Best Boutique Hotels in Berlin

Located in Berlin’s diplomatic district, Das Stue is a boutique, luxury hotel with 79 chic rooms. From the elegant fine-dining restaurant to the cozy library, the hotel is immaculately decorated, offering the crème de la crème of hotel experiences. There is an indoor pool and a beautiful outdoor terrace. The location is a bit far from several of Berlin's tourist attractions, but there are some galleries, restaurants, and shops in the neighborhood. Guests looking for a more convenient location may want to check out Melia Berlin, a modern, upscale hotel near a transportation hub.

Set in a quiet residential neighborhood far from the city center, the 53-room Schlosshotel Im Grunewald is a small but opulent five-pearl boutique that was once a private mansion. The interiors have since been redesigned by Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld to dazzling effect. The standard Deluxe Rooms are small yet posh, offering free minibars and marble bathrooms with heated floors, and there are a handful of incredible suites. An indoor pool, full spa, and beautiful gardens provide plenty of space for the well-heeled traveler to relax, and the nearby Grunewald forest is a great natural perk. The service is top-notch on paper, with personal drivers and translators available, but not always so in practice. Non-smokers may not appreciate that the haze from the cigar lounge and designated smoking areas can intrude into the dining spaces. Travelers looking to sightsee should consider arranging for a car, or private driver, both of which the hotel can provide.

Hotel Indigo is a boutique-style hotel from the massive InterContinental Hotels Group chain. The trendy design, said to be inspired by the nearby Berlin University of the Arts, makes the upscale hotel feel more luxurious than its moderate price would suggest. It has a central location, close to the Berlin Zoo, restaurants, and shopping, and it's convenient to public transportation. While its 81 rooms are modern, playful, and stylish, some can feel cramped, and those facing the street can get noise.

Incredibly cool, the 149-room, eco-friendly 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin is a great option for hip, design-conscious travelers looking to stay in the heart of the city. Its West Berlin location is next to Berlin Zoo and very close to Tiergarten and Breitscheidplatz, with plenty of places to dine and drink within walking distance in the neighborhood. This design hotel's theme is urban jungle, and its huge public spaces are full of greenery, glass, and exposed pipes. There are two restaurants and a bakery on-site, plus a rooftop cocktail bar overlooking the zoo. 

Pension Galerie is a dated but beloved mid-range bed-and-breakfast near the center of Berlin. It's on a bland residential street, but that helps keep the noise down in the building, which is home to drafty old windows. The individually decorated rooms are large, clean, pleasant, and more affordable than proper hotel rooms in the area, though the dated furnishings and lack of amenities are noteworthy downsides. The included breakfast is served in a charming little room where the owner is known to chat with her guests as she helps serve coffee and tea. Wi-Fi is free throughout. 

The Michelberger Hotel is a trendy, budget-friendly option set in a former warehouse in the Friedrichshain neighborhood. Most of the 119 rooms have spare, modern decor; the exception is the Gold Room, which is decked out in an opulent, romantic style. Some of the rooms have exposed cement, big windows, and open showers, while others have bunk beds and can accommodate larger groups. Higher-end rooms such as the Chalet and Gold Rooms come with better amenities and artistic decor. A big breakfast buffet (for a fee) is served daily, and food and drinks can be ordered from the outdoor terrace. Highlights at this quirky hotel include a stylish lobby full of books and magazines and a bar with live DJs. The local neighborhood is full of more restaurants, bars, and nightlife.

The sleek Sir F.K. Savigny Hotel is a design-inspired boutique hotel in the elegant Charlottenburg neighborhood. All 45 rooms share an ultra-modern black and white motif, complete with flowing white curtains and striking black and white photographs. This hotel offers great freebies, such as in-room Wi-Fi, a minibar stocked with beer and soft drinks, and a Nespresso machine. Bright rooms get excellent natural night and have big flat-screen TVs and iPod docks. An attractive garden with tables and chairs is located out back of the 19th century building, and some rooms have balconies for private outdoor space. While bathrooms lack complete privacy and some guests consider the breakfast to be expensive, this is a great pick for design, location, and freebies.

The Hotel Art Nouveau Berlin is a charming, family-run B&B in the Charlottenburg neighborhood. The 22 individually decorated rooms occupy the second and fourth floors of a historic apartment building, complete with an antique cage elevator. Rooms have stucco ceilings, wooden floors, and a great mix of antiques and contemporary decor. Technology includes small flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. An organic breakfast buffet is served in the sunny breakfast room and an honesty bar is open throughout the night. While there is no 24-hour reception and no air conditioning in the rooms, the great use of color and distinctly Berlin flair make this B&B a good pick.

Made up of 11 apartments of various sizes in an historic building, Brilliant Apartments offers a cozy and homey place to stay in the trendy and picturesque Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin. The area is central, but fairly quiet, too, with lots of restaurants and shops within walking distance, and all major sights within a quick metro ride. There's a great cafe, Krone, on the first floor, which serves breakfast for a fee. The apartments are spacious and tastefully decorated, with separate kitchens, sitting areas, and dining areas. 

The upscale, centrally located Cosmo Hotel has a chic design and 84 spacious rooms, but in-room Wi-Fi comes with a fee. There’s an on-site restaurant that serves local, eco-friendly cuisine and a small fitness center with a range of cardio and weight-training equipment, and a sauna. Located across the street from the Spittelmarkt U-Bahn stop (the trains can be heard in lower-floor rooms), the boutique-style hotel is a 10-minute walk to Museum Island and Alexanderplatz, making it a convenient choice for art and architecture lovers, although there aren’t many restaurants or bars in the immediate area. 

The upscale 83-room H'Otello K'80 is a safe option for a business or leisure trip to Berlin. It's in a great location just off the well-heeled Kurfürstendamm avenue in western Berlin, close to the city's major sights and public transport, and it's within easy to reach from the airport. The hotel itself is modern and stylish, with clean, comfortable rooms and some high-end amenities, including a sauna, fitness center, and bar. Some rooms suffer from train noise and the building's extreme modernity can feel a little stark at times in the leafy neighborhood.

In a location convenient to accessing restaurants, night clubs, and transportation, the modern Casa Camper Berlin is an upper-mid-range, boutique property. Its 51 rooms offer trendy, industrial features like work table lamps on nightstands and steel pegs for hanging clothes. The hotel has a 24-hour lounge with free fruit, snacks, and non-alcoholic drinks as well as a bar working on the honor system. There’s also a modern restaurant serving Asian cuisine.

Overlooking Rosenthaler Platz, The Circus Hotel sits across the busy intersection from its older sibling, The Circus Hostel. The latter's success as a backpacker's destination lead to the opening of this 65-room boutique property catering to a hip crowd with a little more disposable income, but the rates are still less than at other mid-range properties in Berlin. Late breakfasts, bike rentals, and free walking tours led by knowledgeable staff all make this eclectic hotel stand out from the crowd, but the laudable eco-friendly and sustainable policies come with a downside -- no air-conditioning, which can be a deal breaker on hot summer nights.