My review of the excellent Berlin Marriott hotel
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This is my review of the Berlin Marriott hotel and my experience there as a new Marriott Rewards Gold member.
It is now 18 months since Marriott allowed you to status match from Starwood Preferred Guest and vice versa. This followed the purchase of Starwood by Marriott back in 2015.
This was an astonishingly good result for American Express Platinum holders who get free Starwood Preferred Guest Gold status.
Suddenly, overnight, we all got Marriott Rewards Gold. And Marriott Rewards Gold is good.
The reason it is good is that Marriott Rewards Gold is very tough to earn. You can earn top tier status in some hotel programmes for fewer nights than you need to earn mid-tier Marriott Gold. The standard qualification is 50 nights which I’m sure you’ll agree is aggressive for ‘mid tier’ status.
Because it is tough to earn, the benefits – at the right hotels – are worth having:
25% bonus points
high speed internet access
room upgrade
guaranteed 4pm check-out (except at resort and convention hotels)
guaranteed lounge access, or free continental breakfast if no lounge is available (except at resort properties)
My only Marriott stay last year was at the JW Marriott in Venice which I reviewed on a previous visit in 2016. Unfortunately this shows Marriott Rewards at its worst. The Venice hotel is classed as a ‘resort’ and therefore the breakfast and late check-out benefits don’t apply. Venice is also very unwilling to give free upgrades, albeit they are very keen to sell you one. This was frustrating, especially given our daily breakfast bill for four people which would otherwise have been comped.
Last week, at the Berlin Marriott hotel, I finally put my Marriott Rewards Gold status to proper use. I was on a rewards stay as cash rates were through the roof due to the ITB travel show, which is also why I was there. My Gold card got me access to the excellent executive lounge and the 2.30pm late check-out I needed to meet my 5pm flight.
My review of the Berlin Marriott hotel
This is not a full review because I had a very busy schedule and didn’t see much of it. I should say, though, that Berlin Marriott is – without a doubt – the poshest Marriott hotel I have ever stayed at. No contest.
It is directly behind The Ritz-Carlton in Potsdamer Platz, also operated by Marriott. I have stayed at The Ritz-Carlton twice in the past but, due to the modern decor, I actually preferred the Marriott.
Taxis are cheap in Berlin and you won’t pay more than €25 from Tegel Airport. There is no direct subway line so a taxi is the best option unless you want to try the bus network.
Getting around from the Berlin Marriott is a dream. Many places are walkable and you have the S-Bahn, U-Bahn and Potsdamer Platz mainline trains literally outside the door. As an entirely new-build office and entertainment area post 1989 you are surrounded by shops and restaurants. It has always been my preferred area to stay (I can also recommend the Grand Hyatt) and if you want historical connections, the wall used to run directly through the hotel site.
My room
I didn’t get the room originally blocked for me due to arriving early so I don’t know if I was meant to be upgraded or not. I was offered a room ‘now’ or a better room ‘later’ and I went for ‘now’. I was so pleased with what I got that I didn’t bother trying to swap. As none of the website pictures look like my room, it is difficult to tell if I stayed in the entry level Deluxe I booked or got upgraded to a (3 sq m larger) Superior.
I was on the 10th floor which is also where the lounge is, which was very handy. Here is the view down into the lobby!
There was something very comforting about this hotel. It is difficult to put my finger on exactly why, but everything clicked. My room was suitably large and well furnished, the staff were welcoming, the public areas were impressive and the executive lounge clearly was not running under budgetary constraints!
I think one important aspect was that, whilst most rectangular hotel rooms have the windows on the short end, Berlin Marriott – at least in my room – has windows along the long side. This means that the room is filled with light and you are looking out when you sit on the bed.
There was a decent sized desk as you can see in the first picture. As is usual with European hotels there was no overhead lighting so you had to do what you could with the desk, bed, floor and reading lamps.
Toiletries were from Acca Kappa which is a cut above average. The bathroom was very spacious – there was no bath but the shower was huge and had rainfall and standard options. It was only a single sink which was fine for me on my own but perhaps a curious ommission.
The view from the window was nothing exciting but not ugly either.
The Berlin Marriott executive lounge
This is how the lounge works. These are very impressive opening hours compared to most hotel lounges:
- Lounge opens at 6.00
- Breakfast from 6.30 to 11.00 (7.00 to 11.00 at weekends)
- Sweet snacks from 12.00 to 17.00
- Hot and cold buffet from 17.30 to 20.30 (wine, prosecco and cheese available until 23.00)
- Lounge closes at midnight
Children are allowed but under 14’s must be accompanied by an adult. You cannot opt for breakfast in the restaurant instead of using the lounge – you will be charged the €32 breakfast fee if you do.
It is a large space – pictured below is another seating area not shown in the main picture. I don’t think these pictures do full justice to how pleasant I found it.
Here are some of the cold options available in the evening. There are also a lot of desserts, not pictured.
There are also four hot items, which seem to be a soup, a pasta option, a meat option and a potato variant.
Wine and prosecco is freely available and there is a fridge of beer and soft drinks too:
It was all very impressive and I was perfectly happy to eat here on both evenings. There was enough available to constitute a full meal. Breakfast was also good with various hot items alongside the usual pastries, cereals, juices etc.
The staff were excellent, especially after I managed to smash my prosecco glass …….
Leisure options
There is a swimming pool which I didn’t use but which looks good. It is open from 6am to 11pm so you really have no excuse as long as you brought your costume. This is a stock photo:
Conclusion
The Berlin Marriott offers a relaxing upmarket environment with no weak links. I would have swapped the pile of USA Today in the lounge for The (London) Times (The New York Times was also available) but that is the full extent of my criticism over two nights.
If every Marriott-branded hotel was as good as this they would be unstoppable. The truth is that Berlin is probably in the top five globally.
I strongly recommend the Berlin Marriott, especially if you now have a Marriott Rewards Gold card. It is a lovely hotel in a great location and guaranteed access to the excellent executive lounge is the icing on the strudel.
If you don’t have Marriott Rewards Gold but would like it, I recommend getting an American Express Platinum charge card for a few months. You can cancel at any point for a pro-rata fee refund and your hotel statuses will be retained until the end of your membership year. Once your Starwood Preferred Guest Gold membership is active, you can do an instant match online to Marriott Rewards Gold. You will also get Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold, Melia Rewards Gold and Shangri-La Jade status. My full review of Amex Platinum is here.
The Berlin Marriott hotel website is here if you want to find out more.
How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)
There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.
The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card usually comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.
You can apply here.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits Read our full review
You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.
Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card? It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status. We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.
The Platinum Card from American Express
30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review
You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).
(Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)
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