Review: The Ritz-Carlton Berlin, a modern art deco hotel in the heart of Potsdamer Platz

This is our review of the The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Berlin, part of Marriott Bonvoy.

Berlin is one of my favourite European cities thanks to the combination of world-leading museums, creative scene, history and general vibes (and I suppose it helps that I speak German ….)

One thing it does not have is a particularly thrilling hotel scene. Many of the big name hotels are dated, presumably due to a big hotel-building boom following reunification.

Fortunately, The Ritz-Carlton Berlin is not one of these having almost completed a full hotel renovation. Over the past few years it has spent over €40 million. During my stay the final piece of the puzzle – the Club Lounge – was closed for its own makeover.

Marriott arranged for my stay in return for a full review. I paid for all other expenses. The hotel website is here.

Where is The Ritz-Carlton Berlin?

Potsdamer Platz is a curious location, but to explain why we need to delve into the history books.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Potsdamer Platz was the centre of Berlin and home to department stores, theatres, dance halls, cafes, restaurants and bars.

As with many of Berlin’s flourishing neighbourhoods this changed during and after World War Two, when it was reduced to rubble. After the war, it became a no-man’s land with the Berlin Wall partitioning the square until 1989.

After reunification there was much debate about what to do with the area, which presented a blank canvas. It became one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in Europe with glass office buildings (including for Deutsche Bahn) as well as the tent-like Sony Center:

Next door is The Ritz-Carlton Berlin, completed in 2004 in a neo art deco style that wouldn’t look out of place on New York’s streets.

The Berlin Marriott, which Rob tends to use during the annual ITB travel show, is just a few seconds away and is reviewed here.

Grand Hyatt Berlin, on the other side of Sony Center, is reviewed here.

Whilst Potsdamer Platz isn’t quite the centre of the city any more – it doesn’t quite have the same hustle and bustle that I’m sure it did in the 1900s – it’s still very well connected thanks to the rail station serviced by regional rail and multiple S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines.

The hotel is on the fringes of the vast Tiergarten park, whilst Brandenburger Tor, Checkpoint Charlie and the Bundestag are a short walk away.

Inside The Ritz-Carlton Berlin

The art deco theme continues inside, the interiors of which have been fully refurbished since 2019. A grand staircase up to the ballroom greets you on entry:

The lobby and public spaces are not huge for a hotel of this size, which at 303 rooms is on the larger side for a Ritz-Carlton. That said, it was never overly full during my stay.

Check in and concierge are on the right:

As a Marriott Bonvoy Gold member I was given a little card with my status benefits, including 500 bonus points, 25% bonus points on spend, 2pm checkout and free premium wifi.

I could also choose an additional benefit from a list including two pieces of ironing per stay, a 15-minute spa experience, a three hour bike rental or a 10% discount at the hotel restaurant. It’s great that The Ritz-Carlton Berlin is so proactive with loyalty benefits.

Round the back of the staircase you’ll find the lobby lounge, facing towards a sparkling solar sculpture. It transforms into the moon with the daily Ritz-Carlton Ritual at 6pm, when sparkling wine (I was pleasantly surprised to find it was the English Nyetimber) is theatrically opened and poured for any guests in the vicinity.

Rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Berlin

Although this might not look like a modern hotel building thanks to its art deco style, it benefits from being designed as a hotel from the ground up. That means the rooms are all spacious and regularly sized, with no odd historic corners to contend with.

All rooms start at a positively palatial 40 square metres, which is almost double the size you’ll find in many London hotels. In fact, my room was so big I was sure I had been upgraded to a junior suite. But no – I was in a standard room, albeit with an upgraded Potsdamer Platz view.

I was given a king room but other bed arrangements are available. A lovely wood herringbone floor in the entry way leads to a marble bathroom with separate shower and bathtub:

There are two wash basins, as you would expect from a hotel of this calibre, with Dyptique toiletries provided in big pump bottles.

The bedroom itself is large – big enough to have multiple suitcases open and still have plenty of room.

These were renovated in 2019 with an aubergine headboard and wood panelling. Something about the interior design strikes me as particularly German, although I can’t quite put my finger on it!

The only thing that could do with a refresh is the carpet, which didn’t feel as fresh or bright as the rest of the fittings. I assume Berlin winters aren’t too kind to it.

There are large bedside tables on both sides with charging ports discreetly placed behind.

Opposite the bed you have a wall mounted TV and console table, which is home to a fully stocked mini bar, Nespresso coffee machine and kettle.

In the corner you’ll find a proper large, free-standing desk (the sort that faces into the room, rather than against a wall) as well as a big chaise longue in the window:

Frankly, with so much space, I can’t see any reason why you’d need to be upgraded to a bigger room or suite. This is just about perfect – big enough to suit all my needs but not so big that it feels cavernous and empty.

The Ritz-Carlton Berlin gym and pool

You’ll find the hotel leisure facilities in the basement. This is a good space, with a lovely pool:

You’ll find a mixed-gender steam room and sauna next door, as well as some changing facilities. There are a variety of jets and other things you can turn on or off around the pool as well.

The gym is next door and overlooks the pool via frosted glass. A large column in the middle made it hard to photograph in its entirety, so here’s about a third of it:

Both were empty during my mid-morning visit which meant I had them to myself – even better!

Restaurants and bars at The Ritz-Carlton Berlin

In addition to the lobby lounge, The Ritz-Carlton Berlin is home to a bar and restaurant.

The bar opens in the evenings behind thick curtains, creating a cosy, speakeasy sort of atmosphere. There is a live band at weekends, I am told.

The restaurant, which is called POTS, is located on the corner of the hotel with an outdoor terrace. It serves modern German cuisine during the day with a breakfast service in the mornings. It has a lovely open kitchen:

…. and, if the weather is good, you can sit out on the terrace. Unfortunately it was raining during my stay, so I stayed inside ….

For breakfast you can expect your typical Ritz-Carlton buffet with an extensive selection of fruits, juices, yoghurts and more. There was lots of seasonal European produce from cherries to peaches and nectarines:

…. all the way to cured fish, meats and cheeses:

As this is Germany the bread and pastry selection is strong. There’s also a mimosa bar featuring German sparkling wine as well as a dedicated corner for vegans.

Whilst there’s a choice of hot foods from the buffet, you can also order from the a la carte menu which features items such as eggs benedict, eggs royale, omelettes, crepes, waffles, congee and pad thai.

There are 14 items to choose from. I went for the signature ‘Onsen Egg’ which is a sort of poached egg on avocado toast topped with fish roe:

For dinner you get modern German food, although not the stereotypical type: as far as I could tell, there was not a single piece of sauerkraut or sausage in sight!

The oysters and the beef tartare were excellent:

…. as was the marinated cod, which was bathed in a delicious sauce – and to be honest would have been even better without marination, to let the flavours of the fish through a bit more.

Main dishes automatically come with sides, which is great.

Service from the wait-staff was impressive. Obviously this is something you’d expect from a hotel of this calibre but it doesn’t always happen.

Conclusion

The Berlin luxury hotel scene may not be as rich as that of London, Amsterdam or Paris, but there are some good options, including The Ritz-Carlton Berlin.

The key selling points are its central location, large rooms and service.

When the club lounge emerges from its renovation it will prove an additional reason to stay, since lounges at The Ritz-Carlton are far superior to your standard lounge – although this means that Marriott Bonvoy elite members do not get free access.

Berlin hotel rates are generally low, so this is a good place to splurge on a Ritz-Carlton if you have never tried the brand. Rooms start from €300 or 52,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.

You can find out more and book on The Ritz-Carlton website here.