Because I was asked to contribute to a German book about aging, I recently traveled to Berlin. It also seemed like an excellent opportunity to portray a number of German bloomers, and for that, I was looking for a nice hotel to use as a location.
Located in an old factory building on the city’s east side, Berlin’s Michelberger Hotel is an outstanding example of loft-style living in one of the world’s coolest cities.
The factory building has been transformed into an unashamedly trendy boutique hotel with a lounge, restaurant, bar, and courtyard. Vast windows flood each cleverly designed room with light while colorful electrical cables snake across the walls in a nod to the building’s industrial heritage.
But the Michelberger is about more than it’s rooms, that is why we choose this hotel in the first place, as a location for the Berlin Bloomer portraits. But how many times can you say you’ve hung out at your hotel the whole time you visited a city? Normally you want to leave the hotel and explore the town, well not with this one. Low walls of art and design magazines sit amid the comfy sofas, beautiful lightning, and a grand piano in the lounge, whilst the bar spills into the outside courtyard-come-music venue. The staff is friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable and will happily suggest somewhere brilliant to see/drink/dance/eat.
The restaurant at the Michelberger is also excellent, serving locally sourced organic food including raw and vegan options daily. Once a month they have Barfood Friday. An evening where the bar and kitchen work together to create small dishes out of one local product while the bar matches it with complimentary craft spirits.
The design of our room was white minimalist – this is Berlin after all – the room offered everything we needed, including toiletries, TV, and free wifi. If you’re looking for something more romantic then you can book one of the specially designed luxury suites featuring huge beds, fireplaces, and film projectors. Recently they have added “Hideouts”. They come with a sauna, bath, rain shower, kitchen, dining/work table, and lots of space. There is a second bed area for guests traveling with children.
The Michelberger is located in Friedrichshain in what was East Germany. The area, along with Kreuzberg down the road, is known for its music and arts scene with world-famous nightclubs. If you are a light sleeper take the street noise into account. And when you wake up rested in the morning, you can enjoy an extensive breakfast downstairs in the breakfast room or in the courtyard.
