Movenpick Hotel Berlin Am Potsdamer Platz

Visited Berlin in late-Nov 2024 to soak in some history and this hotel is perfectly placed as it is walking distance to Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie, the Topology of Terror, the remnants of the Berlin Wall, etc.

It’s extremely convenient as it is literally on the doorstep of Anhalter banhof where the S-Bahn connects to the various parts of the city within minutes.

We were pleasantly surprised by an upgrade upon check in and the room was lovely. Very spacious and inviting. Toilet has heated flooring, which was welcome during the cold week we visited. However, the room had features which were baffling.

There was a control for the bed to specify the firmness preference but it did not seem to be working. We never got to try it during our 5 nights there. Then there was the telephone. There were no instructions on how to use it and only when I went down to ask, we were told to call 171 for reception. That’s a strange number!

We couldn’t get the thermostat to work. We pressed all the buttons (there were only 4 on the panel) and tried short jabs, long presses but nothing worked. The aircon was resolved two days later when I approached another staff member who asked maintenance to check on it. But we did have a cold two nights as housekeeping had left the window open after they made up the room on both cold days (it was about 2 degrees Celsius when we returned on both days)

I eventually had to go down to reception (I didn’t know how to work the telephone yet) and informed the manager on duty, Tina. She asked me to press the buttons which I said I had. She told me I needed to turn it on. Again, I said I did. Then she did something which I was not prepared for: she shrugged and left it at that. To say I was taken aback was an understatement. I had never had that sort of response before from a hotel. It made the claim on one of the notes in our room - that the hotel seeks to maximise our comfort during our stay - a bit hollow to say the least.

I also mentioned the bed controls to Tina and she also shrugged to indicate she couldn’t do anything about it. Unbelievable.

The room also was lacking a kettle when we checked in and it took two days to sort that out. The first night, we were given a kettle when we requested but it didn’t work. When I went down again, I was asked to go to the bar to get hot water for the time being but there was no one at the bar or the restaurant. The manager on duty (not Tina) was about to go home and told me that housekeeping had already left and indicated there was nothing to be done. To her credit, she did get me a jug of hot water when I insisted I needed hot water that evening.

And finally, we noticed that the tv remote control disappeared on the third day of our stay. We reported it but there was no replacement given. We also reported that a pack of nuts on the minibar had been opened. We don’t know if it had been opened right from the start of our stay or if it had been subsequently opened. Again this was reported but the opened pack of nuts remained throughout our stay.

The hotel has lovely rooms and is in a fantastic location but it is let down by staff.

Hey guys! What about saying "hello!" instead of "check'n?"? What about saying "good evening" when guests get back at night instead of starring at your phones behind your reception desk? What about cleaning the elevator, the door to our room and the carpets? What about offering some vegan umami stuff for breakfast in the worlds no 2 most vegan city, before your guests ask you to? What a pitty the hotel doesnt have the high standards it have had several years ago.

The hairdryer did not unfortunately work for 3 days, luckily the receptionist helped us.
I could not figure out how to make the sauna work.
The cleaning standards are low (dust everywhere, carpet).
The bar crew is very attentive.
The internal patio is very relaxing.
Very well connected and quiet area.
Breakfast was amazing.