Hyperion Hotel Berlin

I spent 4 nights in this hotel. Great location in a very quite and nice neighbourhood, which is important for me. I slept with windows open and didn't hear any noise at all. It's situated 4 metro stations from the Zoologischer Garten station. We had a very big room (suite 333) more than 30m2 I think, with kitchen and living room. The view from the room was very nice, it was facing a fountain on Prager Platz. The bathroom was big and clean. The restaurant on the ground floor serves good food and the waiters are very friendly. Very good breakfast. The hotel goes now through some construction works but it didn't affect us in any way.

Our first stay at the Hyperion was for a whole week back in August 2014. Before booking, we did an awful lot of research and, when we visited Berlin for a second time in March 2016 (again a one week stay), it never crossed our minds to stay elsewhere. Back then it was called the Ramada Plaza. Now renamed to the Hyperion, we returned for a third visit in March 2017 (again a one week stay), and I’m pleased to say it’s still as good as ever. As far as I can tell the hotel still belongs to the same management group and it is simply a rebranding exercise. It looks and feels the same as it did before which is no bad thing. For a first time visitor in Berlin there are a bewildering number of districts in which to stay. A good location with easy access to the main city sights was a key priority for us and the Hyperion certainly ticks that box. The Güntzelstraße underground station is about a 2 minute walk from the hotel (it's on the U9 line) and this gives you easy access to the entire U-Bahn (underground) and S-Bahn (city rapid railway) network. The popular tourist destinations are just a few stops away. Regardless of your choice of hotel, you'll inevitably have to use the U-Bahn or S-Bahn at one time or another during your stay as the key sights are spread around the city. Once you know the basics it's very simple to use. The transport network consists of 3 zones with zone A being the innermost and C being the outermost. Güntzelstraße is in zone A. A single journey ticket covering zones A and B costs around 2.70 euros. Alternatively, a day ticket covering zones A and B costs around 7 euros. If you want to venture into zone C then a day ticket covering zones A, B and C costs around 7.60 euros. Predominantly you'll find yourself travelling within Zone A. The ticket machine at Güntzelstraße doesn't take Visa or Mastercard cards so do ensure you have cash. Above all remember that a purchased ticket is just a meaningless piece of card until it has been validated by inserting it into the small box/machine you'll find on the platform (watch what other travellers do). Do this before getting on the train. If, however, you buy a ticket for multiple journeys do not validate it a second time. A ticket that has been validated more than once is invalid too! There are no automated ticket barriers to pass through at any of the stations but you're very likely to encounter plain clothed ticket inspectors on one of your journeys during your stay. They look very anonymous until they reveal themselves. Remember you'll be fined for using a non-validated ticket or a ticket that's been validated too many times. Because the Hyperion is located just outside the central area of the City, the district that it’s in has a more relaxed feel to it with leafy tree lined roads and a small grassy circular space at its centre. It's a nice little community with a few cafes and restaurants, a Shell fuel station, and an arcade containing a couple of supermarkets, a pharmacy, a bakery, a newsagent, and other small shops. If you need to stock up on toiletries or want a quick snack or a coffee then you've got everything you need right on your doorstep. Two stops along the U9 line (in the direction of Osloer Straße) you'll find Kurfürstendamn which has a range of large upmarket shops. One further stop along is Zoologischer Garden (Zoo) which is one of the main hubs of the city. Distances on the U-Bahn/S-Bahn map can be deceptive and if you fancy a pleasant stroll you can get from the hotel to Zoo station in around 15-20 minutes or so. We often walked this route (it’s basically one straight line) and even late at night we felt perfectly safe. Do watch out for the Vapiano restaurant as you walk towards Kurfürstendamn (its next to the Swissôtel). The food is great and it’s cooked right in front of you. The prices are very reasonable too. There are other Vapiano restaurants around the city. It’s a very different experience compared with visiting other restaurants. We used Zoo station an awful lot. As the name suggests, Berlin zoo is close by - around 2 minutes’ walk away. The zoo makes a really nice day out but if you're planning to do the zoo and the aquarium then I’d advise you to arrive early as there's a lot to fit into one day. On our April 2017 visit, many of the birds were in quarantine and not viewable by the public. The area outside McDonalds at Zoo station is the meeting point for 'Insider Tours'. These are daily walking tours of Berlin conducted by guides who speak English as their first language (we've had English, US and Irish guides). Note that tours are available in other languages too. You can pick up a leaflet from the rack in the hotel lobby. I can't recommend these tours enough as they were the highlight of our first two trips to Berlin. There's no need to book ahead and you simply turn up on the day (most trips start at 10am). This gives a lot of flexibility. The tours are very popular. At the meeting point you'll pay the ticket person who'll be walking around and you'll then be directed towards the guide running the tour that you’ve chosen. NB some tours don't run every day so do check the leaflet. The leaflet also advises what sort of U-Bahn/S-Bahn ticket you'll need. For most tours this is a zone AB ticket but for some it is ABC. We've been on 'Cold War Berlin', 'Third Reich Berlin', 'Potsdam', 'Famous Walk', and "Sachenhausen Concentration Camp'. All of these were excellent as they were both entertaining and informative. The guides all have their own very individual styles making each tour unique. Prices do vary depending on the tour but on average you'll be paying around 12 euros for a 4 hour tour (the leaflets in the hotel lobby usually contain a discount voucher to lower the price further). This really is excellent value. The walks will also help you acclimatise to Berlin if you're a first time visitor. You'll get an understanding of the layout of the city, you'll see how to use the U-Bahn/S-Bahn and how to cross the roads properly! As a pedestrian you can get fined by the police for walking across a light controlled junction when the walking man symbol is red. In the UK, we think nothing of simply walking cross a road if there's no traffic about. Not so in Berlin! You'll see pedestrians diligently waiting to cross a junction even though there is no traffic about. Above all, be savvy as you'll may get comments from other pedestrians if you flaunt the rules. At the end of the tour you can also quiz the guides about places to eat and places to visit. They're more than happy to help out. Many shops and museums can be closed on a Monday so a walking tour can be a good option for that day. There are plenty of shops and eating places near the Zoo station especially along Tauentzienstraße. Watch out for the famous KaDeWe store. Clothes can be pricey but do make your way up the food floors on the top two levels. These are a real experience. If you want to see the Reichstag and the other adjacent sites then it's only 4 stops from Zoo station to Friedrichstraße. We drive to Berlin from the UK and the other box that the Hyperion ticks for us is the parking. Next to the Hyperion (on the right as you face the hotel) is a barrier controlled public underground car park. Drive down 2 levels following the Hyperion signs (not all the signs have been changed yet so some may still say Ramada) and you'll find a pair of lifts that takes you up to the hotel. The parking has a very secure feel to it and there are always plenty of unused spaces throughout the car park. It's not the cheapest car park (we paid 76 euros arriving on a Sunday and departing the next Saturday) but you won't be worrying about your prize motor whilst you're on holiday! There's no need to speak to the hotel about the parking. Take a ticket on the way in and pay at the machine in the car park on the way out. A few bays in the car park have concrete walls either side so your car won't get scratched by the person parking next to you. On our second and third visits we made far better use of the hotel facilities. Go to reception to get a pass for the gym/sauna/pool. This is free if you have a “business” class room but you may have to pay 10 euros per person per visit for other room types. You may want to check ahead of booking. Make your way up to the first floor of the hotel and from the lift area take the right hand corridor and walk to the very end. Go through the first door and press the buzzer at the second door. At the main gym desk exchange the pass for a locker token. Unfortunately things weren't explained very well to us on our first visit. The token is numbered but you can use any locker (we had assumed the token number equated to the locker number). Wave the token in front of the locker to open it. The gym is very plush and it’s housed in a circular glass structure. From the running machines you can look down into the shopping arcade below. You'll need flip flops for the sauna (again not explained) and, if you don't have any, you can purchase a pair for 9.99 euros from the main gym desk. You can also get towels from there if you haven’t brought your room towels (but there may be a charge). The gym, sauna and pool all share the same changing room and you can easily pass from one area to the other. The sauna area has 2 saunas, a steam room, a sitting area with foot basins, showers, lounge, outside seating area and tanning beds. The tanning beds are chargeable. As is usual in Germany, the sauna is for both sexes and the etiquette is to go entirely naked apart from your towel. It was all very relaxing. On your way out re-exchange the locker token for your gym pass and return it to reception. Breakfast is in the very pleasant main restaurant and there's a good selection of food. You can help yourself to hot food but it's the continental slant on a cooked breakfast and not up to the standard of a traditional British cooked breakfast. That's one thing the UK undoubtedly does well! On our first visit there was a large Italian coach party who swamped the restaurant in the morning and evening (for 3 days running) but thankfully things were a lot more relaxed second and third time around with no coach parties in sight! On the other side of the lobby is the bar area and beyond that a smaller restaurant. In the evening, do consider eating in the cosy bar area as it's all very relaxed with comfy lounge chairs and no loud music blaring out. A perfect opportunity to take your guide books and plan your next day's sightseeing! However make sure you are given both food menus (bar menu and restaurant menu). Another thing we were really excited about on our first visit was the chance to get a suite for a very reasonable price. The suite didn't disappoint with a lounge, bedroom, shower room, kitchenette and good sized balcony. Do be aware that the kitchen doesn't come equipped with utensils and most of the drawers are empty. You do get a fridge, kettle, mugs and tea/coffee/drinking chocolate. The suite had parquet flooring. This was nice but I just felt that a carpet would have given a more cosy feeling. The shower room was a good size with plenty of space but it would have been nice if there had been a bath. There was ample storage space for toiletries but the shower doors do let some water out. On our second and third visits we opted for a business room which was a cheaper option than going for a suite. We weren't disappointed. There are room variations but in general you’ll find that business rooms are identical to the suite apart from lacking the separate bedroom. The hotel pictures indicated the floors are carpeted but some have a parquet floor. The kitchenette and shower room were the same as they had been for the suite. The room also had a safe located in the wardrobe, just as the suite had. All in all the hotel has a nice upmarket feel to it with nice, well maintained corridors. The 2 lifts by reception can cause frustration at busy times and it can be easier to use the stairs. Don’t forget you’ll need to use you room card if you want to go above level 1 in the lift. On our March 2017 visit, the whole of floor 2 was being refurbished so, once finished, you should find that these rooms have the freshest decor. The hotel’s free wi-fi was a very frustrating experience on our first visit and we would have to go to the end of the corridor to get a good signal. Thankfully, things had improved vastly on our subsequent trips and we had a strong signal throughout. We wanted to go on a river cruise and had read several reviews from disappointed travellers who hadn’t received a commentary in English. We went on a good one, with English commentary, run by Reederei Bruno Winkler. We chose city tour 2 – tour under the bridges of the Spree and LandwehrKanal which was 3 hours and 15 minutes in duration. There are a number of joining points and we chose Schlossbrücke. Again, this is easily reached from the hotel. Travel 1 stop south from Güntzelstraße to Berliner Straße. Take the U7 in the direction of Rathaus Spandau to Richard-Wagner-Platz. Finally if you’d like a tour which is a little more obscure then try Berliner Underwelten E.V. In Berlin, during the war, the Nazi regime constructed massive concrete flak towers and we had a great tour going inside one of these massive structures. Would we stay a fourth time at the hotel? Yes, we definitely would. Even having spent three weeks in Berlin there’s still loads more to see. I hope you find this information useful.

A decent hotel going that was secured at a really good price - it was excellent value. There are currently renovations which meant that there was some walking to the room (and taking two different elevators each time).

Have stayed in that hotel nearly every ITB since it opened. Conveniently located in a quiet suburb, next to a gym, some local supermarkets (great for non locals who don't know the area) and 15 min walk fro KaDeWee. They are refurbishing the hotel, but its not causing much disturbance, other than some dust in the affected corridors. No work after 18:00. Breakfast is basic, but very adequate, buffet style and to order eggs. Highlight is the coffee machine ontap so you can make any coffee you want and have it as quickly as you want. Reception and staffing in general is very friendly.

The Hotel is very closed to the U Bahnhof Guentzel Strasse, just a few Stations from Kurfuerstendamm. The Hotel is currently undergoing some renovation. The check is quick and fast. The rooms are great. They are clean, the Internet is working very well. I had a great sleep here. Breakfast is serviced on the ground floor. Good variations of Food. But there are also some great Breakfast places in a very short walking distances. There are a number of Restaurant nearby, with a great selection of cuisine. To use the indoor swimming pool a fee of 10 Euros person is charged. I would stay again at the Ramada Plaza again.

The Hotel is about 500m from the U Bahn station Spichern Strasse. The check in is quick, but confusing. The rooms are acceptable, and clean. The exercise is charged, e.g. pool 10 Euro. The Breakfast is great cost 18 Euro but as most Hotels want to make money with Breakfast,

This is a very nice friendly hotel with big rooms that makes you feel real good same as you are at home and the price is always better than the similar hotels. Near to the city center, its just 10 min away, and its also near to good restaurants .

Had it been a 3-star hotel, I would have been much more lenient. I see carpets in the corridors as a hotel's face - they are shabby. Rooms are okay. Location is nice and quiet, but quite far from any center of action. Breakfasts at 17euros per person seem a weird choice given the proximity of something like 6 or 7 cafes/restaurants open most of the time (we tried three, two were good). There is a nice wine shop nearby.

We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights. Very friendly staff at check in, spacious and clean room, comfortable bed. Breakfast was great - you had the choice between several hot and cold dishes, fruit - and even pickled heering is a possible treat. Hotel is a bit of the track behind Kurfürstendamm - but with the U Bahn 5 minutes round the corner it is no problem at all. Might even be a reason for choosing the hotel.