Hotel MANI

Opened in 2012, Hotel MANI has a stylish lobby designed like a casually chic living room with a broad communal table and a pair of laptops replacing the conventional reception desk. On the opposite side of the room, a large grey couch and two leather chairs are arranged around a pair of chrome and glass coffee tables by a wall of bookshelves. The restaurant and bar, centered around a green marble and glass fireplace with parquet wood floors and distressed leather chairs, is a popular neighborhood haunt. The atmosphere is chic and polished in the common spaces and in the stylish rooms. 

Hotel MANI is in Berlin's city center, in the Mitte district a few minutes from Rosenthaler Platz subway station, surrounded by galleries, bars, restaurants, and shopping. Torstrasse is a particularly vibrant street known for its boutiques, art galleries, and international crowd. The Berlin Wall Memorial is about a 12-minute walk to the northeast and Alexanderplatz, a public square and transportation hub rich in history with upscale shopping is just under a 20-minute walk to the southeast. Berlin Tegel Airport is about a 25-minute drive northwest, while Berlin Schönefeld Airport is about 35 minutes south via public transport.

Each of the 63 rooms has chic decor with dark wood floors and soft accent lighting. Leather wall coverings behind the beds wrap around reading lights and integrated bedside tables. There are large black and white portraits mounted above the beds, similar to those found in the bar. Sharp desks incorporate drawers on one side and a stocked minibar within a cabinet on the other. Dark glass walls partially separate the black and white tiled bathrooms from the main space, though bathrooms are still partially exposed to the room. The walk-in showers within have smoked glass doors, but also lack privacy. All rooms have flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and guests will find branded fortune cookies on their pillows.

The hotel's social hub, dining, and drinking are all combined in the posh Restaurant Mani. The main menu is an interesting mix of French-Israeli cuisine and includes dishes such as salmon and fennel salad with orange and gin, and a Jerusalem artichoke souffle. A big wine list is focused on bottles from Germany, France, and Israel. A well-reviewed hot and cold breakfast buffet is offered for a fee. There's a separate bar area with a snack menu and an attached garden patio. Another sidewalk patio in front of the hotel adds more outdoor seating along trendy Torstrasse. Laptops, iPads, Xboxes, and bicycles can be rented from the front desk and a vending machine in the lobby has handy toiletries, including MANI branded condoms. Wi-Fi is free throughout.