Located opposite the famous art-adorned remnants of the Berlin Wall, IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Hotel Indigo at the East Side Gallery provides a modern, comfortable and reliable property to base at during a Berlin stay. Here’s my review of the property.
This two-night stay was provided by IHG Hotels & Resorts but neither the organisation nor hotel were provided with editing or preview before publishing.
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Getting there
Being located so close to the East Side Gallery and two minutes’ walk from the Uber Arena, this hotel is incredibly well connected. It is located between Warschauer Straße, for connections to the U Bahn, S Bahn, Trams and Buses, with Ostbahnhof having access to those as well as long distance Deutsche Bahn services. Getting to the airport takes around 30 minutes on the fastest route. It’s also worth noting that on weekends, the transport system including trains and trams operate 24 hours. Berlin is a very spread out city, so I recommend opting for a 24 hour ticket to get around and to get the most of this vibrant city. For those that prefer active transport, the hotel provides access to bicycle rentals during stays.
First impressions
The property is located in a modern new-build premises – unsurprising like much of this side of the city.
We checked our bags in early, having stayed the previous night in a different neighbourhood of the city. We returned later that day to check into our room.
The reception area is warm with the various trinkets and eclectic collection of chairs giving it a bit more of a charm than other IHG properties. This seems to be typical of other Hotel Indigo properties I’ve stayed at in places, such as in Bali too, though each location has its own local flair.
To the right of the entrance is a coworking space, which was deathly quiet on our arrival. Free fruit infused water and fruit was also available for guests here.
Check-in for our stay was smooth, welcoming and quick, with us not waiting more than 2 minutes from arriving to getting the keys. Staff were generally very helpful throughout our stay.
The room
We were staying in a Queen Standard Room during this visit. Heading up, the hallways continue the eclectic theme with the carpet, random chair next to the lift and German phrases on the wall – the one below meaning ‘I don’t care at all’ or it’s all the same to me’.
The room itself is fairly sized for a city property between 19 to 25 square metres – though not quite as large as the Holiday Inn Southend Airport I stayed at prior to my flight to Berlin. Sleeping on the firm bed was comfortable and the blackout curtains provided excellent rest. One thing I wish more parts of the world did like Germany is having individual duvets for each guest which makes it far more comfortable. The bed has European power outlets, USB-A and USB-C ports on both sides of the bed.
Hotel Indigo have continued the eclectic design but it feels more muted and understated here. Nods to the tourist landmarks on the wall, such as the Fernsehturm, the vibrant tiling and splashes of red give this space a warm feeling. Located close to the window is a chaise longue which provides a good viewing spot to see across to the East Side Gallery.
Opposite the bed has to be the most ostentatious television design I’ve seen. I don’t quite know what it is supposed to be, though it is a bit more interesting than yet another black rectangle on a white wall.
Next to this is a sturdy desk which looks good, however is let down by a chair which is poorly designed for using for any longer than thirty minutes. Usefully, there is an extra stool which can be used by another person – maybe good for sitting down and planning your next day of activities.
And of course, there are the additional nods to Berlin and German culture such as the Ampelmann (the pedestrian crossing symbol) and the former East German car, the Trabant.
A kettle is available with sachets of instant coffee and tea for drinks. Below this, there is a minibar refrigerator available with soft drinks and mineral water available as part of the room. It’s a shame a hotel of this calibre has not opted to install a better option for coffee such as a Nespresso machine which, while not perfect, provides far better coffee than instant.
Two fairly sized wardrobes can be found near the entrance with plenty of space for a long weekend break in the city. A safe and ironing facilities are available at all times in the room.
Thankfully, with the excessive temperatures in Europe this year, this property had perfectly functioning air conditioning which could be fully controlled in room! A small win, but one that will increasingly be near the top of my list when booking European summer city breaks in future.
The bathroom is big for a room of this size with a large walk in shower area with both rainfall and handheld water outlets.
There are two large mirrors above the sink which are usefully both heated. I found the water to have good pressure and temperature throughout the stay.
Finally, the body wash, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion is branded ‘Zenology’ which appears to be a brand produced in the south of France. The products felt pretty premium, though not great enough that I felt an urge to buy some when I returned home. Like many European hotels, other amenities like toothpaste and razors can be requested from the property staff.
Breakfast and other amenities
Breakfast was excellent at this hotel with a good mix of hot and cold continental options available. Opening hours are quite fair with weekdays from 06:30-10:30 and weekends being 07:30-11:30.
It is a little pricey at EUR 23 per person but I feel it could be justified by the quality, at least for one morning of a stay.
Most of the offering is in the form of high quality buffet options, including freshly prepared pastries, excellent breads, plenty of good quality meats (including the superior streaky bacon) and the rather random falafel.
Coffee was in the form of a self-serve machine, with takeaway cups also usefully available. It was very good quality coffee and the property catered to people who are lactose intolerant with the option of non-dairy milk.
Hotel Indigo East Side Gallery had a small but very good selection of a la carte options which are included within the breakfast rate.
Over the two breakfasts, we sampled several of the dishes which were all well produced and tasty. Though, I’d probably say don’t order bacon from the menu like I did since you can serve yourself some from the buffet. Below: Waffles; Poached eggs on toast with guacamole; Ham and cheese omelette; fried eggs with bacon.
Elsewhere in the hotel, on the basement level there is a garishly yellow gym area. It’s large but, for the size of the space, the selection of equipment is a little sparse.
WiFi speeds were okay at the property. In general, I found internet connectivity to be slower in Germany than the UK regardless of the mobile or WiFi network I was on.
Conclusion
Beneath the eclectic and unique design, this is a very well rounded hotel that gets all the basics of comfort, good sleep and tasty breakfast. Location wise the hotel is exceptionally connected to the rest of the city and elsewhere in the country making it very easy to get to all the tourist sights. The Hotel Indigo East Side Gallery in Berlin, Germany is a very good option for people wishing to explore this city.
