Axel Hotel Berlin

The Scene

Berlin has long been a gay-friendly city, but Schöneberg is definitely at the heart of the gay scene here. You’ll never want for things to do outside (and inside) Axel Hotel Berlin with a particularly high concentration of clubs, bars, restaurants, saunas, shops---basically everything you could dream of doing. Landmarks are also plentiful; the KaDeWe warehouses are literally one block away, the Tiergarten is a 20 minute walk, and the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is a little over 10 minutes walk from Axel. The staff at Axel Hotel Berlin are extraordinarily kind and knowledgeable about the area, so make sure to ask for their recommendations.

The Concept

Let’s make this abundantly clear: Axel Hotel Berlin was conceived as first and foremost a gay hotel but is very hetero-friendly. If you’re straight, you’re in the minority. That being said, anyone who loves modern design and a lively atmosphere will feel right at home here. Everything’s a show; on-site restaurant Hamburger Mary’s not only grills up gourmet American burgers but also entertains you with a drag show on Friday and Saturday nights. Its accompanying Mary’s Lounge Bar loses a bit of the camp from its sister restaurant, instead taking advantage of voyeuristically large windows looking out and adding cozy high-backed couches. The piece de la resistance, however, would most certainly be the Sky Bar. By day, it’s a solarium; by night, it’s a dazzling window onto Berlin and a sophisticated place to enjoy a drink after a long day. Don’t forget to recharge in the wellness suite---there’s an open-air Jacuzzi, and when you tire of that hang out in a hammock or visit the gym or even get a massage.

The Look

Aside from the bubblegum pink of Hamburger Mary’s, Axel Hotel Berlin is decked out in handsome black and seductive red. When you’ve got a minimalist design like this, high quality is everything: fortunately, they tick all the boxes perfectly with handsome slate, thick velvet curtains, and beautiful blonde wood accents. The peekaboo red window that separates the bathroom area from the bed is overtly sexy but perfectly matched to the see-and-be-seen atmosphere perpetuated at the hotel. The Axel City room is perfectly adequate for the traveler who isn’t prone to spreading out, but our favorite room by far is the Axel Junior Suite. Axel really uses the semi-circular space in this and the suite to its best advantage, situating the bed in the center of it all in front of enormous floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Berlin. Anything classed as a suite of any kind not only has a hydro-massage shower, but also a hydro-massage bathtub to go along with it for the ultimate in in-room relaxation.

In Short

The premier hotel square at the center of Berlin’s gay life, Axel Hotel Berlin lives up to both its super sexy and hetero-friendly reputation while providing a festive base for travelers to branch out and explore Berlin.