InterContinental Berlin by IHG — Hotel in Berlin

The location is probably the best aspect of the hotel. The building itself is nice but is really aimed at hosting conferences and those who attend them. The hotel space is distinctly lacking in soul, parts of the hotel are just large voids and the soundspace is like nothing I've experienced in a hotel before - basically it's sensory deprivation. The InterContinental Warsaw have live music, and the space is designed to feel roomy, but that you are a part of it. The InterContinental Berlin on the otherhand is the opposite. I turned a corner from the foyer to head towards the WC and found a large open space, filled with nothing and the only thing to entertain me was the echo from my footsteps. It's odd, I know it's a conference space but if you're visiting for other reasons it feels out of place in a city packed with great hotels in a similar price range.

Don't worry though! They ram the tables in together at breakfast so the feeling of being lost in the abyss the other areas of the hotel provide will be outweighed by claustrophobia at breakfast. To their credit, they do have a dedicated eating space for families with kids - I thought that was a good idea.

My room was a little tired, other InterContinentals feel more 'premium' than this one. Scuffed walls, fraying carpet, discoloured tiles in the bathroom, musty smell (I noticed other reviewers mentioned the same). It's all survivable stuff but we were told this was a fancy newly renovated room. I'd hate to have a room which hasn't been renovated...Other hotels in this price bracket just feel better than this and there are many of them in Berlin so why exactly stay in the IHG Berlin?

Coffee machine in the room didn't work all of our stay, despite informing reception twice about the fact and even a technician visiting the room couldnt fix it so we were left without.

Wait times at the front desk were fine, there is a little bit of queue jumping. Maybe because the other customers don't know there is a queue but I would expect the front desk staff to monitor this - like a bartender would almost - and avoid situations like we saw were a mobility impaired guest had to stand on their feet for far far longer than they should have. Wait times for room service were quicker than they estimated.

Food and drink service was fine. Get to the breakfast early because later on it is completely busy and the service from the staff declines accordingly. They almost need one or two extra bodies to help for the last 60-90mins of the breakfast service - there are plenty of hotel staff standing around but not many actual service staff. Breakfast spread is standard hotel stuff, nothing inspiring and the selection isn't maintained throughout the service - another reason to get there earlier.

Weekend breakfast was a disaster. We encountered an employee 'Thomas Edvart' at the weekend breakfast (4th May 2024) who was rude, unprofessional and quite frankly probably someone who just isn't cut out to work in service. I'd been waiting ten or something minutes for my coffee order and other guests just gave up and got the coffee themselves. Thomas seemed to take exception at me for doing my own coffee and gave me a talking to for using the coffee machine incorrectly. I don't know, my cup was under the spout and coffee was flowing into it. Maybe its a requirement to complete a barista course before coming to stay at the IHG Berlin. I complained, they told me to order breakfast to my room free of charge and the coffee actually came to me faster than when I'd been waiting for it at the breakfast service. Work that one out.

I've complained formally and am waiting a response from the hotel about the employee's behaviour.

Edit - alongside the free rooms service breakfast they deducted my SPA visits.

To sum up, if you have to stay here for a conference. You'll survive. Just don't expect any problems you have to be resolved. And don't expect service with a smile - expect rather to be talked down to. Me personally, I'll just choose one of the many other similar priced options...

About the location: The hotel is relatively well located. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to the zoo, and the bus of the "tourist line" 200 stops practically in front of the house.

The room: Thanks to our status with IHG, we were upgraded to a premium room. Unfortunately, I can't find the layout of our room on the website. No idea why. The room was quite spacious and had (almost) everything for a pleasant stay. Only the "living area", which was furnished with a small armchair plus stool, a table, a chair and two floor lamps, somehow didn't really fit into the room. All the furniture looked as if it had simply been put there. We would have liked a sofa with a small table and stool as well as a desk better there.

The bathroom was spacious, with a separate toilet and bathtub, which however also served as a shower. This is somehow no longer contemporary, but at least the shower works perfectly. We were also very happy about the underfloor heating in the bathroom.

A few suggestions for the room (next to the living area): A second coat hook at the entrance would be already (double room = two coat hooks), likewise in the bathroom would be still place for hooks, on which one could hang his bathing clothes. So they always hung on the shower wall and the toilet door. For a hotel of this category, there were too few amenities in the bathroom. Only a comb and a bath cap were available. Likewise, we missed the evening turndown service.

Otherwise, as I said, the room was really nice. Housekeeping also did a pretty good job. However, a little more detail cleanliness would be needed for a 5th star rating.

Gym and Pool: The Gym is split between two relatively small rooms. Still, there is enough equipment and it is also in very good condition. Again: For a 5th star in the rating, however, the Gym would have to offer a little more these days.

The pool is very large, has a good temperature, is well maintained and never really crowded. The whole area reminds more of a well-maintained indoor pool, but we still felt comfortable there. But beware: only guests from the club rooms or with club access have "free entry", otherwise 100 euros for the pool or 20 euros for the SPA are due.

The Club Lounge: Due to our status, we had access to the Club Lounge. The lounge itself is not too big for a hotel of this size. However, it is more than large enough for everyday use. We have never been in a lounge where it was so quiet. Ultimately, everything is done in the lounge for club guests. From check-in to check-out.

Eating in the lounge: All meals can also be taken in the lounge. The offer is qualitatively very good and quantitatively also still sufficient. There are dishes for breakfast and happy hour, which you can order to your table, as well as a relatively small buffet.

Especially in the evening, we would have liked a little more choice at the buffet. For example, a few salads that you can put together yourself or some antipasti. The canapés served were very good. However, there were no vegetarian options. That is also not quite up to date. The team then tried to improvise something, but that is certainly not optimal.

Another tip for the kitchen: The "traditional" porridge is not porridge, but simply oatmeal warmed in water or milk. Here perhaps once again improve.

The beverage selection at happy hour was very good. All of the drinks offered were very high quality. Cocktails, as in other lounges, were not offered.

Service in the lounge: Service in the lounge was consistently good. On the first evening, there was a very cordial employee. You could tell that she lived her job in the lounge. However, she then went on vacation. So the lounge was left in the hands of the rest of the team, who did a good job. However, they could not convey the warmth of their colleague. The team should dare to do much more!

It would also be nice if clearing the plates worked better. Especially at breakfast, the empty plates pile up at the table. This should not...

Update February 2025: We booked a stay that would have included access to the Club Lounge. The hotel informed us three weeks before the stay that access to the lounge would not be possible due to a private function. At first they did not offer any kind of compensation for a feature that they usually would charge close to 100€ for per night. After I asked for compensation they offered features that already were part of our stay plus an extra 3 (that's three) Euros worth of IHG points. This feels like an insult, especially to a customer with highest IHG status level possible.

July 2024: As an IHG Diamond Ambassador, I was upgraded to one of their newly renovated "premium rooms." My first impression was quite positive; the room was spacious although about a third is taken up by the bathroom, which some might consider a plus) and nicely decorated. It was also very quiet - I didn't hear a single noise from outside during my 3-night stay.

However, what struck me as really odd was the placement of the TV. At the foot of the bed, you'll find a coffee machine and a fridge, but the TV is positioned perpendicular to the bed. Neither from the bed nor from the couch was there a comfortable position to watch TV, and it is blocking the outside view. Speaking of the TV, it's a Samsung Smart TV that crashed about 10 times during my stay, each time so badly that I had to unplug it to restart it. And speaking of the fridge, it's one of those "you touch it, you buy it" things. I asked housekeeping to remove the contents immediately so I could have room for my own items. I tried to do this via phone, but their "instant service" is a mere voice computer that bittlerly failed in understanding anything, so I had to walk down to reception.

Another annoyance was the position of the safety box, located in one of the nightstands at floor level. You have to knee in front of it. Again, what a strange decision.

And who thought it was a good idea to put the wardrobe in the bathroom? Do you enjoy damp clothes?

The bed was okay, but the duvets were quite short and there was a very uncomfortable humidity barrier right under the bed sheets. For this type of hotel, I expect more comfort. Having stayed at the InterContinental Hua Hin and InterContinental Bangkok immediately before, I expected the same level of comfort those Thai branches offer and was a little disappointed.

Breakfast was a major letdown and adds to the reasons why I only give 3 stars. Every morning, for 3 days, it was exactly the same. The choices were okay-ish, but nothing exciting. Their website mentions an "Asian corner." Sorry, but that's a complete joke. It was congee (boiled rice, soaking in water, no taste whatsoever), noodles, and a "red curry" that was green in colour and also as bland as it could get. That's your Asian corner! There were also scrambled eggs from a pre-made mix, boring meatballs, boring sausages, boring tomatoes, and of course Heinz beans. The typical bread selection with jams and sausages. One vegan "cheese" and "sausage". Cereals were available. Pretty much the same choice available at a random Holiday Inn Express.

The fruit salad was good, a couple of yoghurts were available and there was fresh orange and apple juice along with three different sparkling wines.

Why are there three sparkling wines and zero smoothies or anything else that suits breakfast better than alcohol?

I don't think this breakfast can be a good way to promote your restaurant Marlene, as this type of breakfast will scare people away from visiting (I did visit it though, different review).

All in all, it was an "okay" visit, hence 3 stars. Maybe I was too pampered by the level of quality, service and cuisine that the Asian counterparts delivered, and was wrong to expect...