View from the Room - Vienna House Andel's, Berlin
This month we return to this modern hotel where at least a couple of our traditions started. This is the place where we celebrated our first anniversary. In 2012, we got in late in the evening and it as it was the day before the main one, we emptied out our cases onto the bed and went straight to the rooftop bar for a cocktail to bring in our anniversary.
Every year since, we’ve celebrated our anniversary on a trip and, secondly, on every holiday since, we seek out rooftop bars. All this cocktailing is quite something for a near teetotaler like me, but it’s more about the view, which is pretty special here.
Andel’s has been taken over since our last stay. The name change to Vienna House seems to have come with an extra layer of glamour. This is one of those hotels with a huge lobby and a long, though, welcoming walk to the friendly check-in.
There are plenty of comfy sofas to sit and sip the complimentary iced water or read through the suggestions from the concierge. There’s even a gift shop to browse while you await your Uber. The lobby was taken over one morning for an intricate film shoot to do with the car conference going on, although it seemed spacious.
On a March morning, we arrived on an early flight in time for breakfast so came back later in the day to reclaim our luggage from the desk and headed up to our room, one of 550. Amazingly, Vienna House has nearly as many underground parking spaces too.
This place is huge, feels brand new and everything works.
The room
Power sockets: mercifully, one on each side of the bedside, plus at the desk, in the entrance hall and a covered up socket in the bathroom. I never understand why hotels can have power/charge points in bathrooms and why we can’t have this in our homes.
The bathroom is ample and has one of those features I’ve often seen in Spain where there are glass doors. Here they lead to the separate shower and toilet. The door to the bathroom itself is frosted though.
There is a hairdryer and surface space for storage around the small sink.
A couple of handy robe hooks sit next to the two towel rails and there’s an extending shaving mirror plus a full length one right outside. It’s a well-equipped room that includes a hand shower in the smallish tub too.
Toiletries are restricted to shampoo, bath gel and body lotion although there is a very good amenity kid with the usual shower cap, cotton wool, cotton buds plus an emery board and a rarely seen orange stick! Extremely handy as I’d just lost mine.
There are two lights for the bathroom, one is around the wall mirror which backs onto a window into the bedroom. Handy so as to not need the full lights if needing a trip to the loo in the middle of the night, although can be a little disturbing for a light sleeping partner.
The towels, 2 bath, 2 hand, 2 face are pretty soft.
The bedroom itself is lush with windows along the whole wall, a large comfy bed with separate duvets and bedside tables with power sockets.
TV on the wall opposite with no English channels other than the news so it remained blissfully off.
A small table and comfy armchair plus pouffe plus a desk and a comfy chair
Storage
Desk with small shelf
Fold up clothes airer
Small wardrobe with seven quality wooden hangers
No drawers although plenty of shelves feature in the wardrobe
Comforts
Bathrobes
Slippers
Fridge & mini bar – fully stocked although room to put our own drinks in
Safe
Wifi – always worked
Lifts – plentiful with no waiting
Lighting has an all or nothing nature and although I love the little reading lights that are de rigueur for hotels now (so much so that I want them at home), the rest of the room was either very bright or dark so being able to individually switch lamps on would be nice. I really liked the lit-up bedside units although they were pretty bright and drawers would have been more handy here!
Food & refreshment
We did revisit the roof bar of course and reminisced about where the last seven years have gone.
The breakfast is excellent with everything from the usual hot food of sausage, bacon eggs etc, loads of pastries and breads, cereals, yoghurts and a whole lot more I didn’t explore. Staff bring pots of coffee or tea or you can ask for speciality coffees.
Located away from any of Berlin’s bustling central areas, our draw is that it’s next to the train and tram stops. Vienna House Andel’s is a busy hotel that caters for huge events as well as the residents and yet we hardly bumped into anyone or heard a sound in our room. The only time we saw people were for breakfast. Space is still ample and we always found a table straight away.
I loved the chic glamour that was a happy bedfellow of both the down-to-earth friendliness and comfort. This is our third Andel’s stay from memory and I’m sure we’ll be seeking out another very soon.
April 2019
