Holiday Inn Express Berlin City Centre, an IHG Hotel

European hotel rooms are small, and that’s fine, but the layout of our room was actively ridiculous. There wasn’t enough space between the edge of the first bed and a nearby table to walk past with both feet on the ground; you actually had to CLIMB over to access the rest of the room. Neither the bed nor the table could be moved. That meant that my friend had to physically step over my bed (or my sleeping body) if she wanted to get from the front door to her bed, or to get up and pee at night. Just not acceptable. An older person or anyone with even the most minor accessibility needs would just not be able to use this room. Thank god my friend has a bigger bladder than me and was willing to let me take the “easier” bed so I didn’t hurt myself getting up at night.

Aside from the dangerously stupid layout, our room only got cleaned once in 4 nights (despite repeated promises to clean) and when it was “cleaned” they really just made the beds and didn’t clean the carpets or change out the coffee mugs and supplies, etc.

I will say the beds were very comfortable, the air conditioning was strong, and the bathroom was a good enough size. It was also very quiet in the room. The breakfast was huge with TONS of options and good, long hours of availability.

The neighborhood sucks to walk around (few food options, kind of deserted) but is very central to the rest of the city by public transportation. It was often faster to take the train to another neighborhood to get a meal than walk to the closest appealing place.

All in all, I guess I’m glad we stayed here because it was close to where we needed to be (the Tempodrome) for a big event, and I would recommend it as a very budget friendly option for a good night’s rest. However, there are SO many better neighborhoods in Berlin and I’m sure many hotels where you can actually walk (not climb) around the room. Not the worst place you could end up, just be aware of the challenges.