Grand Hyatt Berlin Review

The Grand Hyatt in Berlin is the only Grand Hyatt in Germany and the only one in Western-Europe. The only other Grand Hyatt in Europe is the Grand Hyatt Athens in Greece. Would you have guessed?

Booking & Stay Details

I had a Category 1-4 night expiring soon and didn’t want it to go to waste. As I planned a trip anyway to visit family and friends in southern Germany, I wanted to use the chance to redeem my free night certificate in Germany. Since I have a friend in Berlin, who I haven’t seen in a long time, I looked up Hyatt’s properties there and found the Grand Hyatt Berlin.
One night isn’t enough to explore Berlin, so I planned a three-night getaway starting Friday and returning on Monday.
The cash rates were quite expensive during my planned stay in the middle of July. A standard room was €270 per night. Since I used already one free night, I booked the other nights on points. For this I called the My Hyatt Concierge to make the booking. For some reason they had issues making the booking during my call and told me to call back the next morning. However, when I woke up, I already had an email confirmation with this stay in my email inbox. After inspecting the booking details further, I saw the agent put down the free night certificate for the first night and then used points for the other two nights. However, Saturday night was peak priced and cost 15,000 points while the other nights were only 12.000 points. I called the Hyatt Concierge team again and asked if we could shuffle the use of points and certificate to make better use of them. The agent was super helpful in getting it done. The first night was now on points for 12.000 points, I used the free night certificate for the second night, which would actually cost 15.000 points if booked on points. The third night was then a point redemption again for 12.000 points.
A day before my arrival I also received an email that my room got upgraded to a Junior Suite. The suite is actually just a little bit bigger guest room, but more about it later.

Location

The Grand Hyatt Berlin is located in Berlin Mitte. The German name “Mitte” means center and that hit the nail on the head. The hotel is located in the heart of the town close to all major attractions and public transportation.
I took the high-speed train ICE from southern Germany to Berlin. This was also my first time using the high-speed train in Germany. My friend picked me up at Berlin Central Station and we drove to the hotel to check-in. If you walk on foot from the central station to the hotel, it will take you about 30 minutes and you will pass the famous Brandenburger Tor, which was part of the Berlin Wall. Alternatively, you can also take the S-Bahn, U-Bahn (subway) or another train to the train station Potsdamer Platz. The only really convenient way would be taking a train called RE (Regional Express) from the central station to the Potsdamer Platz station because it would be the next stop. If you take the subway or S-Bahn, you have to change trains once again to get to your destination at Potsdamer Platz. Let me know, the German train system can be very confusing, even for a person who grew up there. By the way, that’s what I did when I left Berlin. I took the RE train to Berlin’s central station and hopped back aboard the highspeed train to get back to Southern Germany.

Warning: When using a GPS like Google Maps to navigate to the hotel, you might get router on the Bundesstraße 96 which runs in a tunnel underneath the hotel. My friend and I got routed twice to use the tunnel. Google Maps told us to stop in the middle of the tunnel and dig a tunnel upwards to the hotel. This is happening with other places in the vicinity too. If that happens just drive through the tunnel all the way and make a U-turn at the other end when it is safe and on your way back it will route you correctly. 

Parking

The hotel itself doesn’t have a parking garage anymore. It seems they had a parking garage in the past. There is a public parking garage close by where you can park but no in-and-out privileges. The hotel offers valet parking for guests in the same garage for an added charge of €20. The charges are always labeled weird in Germany. It shows, even on the website, that valet parking is only €5 but that’s in addition to the fee you would pay for the garage. It seems the daily rate is without in and out privileges.

Check-In

My friend and I arrived via car at the hotel, and she knows a good spot to park near the hotel and from there it was just a five-minute walk. The hotel building doesn’t really stand out from all the other buildings nearby. The trees along the side of the road cover the Grand Hyatt sign and you only see it when you are standing right in front of it. The entrance we used of Alte Potsdamer Straße, was actually the side entrance and had us pass Jamboree Bar and the Vox Restaurant on our way to the front desk.

The main entrance is around the corner on Eichhornstraße. This entrance still looks inconspicuous when you approach it but there is a valet there to park your car. Even more confusing is the address of the hotel, which is Marlene -Dietrich-Platz 2.

It’s quite easy to find the front desk in the majestic lobby. I started the check-in process by handing over my credit card and ID and the agent pulled up my reservation. I asked if they had an upgrade available to an actual suite like the Grand Executive Suite. She looked up the reservation system and gave me an offer of upgrading to that suite for €300/night. Normally this suite would have run €700 for the days of my stay.

This was too much for me, as this would mean I would pay an even higher rate than the daily rate for standard King room. I also knew that I wouldn’t be spending much time in the room anyway because I would be out and about – photographing through Berlin. The hotel will be mainly my base camp to sleep and for breakfast.

After I declined the offer, I received a set of small glass hand sanitizer bottles with the Grand Hyatt Berlin logo, my room keys with all the details about the hotel’s amenities. The agent pointed us to the elevator. This elevator was actually a dedicated spa elevator and should only be used by guests going to and from the Spa. I assume to give them a bit more privacy. However, many other people used the same elevator to get to their rooms. This elevator is located next to the main entrance, and it is the only elevator. The other two elevators you see in this area only go up to the meeting area on the first floor. In Germany, the first floor is the first floor above ground level.

The actual guest elevators are located to the right of the front desk at the very end of the lobby, next to the piano. All the elevators require your room key to get activated to enter the guest room floors (2-7)

1 King Junior Suite (Room 241)

Unfortunately, my room wasn’t located on a high floor. It was on the 2^nd floor. Here in the U.S., we would call this the 3^rd floor. However, the room entrance was straight across from the elevator and therefore almost no walking to get to my room.

As you enter the room through the entryway you have a sliding door on your right which goes into the bathroom. The bathroom area here is huge. It has a large vanity with two sinks and a large wall mounted mirror. There is also a TV mounted next to the mirror on a little pole, but the TV didn’t work. Right behind the vanity is a large walk-in closet. It has double doors and a ton of space to store your belongings. Inside is a second PC with slippers, laundry bags, iron, ironing board, umbrella, scale to weigh yourself, laundry bag (but the form to fill out was missing) and a bag and form for free shoeshine.

Outside, next to the wall closet was another PJ hanging with the slipper tucked into the pocket. Next to it is the actual toilet which is in yet another very small room and has another door. This room is big enough to use the toilet comfortably and be able to open and close the door without having to climb over the toilet itself.

The bathroom also comes with a separate walk-in shower with a glass wall and door and a separate bathtub.

Between the shower and the vanity is another sliding door wich opens to the bedroom area next to the King Bed. As you close the door to the bathroom you unveil a large dressing mirror behind the door on the bedroom side.

The bed’s position is a little bit weird as the room is not rectangular. There is a lot of dead space behind the headboard of the bed. You can easily walk behind it and hide.

The bed runs parallel to the outside wall and has a nightstand on either side. Each nightstand had one power outlet, where it is a little bit hidden inside the left nightstand. Each nightstand has of course its own reading light and a small console which has multiple buttons on it. These buttons are to turn on and off all the lights in the room. These buttons also turn off the bathroom lights. I really liked that. Once you are in bed, you only need to hit one button, and everything goes dark. To sleep in better, you can also lower the blackout shades of the windows via another set of buttons on the same console. Each nightstand also came with a complimentary bottle of water.

In front of the bed is a small chair by itself. This chair can be pulled up a little bit further to the small round glass table in the middle of the room. On top of that table were two more complimentary water bottles and fruits as well as a set of silverware if you order room service.

Next to this table and in front of the windows is a comfortable sofa and another chair to the side of the sofa. The couch is great for watching TV on the large flatscreen TV. By the way this one also folds out 90° to be able to watch it from the bed.

Underneath the TV was a small refrigerator hidden behind one of the panels. This was the stocked in-room minibar. According to their website, the minibar is complimentary if you pay for your stay but is excluded on award stays. Don’t worry, you can use the fridge to cool the complimentary water bottles in the room and don’t get charged if you move stuff around inside the fridge to make space or even temporarily remove some items during your stay. We are not in Vegas here. The other panel you can open holds an in-room safe and some drinking glasses.

In the corner, next to the couch is another small table. On it is a room phone, coffee machine with condiments, two glasses of nuts as well as the pricelist for the minibar.

The windows didn’t offer any pleasant view of the city. First of all, I was on a lower level and there is a large building right across the street which got renovated when I visited and was all covered up. There is also a small pond there but no fish in there. On the other hand, you don’t have to worry that anyone will peek into your room.

The controls for the A/C and heater are located on the wall of the door between bedroom and bathroom which is located closest to the bed itself.

To signal you want your room to be cleaned or need privacy, you don’t need to hang any signs on the doorknob. There are two switches right when you enter the room found on the wall of the entryway. One turns on a green light to signal you want your room cleaned and the other one turns on a red light to tell housekeeping to not come in. It’s funny but you can actually turn on both lights simultaneously. I wonder what housekeeping is doing then. 😉

Public Areas & Amenities

Lobby

The lobby was beautiful and very impressive. Different to normal boring lobbies you would expect. That’s also the reason for being a Grand Hyatt. So far, all the Grand Hyatts I visited had a gorgeous and beautifully decorated lobby space. Inside the lobby you have a few chairs and sofas to hang out but there’s not much else down here. In the corner next to the guest elevator lobby is a piano which actually works, and they let you even play, if you can. In the lobby is also a Berlin Bär (Berlin Bear), the monument of the city. 

Olympus Spa

The highlight here is definitely the Olympus Spa on the 8th floor of the hotel. This is more than just a fitness center and swimming pool. First when you get up there, you have to check in with an attendant which is super easy by just tapping your room key. This lets the attendant know that you are a guest at the hotel, and you have complimentary access to all the basic amenities. The spa is also open for non-guests, but they must pay a fee to get in.
As you check in you can talk to the attendants and let them know what you are planning to do. Just a simple workout in the fitness center or if you want to go swimming in the pool. Depending on your choice they will provide you with towels, bathrobes and more. With the attendants you can also book treatments like massages, solarium session, or even a personal fitness trainer. Just talk to them and see what they have to offer.

Hours
daily from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is located to the right of the check-in counter at the Spa. It is a decent size and is well equipped for all your workouts. From the fitness center you can also take the door onto the rooftop terrace which gives you a beautiful view. You can see the Siegessäule (Victory Column) from here as well as the opera house next door, which got renovated during my stay.

Views from the terrace outside the fitness center.

Lockers and Sauna

Highlight is the indoor rooftop swimming pool. To get to it, you go back toward the elevator but instead of turning left to the elevator, go straight and around the corner. Here you have a long hallway in front of you with windows on your left. This hallway brings you to the changing rooms and swimming pool. First up on your right is the door to the men’s changing room, followed by the door for the women’s changing room at the very end of the hallway, just before you would go through a glass door.
Inside the changing rooms you have plenty of lockers to store your belongings. The agents at the check-in counter will supply them to you if requested or needed. I always came up in a PJ therefore I was able to skip changing up here. Inside the locker rooms are the respective toilets for men and woman.

As you continue through the changing room and around the corner you get to an area where you have a large wall-mounted mirror and a few hair dryers if needed.

Yet again, continue from here to get to the showers and sauna. There are showers on the men’s side as well as on the women’s side and both changing rooms are mirrored and have access to this central area.
There are two sauna rooms, and they are full nude. No clothing is allowed inside, only a towel to sit on. In the center of the room is a large tub for the sauna guests to use.

There is also another door to access the relaxation area. This room is unisex and for everyone to use and intended for sauna guests. It also gives you a beautiful view of the city skyline but nothing impressive.

Swimming Pool

To get to the actual swimming pool you must get back out of the locker room onto the long hallway from which you entered it in the beginning. Walk this hallway all the way to the end and go through the glass door and up a few stairs and you are in the swimming pool area.
There are multiple chaise loungers which are on a first come first serve basis. The heated pool is mainly used for swimming and not so much for hanging out in the pool itself. Be courteous if other people want to swim their turns, let them, and get out of the way. During my stay, the pool area was never really crowded.

The most people I saw here were five at the same time and there were always chaise loungers available to grab. On the other hand, I was only there during the morning and went swimming before breakfast and headed out to explore the city.
To the right of the stairs, you just walked up, is the large whirlpool. It’s a large stainless-steel tub and very relaxing to sit in there. The button to turn it on is located on the wall behind it at the right side of the whirlpool.

The pool area has windows on two sides of the room which let in a lot of natural light and also gives you a beautiful view. It’s the same view you get from all the other spots in the Olympus Spar. At the very end of the pool area on the left side is another shower. It’s located next to the door which leads out to the sundeck.

Sundeck

Amazingly there is also a sundeck at the hotel. It’s an outdoor space and comes with a lot of chaise loungers to soak up some sun. It stretches over two levels, and the lower level even has a grass area with chaise loungers. This gives you the real vibe when you are out here to relax. This is also the only spot where you get a different view. From here you can see the Berliner Fernsehturm (Berliner Television Tower). Remember to use the shower to rinse your feet when you walk out in the grass bare feet.

Dining

Vox Restaurant

The Vox Restaurant is located at the end of the hallway leading to the secondary entrance. The one I initially used to enter the hotel.
This is the main restaurant as it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Globalists will receive complimentary breakfast here as part of their perks as the Grand Club doesn’t serve breakfast but more about the Grand Club later.

Breakfast Service

As you walk in you get greeted by a waiter before this person seats you. A server will then swing by to take your “coffee order”. You can order all kinds of different coffee and tea here. I don’t think there is anything they can’t offer you. If you know you will be sitting here for a while or are in a group/family, you can also order a small or large pot of coffee. The same waiter will also take your egg order. Of course, you can go with the classic scrambled eggs, or you go with something more exquisite like an omelet or even order pancakes. You can also order different sides like bacon, ham, and cheese with your eggs. Just ask your server. Even though they have scrambled eggs at the buffet, if you order it from the server, it will be freshly made.
The huge buffet is part of the breakfast deal and it’s amazing. They have everything you can imagine for a good breakfast. I am so happy to finally get good German bread rolls again. There is nothing compared to them. Otherwise just look at the pictures below. Everything you can crave for breakfast is available here.
Be aware, if your breakfast is complimentary either due to your room rate or your Globalist status, you won’t receive a check. When you check in with the waiter he will already know if your breakfast is complimentary once you give out your room number. The first time I was surprised as in the states you always get a check where you can put on extra tip.

Breakfast Hours
Monday-Friday: 7 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 7 a.m. – 12 p.m.

If you want to get breakfast before 7 a.m., let the hotel know the day before and they will prepare a to-go box for you. I wish all the hotels in the U.S. would offer this service as well.

Lunch & Dinner

I haven’t ever been at the hotel during lunch or dinner hours. But there is a rotating menu for a business lunch which runs from 12 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. and a copy is posted at the entrance of the restaurant. I am sure that lunch and dinner is as outstanding as their breakfast service.

You can also sit outdoors if you wish. It’s probably more common during lunch and dinner hours than for breakfast.

Lunch Hours
Monday-Saturday: 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Dinner Hours
Monday-Saturday: 6p.m. – 11 p.m. (Last food order at 9:30 p.m.)

Vox Bar

This is the bar area of the Vox restaurant and opens after breakfast and stays open late until the restaurant closes.
This is the same place you go as Globalist to get your soft drink and coffee benefit until the Grand Club opens at 4 p.m. I used that benefit only once and it was a little bit of a weird experience as they just had a staff meeting shortly before lunch and nobody was attending the bar and the restaurant was closed as they prepared the dining area for lunch. After some miss communication, as the server understood I wanted “lunch” instead of meaning “lounge” we sorted the issue out quickly and he sat me down in the bar area and served me my ordered soft drink.

Hours
Sunday-Thursday: 6 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Friday & Saturday: 6 p.m. – 2 a.m.

Room Service

Room service is also available at the Grand Hyatt Berlin. All the required information can be found in your room. Just scan the provided QR code to get up to date menus. Dial “3” on your in-room phone to place the order.

Grand Club Lounge aka Tizian Restaurant & Lounge

The Grand Club used to be on the 7th floor but with the start of the Corona pandemic it got shut down and never re-opened like It used to be. The Grand Club is now at lobby level close to the front desk. You can’t really miss it.
I visited the club a few times, but it was almost always empty, which is surprising. As you would enter it there is a waiter desk set up, but it’s never staffed. The hotel probably struggles with some staff shortages as well. When I walked in the first time, I asked for a soft drink, and she was like “We don’t sell anything here”. I asked if this wasn’t the Grand Club and that’s when she realized what was going on. She escorted me back to the front where the waiter’s desk is and checked my room number against a list of people who have access to the Grand Club. After that, everything went super smoothly. She asked what I wanted to drink and if I was hungry.
The Grand Club opens at 4 p.m. and during the first hour they serve coffee and cake. A German tradition to have cake in the afternoon. From 6p.m. until 8 p.m. light snacks and food are served in the lounge. Ultimately the club lounge closes at 9 p.m.
Of course, you can order complimentary drinks like water, soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits the whole time during the operation hours of the club.

As mentioned earlier, your soft drink and coffee benefit starts at 7 a.m. every day when breakfast at the VOX restaurant starts. Until 4 p.m. this is your go to location to get soft drinks and coffee. During breakfast hours you can of course enjoy breakfast but no snacks after breakfast and before the Grand Club opens.

Le Petit Chef

The Grand Hyatt Berlin is also home to the “Le Petit Chef”. The smallest chef in the world is only 6 cm tall. This is a fancy dining experience for which you can buy tickets and enjoy a multicourse meal. More about Le Petit Chef is available on the official website. 

Conclusion

The Grand Hyatt is the perfect location if you want to explore Berlin. If you have Globalist status, I wouldn’t even recommend any other hotel. My whole stay only cost me a free night certificate and 24.000 points. Not one cent. I had been so busy exploring Berlin until late at night, otherwise I would have stopped by at the restaurant at least once just for the experience. But you can also get snacks from the Grand Club and save money.

Money aside. The hotel is absolutely amazing. You can’t beat the location. It’s right in the center and close to all kinds of public transportation. The Sony Center is right across the street as well as the Lego Discovery Center. It’s a short walk to the Brandenburger Gate or to the Reichstag and Bundestag. It’s not even worth taking the subway there as you miss all the amazing sights on the way. Get a glimpse of a part of the Berlin Wall close to the hotel or at an open-air exhibit next to the Potsdamer Platz railway station. It was also amazing how friendly and nice the staff here is. I felt super welcome. One morning I walked toward the restaurant for breakfast and the front desk agent on duty shouted out a loud and warm “Goooooood Morning” to me. I was the only one in the lobby and she cared to say good morning. I didn’t even notice here. All the other staff members are super nice and friendly as well, no matter if it’s the valet/bellman, spa staff or the restaurant or club staff. Everyone is super nice and welcoming. This gives me a feeling of being welcome here and makes it a home away from home. The stay was worth every single point I spent but also every Euro if I had booked with cash. I will definitely come back here for future visits to Berlin. Berlin is an amazing city which should be absolutely on your radar.