Describing itself as Europe´s first music hotel, nhow Berlin has retina blasting design and a dramatic location in the east of the German capital overlooking the River Spree. Travel writer Christopher Rosar checks it out…
nhow Berlin in the city´s eastern Friedrichshain district , an area once decidedly edgy but now media savvy, is not hard to spot. Its container and crane like design, from architect Sergei Tchoban, references the areas nautical and industrial past. Inside things get decidedly surreal. New York-based designer Karim Rashid created a pop art palette of neon colours and design curves.
Everything is seriously bright and intense with a lobby that resembles an 80s art installation on steroids with purple and pink sculptures that resemble prehistoric landscapes. The hotel´s location provides easy access to Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg and the local S Bahn, a mere eight minutes walk on a cold day, will whizz you into central Berlin in under 15 minutes. The Universal Music headquarters are next door.
nhow features a large restaurant and bar area with a big terrace that sits over the Spree. Popular with local professionals it is often used for conferences and media launches and junkets. The hotel has a conference centre, art gallery, gym, sauna and recording studios. Guests can hire out Gibson guitars, Marshall amplifiers, keyboards and even a DJ booth.
Rooms vary in size from deluxe suites to standard rooms. Ours was small and decked out in bright pinks and chrome greys. Unsurprisingly there are pink phones, pink sheets and pink upholstery. A well stocked mini bar and Nespresso machines come as standard and the room boasts a television that can be turned 180 degrees and underfloor heating. The glass walled bathroom comes with rain showers and La Bottega toiletries.
The restaurant Fabrics dishes up modern German-French cuisine in a dramatic lizard green and blushing pink interior. The menu includes starters such as Cucumber Soup and mains of Viennese Veal escalope. A bar menu, available all day at the Envy Bar, serves up classics such as local wurst or ribs, tasty when washed down with a good pilsener.
A highlight of the hotel is the terrace, a reason why the hotel is popular with events – the weekend we stayed there was a wedding. The Envy bar, designed like a turntable, specialises in cocktails and has a large selection of whiskey and gin. From Thursday to Saturday , the Envy Bar has DJs in the evenings. Breakfast is an expansive continental affair of hot and cold meats and German mueslis, locally baked bread and fruit.
nhow has 10 accessible rooms for guests with disabilities. There are special toilets, beds, bathrooms and elevators. For those travelling with children, the larger superior rooms and suites can be provided with cots and high chairs.
Factbox
Address: nhow Berlin, Stralauer Allee 3, Berlin, 10245, Germany
Phone: +49 030 2902990 /
Website: nhow-hotels.com
Room rates – Standard rooms from EUR 80
