I joined a week’s trip to Berlin to view former and current breweries in Berlin as a member of the Brewery History Society, We each made our own travel and hotel arrangements. As most of our planned visits were to sites in former GDR it made good sense for me to stay in East Berlin. I chose andel’s, a large modern hotel managed by Vienna International on Landsberger Allee. I paid for a very reasonable rate for board and breakfast in advance through Expedia. Check-in was pleasant and straightforward. Everywhere in the hotel was spotless. My room was spacious and well furnished.
But not everything in the hotel deserved its four star rating. As I arrived in the late evening on a Monday, both restaurants were closed. Oscar’s is supposed to be open until 11 pm each day but when I entered it at 10 pm I found the staff enjoying a drink and was advised, somewhat ungraciously, that they had stopped serving. So I settled for a snack in the Sky Bar. An express lift whisked me up to the fourteenth floor where the bar offered great views of Berlin at night. I ordered goulash soup, which was excellently presented, if a little expensive. The only other meals which I took at andel’s were breakfasts. These were buffet style with a large range of choices. But I got the distinct impression that the food was not of the beat quality.
Another reason for choosing andel’s was access to public transport. Tram stops and an S-Bahn station were on the doorstep. As I knew that the Landsberger Allee tram stops were closed for refurbishment, I emailed the hotel concierge in advance to enquire about this. She confirmed that the stops were still closed but did not mention that the trams were using temporary stops just a few metres away. I was not impressed by her lack of thought.
When the time came to check out I found myself at the back of a queue of guests. Only two staff were on duty, so it took 10 minutes until I could pay a few tens of Euros for my bar snack and drink. So andel’s certainly does not get four stars from me.
