Pullman Berlin Schweizerhof — Hotel in Berlin

I regret not being able to give a higher overall rating. Despite the wonderful attitude and willingness of the staff, my stay was one to quickly forget.

I used the online check-in and indicated that I would be arriving around 1PM. For sure, I know that the check-in is from 3PM onwards and I accept that. I could leave my luggage behind and returned at 3.30PM. My room was not ready yet and "there was nothing they could do about it". By indicating my arrival time, I was hoping for the hotel to anticipate on that and have my room ready by 3PM. After all, I stayed for one night and needed to get ready for a small event at 4PM in the proximity.

Unfortunately, I only could arrange a check-in into my room after escalating the problem to the Guest Relations Manager: a young talented lady who is an absolute star. After consulting with the cleaning team, the outlook was that I needed to wait another 40 minutes. After the Guest Manager's intervention, I was able to enter my room at 3:50 PM. I also got offered some delicacies for the inconvenience. However, I missed my event, which is highly regrettable.

The reason given for the late availability was that the cleaning crew, due to unforeseen circumstances. Despite the fact I very much sympathize with the crew having to work under higher pressure, I do not agree that this should be a problem of the guests. Hire extra cleaners for the day!

So after a exhausting day, I arrived back at the hotel at 23:30. About 20 minutes later, the fire alarm went off and the hotel needed to be evacuated. The evacuation alarm works well. Instructions were given through a loud intercom system. However, when walking down the stairs from the 3rd floor, I noticed disoriented guests on the 2nd floor, who didn't have a clue where to go to. Of course people are disrupted in their sleep and possibly disoriented.

Surprisingly, I didn't see any staff guiding guests to the emergency exits. In fact, I was helping out some people by letting them follow me. In the end, it was nothing serious, but it was sad to see families with crying children to be on the streets. Did we get any personal apologies or any compensation for the inconvenience? No. It was like this incident never happened.

The room was great. It was very clean and I had a nice view on the streets, where I could see the fire brigade still being present for a while. The bed was very comfortable with great pillows. The bar serves great coffee. The reception staff is wonderful and the guys at the bar are very friendly. I didn't have time to check out the spa or gym this time.

The location is good. It is one of the reasons I chose for this hotel. The Zoo is very close, the Tiergarten Park is just a few meters away. Close to the Breitzscheidplatz and Bikini Shopping Mall, which is also close to the S-Bahn and U-Bahn station. Bus stops to city center very close to the hotel, as are several restaurants.

Price/quality ratio was despite the favorable rate I paid, not okay this time, due to the many inconveniences.

Compared to 4 years ago, I see the same great standard back in many things. Only the small mishaps during my stay haven't changed. Of course, the reception staff can't really help unforeseen events, but in the end, I review my experience at that moment.

What I also didn't like, despite many hotels doing the same, was the mandatory authorization of a certain amount on my credit card as a "Kaution". Bring it like that, it sounds that the hotel doesn't really trust their guests.

Do some guests actually run away from breakfast without paying? Are people trashing their rooms that badly that Kaution is needed? I've been member of the Accor program for 15 years but haven't come across any other hotel in the chain who is really insisting on a deposit. A 5% City Tax is being held from this deposit, but that is fine.

I hope in general, my stay will be more...

Meh... Where should I start? Rooms: ours was very cramped. Definately not for three persons as advertised, not even for two! The bed sleeps like a pull out bed, and the pullout bed does not really have a set place, so you either have to push it around to move around the room or play floor is lava and jump from one area to the next. Not possible at night with the lights off, you can bang in something or fall on your face which I did :(. Two pillows, one very hard and one loosely filled with no stability, both extremes, nothing in the middle. Bathroom does not fit two people at the same time, so if one wants to do the makeup the other must do the hair in the entry way, which is also very cramped and the person in the entry way could get hit with the bathroom room if the person in the bathroom does not know there is someone standing in that cramped space. The room is great for one person, who will stay for maximum 2 nights since the closet is very small. The hotel nicely requested more money for a bigger room if we would like, as if we should pay more to stay in this dungeon.

Facilities: the pool is not heated Maximum 20 degrees, and the sauna is maximum 60 degrees, so you could probably use the pool as a cooling pool after using the luke warm sauna. Breakfast is ok, juices are not fresh but concentrated, coffee is just ok. My son ordered pancakes, just two on a plate, no garnish, nothing. The whole thing is just mediocre at best. It could very much be however that we just left a 5 star hotel and came here, then you notice the small and big details. It still feels like a big 3 star city hotel at best. Btw, parking is 35 euros a day for hotel guests, and the walls and columns attest to how narrow the driveway and parking spots are. Our car got scratched like many other that left some paint on the columns... A little bit of art work... One positive: the...

Overall, our stay was pleasant, with several standout aspects.

The breakfast and staff are a solid 10 out of 10. The ladies at breakfast were wonderful, and the team really made us feel welcome. The swimming pool was delightful, and the lady who works there was particularly kind and attentive. The reception was very nice, and the gentleman at the bar was super friendly, adding a nice touch to our evenings.

However, there were a few issues that took away from what could have been a flawless experience. At dinner one night, we didn’t receive everything we ordered, and when I pointed it out, the waitress insisted that I had said something different, which wasn’t the case—my companion also heard the order. Thankfully, the team made it right in the end.

At 3:30 AM, our air conditioning started making loud noises, loud enough that I initially thought it was morning and the Berlin construction work had begun. When I realized it was the AC, I had to turn it off and open the window, which let in the heat and city noise. I reported this and hope that it’s taken seriously. Unfortunately, it cost me a good night’s sleep, leaving me tired the next day.

Although this is a five-star hotel, some details were lacking that prevented it from being one of the best five-star experiences. In the bathroom, everything was set up for only one person—no extra towel for the child, despite booking for a kid. The TV had limited access, offering just a few random German channels. Additionally, there were no slippers provided...