the bedroom is a wardrobe with lots of space as well as some shelf space located between the bed and the bathroom. If you visit this hotel with lots of luggage, I can assure you that you will not struggle to find space to place everything because this was genuinely one of the most spacious hotel rooms that I have stayed in with a large amount of storage space. Within our room were two dressing gowns and slippers which was a nice touch. The bathroom was a very good size with both a bath and a rainforest shower which was extremely powerful. The bathroom was covered in marbled tiles, giving the whole room a very elegant touch. Overall, I was extremely impressed with our room and when it came to the evenings, we had lots of space to relax and reminisce on our day.
Location
As I have already briefly mentioned, the location of this hotel is ideal for everybody who is aiming to see the various sights/attractions in Berlin and is willing to use public transport to explore. The hotel is located a 10-minute walk from the Berlin Zoologischer Garten railway station, which has amazing links to the Centre of Berlin. AlexanderPlatz can be reached within 12 minutes on the train, alongside Berlin Central Station which can be located in 6 minutes. There are also lots of shopping centers and facilities located around the hotel, alongside some nice restaurants and bars. As previously mentioned, Intercontinental Hotel Berlin is located right next to the Berlin Zoo and whether you plan to visit the zoo or not, you will be amazed by the beautiful architecture of the zoo, and you will be greeted by some welcoming fish outside the aquarium, as you pass them on your way to the hotel. We explored lots of famous sights within Berlin and we found it very easy to use the transportation links around the hotel, so if you are fortunate enough to stay in this hotel, I can guarantee you that you won't be short of things to see and do in the area.
Food and Drink
The price of our room included breakfast which, as a lot of you will know, is one of my favourite parts of a hotel stay! I was very excited to see the options that were on offer for breakfast but I was definitely not expecting the amount of variety and good options that were available to us. The breakfast hall is a large area and is very well laid out to ensure that you're able to view everything that is available. There were lots of different areas, including a vegan area, a pancake/waffle stand, a live-cooking omelette station, pastries and bread areas and many many more. One of the things that I was most impressed with at breakfast was the choice of drinks. There is a designated drinks table as you enter the breakfast area, which is home to the standard breakfast choices such as orange juice and apple juice. However, much to my amazement, there was also a mixture of different smoothies and juices including a raspberry and coconut smoothie, apple & kiwi juice and strawberry green tea, to name just a few. If you're not already as amazed by those drink options as I am, then get ready for the next revelation: prosecco was included in the breakfast drinks. Prosecco!! This genuinely shocked me but it quickly reminded me why this hotel is a 5* establishment. Both the food and drinks were delicious and there was also a large fruit and cereal table located within some of the seating area, which I didn't notice until the second morning and I was pleasantly surprised to see an even larger food selection than what I previously thought there was.
Whilst we didn't eat dinner within the hotel, we did visit the restaurant/bar area for drinks and had an amazing experience where the staff members greeted us as old friends and chatted with us for a long time, again showcasing why this hotel has been respectfully awarded their 5* status. Our drinks were also accompanied by nuts and dried peppers which was a nice touch and the peppers were absolutely delicious.
Hotel Amenities
There are lots of amenities throughout the hotel, including a pool, spa and 24-hour gym. Whilst we didn't use the gym during our stay, it did look like a very well functioned gym with the basic equipment that you would expect to help you keep fit during your holiday. The pool is a decent sized and is one level throughout (1.35m) which is perfect for those people like me that aren't too confident in deep water. The pool was a nice temperature, making the swimming experience a pleasurable one. Within the pool area there is a bar which has a good variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Chris had a couple of beers and I had a glass of wine during our time in the pool area and the drinks were some of the best that we've had. There is also lots of seating around the pool areas, including love seats for two people and singular sunbeds which are comfortably cushioned. Within the pool facility is a jacuzzi, which Chris and I enjoyed chilling in and taking in the relaxing atmosphere.
Through the pool doors is a spa area. To enter this area, you require a scanner from the reception which will enable you full access to all the spa amenities. There are lots of areas within the spa, including a couple of separate relaxation areas with beds/heated seats, a steam room, a sauna and an outside area where an ice bath lives. We spent about an hour and half in the spa area, enjoying the sauna and steam room and we even braved the ice bath where Chris enjoyed throwing extra ice at me 😫❄.
Overall the amenities in the hotel were definitely 5* rated and our overall experience at the hotel was amazing. I would happily return to this amazing hotel and I would highly recommend a stay at this hotel whilst in Berlin.
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