Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

The Hotel Berlin Rebuilt Itself Around

Lorenz Adlon opened his hotel on Pariser Platz in 1907 with the backing of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and within a decade it had hosted Tsar Nicholas II, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein and Franklin Roosevelt, a guest list that made the Adlon synonymous with Berlin itself before the war destroyed most of the original building. The hotel reopened on the same site in 1997 under Kempinski, rebuilt in the image of Lorenz Adlon's original, and the Pariser Platz address, facing the Brandenburg Gate directly, has kept drawing the kind of attention that comes with being the city's single most photographed hotel entrance, a balcony incident involving Michael Jackson among the more recent chapters of a hundred-plus-year history.

Why It Works

We chose the Adlon because it is one of the very few hotels where the history is not a marketing story layered onto a generic building, it is the actual reason the address exists: rebuilt specifically to recreate what stood on this exact spot before the war, rather than simply inheriting a prestigious name elsewhere in the city. A Michelin-starred restaurant inside the hotel's own walls, an indoor pool, and 385 rooms and suites give the Adlon the operational depth to match its reputation, which is not a given even among hotels this famous.

Why This Location

Pariser Platz puts the Adlon directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate, arguably the single most recognisable spot in Berlin, with the Tiergarten park, the Reichstag and the boulevard Unter den Linden all within a short walk. The Brandenburger Tor S-Bahn and U-Bahn station sits essentially at the hotel's door, putting the rest of the city within easy reach, while the immediate surroundings, government buildings, embassies and the gate itself, keep the square's atmosphere formal and monumental rather than commercial.

Fast Facts

• Price: €€€€ (Luxe)

• Vibe: Historic, monumental, internationally famous, formally elegant

• Chambres: 385 rooms and suites (307 rooms, 78 suites)

• Best For: special-occasion travellers, a first visit to Berlin, guests who want the city's most storied address

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the Lobby Lounge's Elephant Fountain, with live piano, at the centre of a building rebuilt to recreate its own 1907 original

• Dining: Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer (Michelin star), Brasserie Quarré, Elephant Bar & Cigar Lounge

• Amenities: Adlon Spa (eight treatment rooms, three suites), heated indoor pool, fitness centre

• Attractions: Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz, Tiergarten park, Unter den Linden

A Guest List Running Back to the Kaiser

Few hotel guest lists anywhere can claim Tsar Nicholas II, Thomas Edison and Charlie Chaplin in the same decade, and the Adlon's reputation was built on exactly that mix of royalty, industry and culture from its first years under Lorenz Adlon's ownership. The hotel's survival, as a rebuilt recreation rather than a continuously operating original, means the current building carries that history self-consciously: every design decision in the 1997 reconstruction referenced what had stood there before, rather than starting from a blank site with a borrowed name.

A Michelin Star Beside an Elephant Fountain

Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, led by chef Jonas Zörner, carries the hotel's Michelin star with a French menu worked through with Asian influences, while Brasserie Quarré handles a more relaxed French-German register looking straight onto Pariser Platz and the Gate beyond. The Lobby Lounge, built around the hotel's signature Elephant Fountain with a pianist most evenings, and the adjoining Elephant Bar & Cigar Lounge, styled after 1920s Berlin, extend the hotel's public rooms into genuine destinations in their own right, not simply the walk between lobby and lift.

Before You Book

The Adlon's fame makes it one of Berlin's most requested addresses for state visits and major events, so a stay during a summit or a film festival can mean a noticeably different atmosphere, with heavier security around Pariser Platz itself. At 385 rooms it runs considerably larger and more formal than Berlin's boutique alternatives, which suits a special occasion more naturally than an intimate getaway; guests who want quiet over spectacle might better consider a smaller address elsewhere in Mitte.