25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin

Slightly weird modern hotel with nice room with good view across (an empty) zoo. We were on the 7th floor and it was impossible to sleep until early morning due to the music from the top floor bar. Last night they finally turned it down at 02.00am

Two rainy days at 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin gave us more time there than expected, and the hotel is a mixed experience. It tries very hard to be quirky, witty and “special,” but often feels like corporate hipness pretending to be personal. The jokey messages and playful touches are overdone, as if the place assumes every guest wants to be treated like an 18-year-old discovering irony for the first time. That is a pity, because the hotel really does not need to try so hard. The real strength is the location. It sits in the historic Bikini Berlin ensemble, a 1950s West Berlin landmark whose nickname came from its open middle section, like a “bikini” showing midriff. You are right by the zoo, Tiergarten, Zoo Palast, C/O Berlin at Amerika Haus, the Helmut Newton Foundation and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church with its famous ruined tower and the modern additions locals nicknamed the “lipstick and powder box.” The rooms are genuinely comfortable. The bed was great, we slept very well, and some design ideas are actually smart: the wide window ledges work as chill-out spots, the central sink with a double-sided mirror is practical for two people, and even the odd shower layout works. These low-key ideas are much better than the hotel’s louder attempts at being funny. Reception on the 3rd floor feels spacious, but the lounge/bar area has a strange “adult kindergarten” vibe, like a WeWork version of cool. Upstairs is the best part: NENI and Monkey Bar. NENI was excellent - spacious, lively, with genuinely very good food. Try the Balagan-style sharing dishes, especially the salmon and moussaka. Monkey Bar gets its name from the view over the zoo’s monkey area, which is a nice bit of local trivia. The weak point is the staff. Too many seemed disoriented, late and oddly unprofessional. So overall: a comfy and well-located hotel that keeps getting in its own way by trying too hard to manufacture personality.

I would say: a unique experience. I’ve never stay in a hotel like this before and it was my first time staying at the 25Hours chain. Hallway to our room is an interestingly, a hypnotic experience. It is very dark hallway with only room number in neons lights as a guide. The room itself, while the space is quite big compared to some other hotels I’ve stayed in before. It was dark. Lights are very minimal. I guess, it’s a room made for sleeping. Also it is an open layout, there is no wall between the bed and bathroom - which again a unique experience for me. The divider between the two is a curtain. The lobby is connected to the mall beside the hotel through its rooftop part, so I would say location is pretty good. It is easy to get around and look for food nearby. The experience of sauna overlooking the zoo during fall is a peaceful one. I enjoy that thoroughly. Front desk staffs are very nice and helpful, so are the people working in the cafe. I think the barista felt bad about their service and told us that our coffee is on the house due to the fact that they were short on staffs, took them a long time to serve + no spoons. I was just happy to get my coffee after a long day of traveling. Overall, great experience.

Let's start with the positives: the location of the hotel is nice and the facilities are too. Unfortunately we left with a very sour taste in our mouths in regards to the room and the service and thus won't ever come back to this hotel (unfortunately). We had booked a jungle room with a view of the Tiergarten. Now we are sympathetic to the fact that the staff aren't in control of the Zoo or if there are any animals on display, however, they do have knowledge of the fact that there are minimal animals on display in the winter. That's why, in hindsight, we felt mislead paying extra for our room. When we came down to express our disappointment of not seeing any animal at all we didn't think we would be met with such a harsh response from the staff. When at first one of the staff members was actually willing to check if she could do something for us (which is how a situation like this should've been handled; since we also understand that you have no control over the Zoo but would've liked some compensation), another staff member told her she shouldn't. The staff member then went off on us saying that nowhere on the website it says you are guaranteed to see animals when you book a Tiergarten view although you pay a lot more to just be mislead. I didn't feel heard by Leonie (the name of the staff member) but instead attacked. If I were you I would never book with this hotel and just go to one of the other ones in the area since there are a lot who offer a better service.

The hotel is older, but very well maintained. You can tell the owners care about the place. Our room was spacious and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. The front desk offered us coffee when we arrived early and let us store our luggage until check-in. That was really thoughtful. The location is convenient and safe. For travelers looking for simple, honest accommodation — this is a great pick.