Hotel Bogota

A storied Berlin institution, the family-run Hotel Bogota in Charlottenburg has been captured in novels, history books and fashion shoots. With its old-world grace and ghosts of Berlin’s tumultuous past, the two-star establishment just off Ku’Damm offers a special (and affordable) Berlin experience.

Quick read

Pros: Fascinating history. Great location. Clean and charming.

Cons: Thin walls. A bit basic.

History

The Hotel Bogota wears its remarkable history on its stunning, classic sleeve. Built in 1911 as an apartment house, the landmark building was converted into four small hotels (one of which was founded by a Jewish émigré upon his return from Colombian exile) in 1964. Its list of illustrious former occupants includes entrepreneur Oskar Skaller (plus his famous collection of Impressionist paintings) and fashion photographer Yva, who trained Helmut Newton and whose works still hang in the fourth-floor hallway.

The hotel’s luxurious lobby is lit by a decadent chandelier, lined with mahogany and marble and accented with oil paintings and delicate settees. Benny Goodman once tapped his toes on the parquet floors here, and the Bogota’s elegant TV lounge, which is done up with leather sofas and green-and-gold-striped wallpaper, was the Nazi-era headquarters of the Reich Chamber of Culture.

Rooms

The Hotel Bogota’s 120 rooms vary from plain and almost nondescript (save an oil painting or a brass chandelier) to delicately refined. Most feature a closet and small desk, plus a painting or two and, if there’s room, a table and chairs. We fell in love with a room that looked straight out of an English manor with its silk tartan couch, antique lamps and vintage tiled bathroom.

Amenities here are few: All rooms have a telephone and most have a TV.

Bathrooms

As for the bathrooms, rooms at the Bogota come in three types: sink only and shared facilities, sink and shower (shared toilet) or full private bathroom. Room rates rise accordingly.

No matter which you choose, the bathrooms are simple but very clean, and the shared bathroom ratio (one shower to every three rooms and one toilet to every two rooms), is sufficient that you shouldn’t be stuck waiting to take care of business.

Hotel

The subtly sophisticated hotel is as intellectually stimulating as it is unpretentious and comfortable. No wonder Rupert Everett and Keira Knightly (who stopped by for a Vogue photo shoot) have raved about the Hotel Bogota despite the fact that most of its rooms are reasonably priced and on the simple side. The hotel hasn’t let fame go to its head, though—the owners and staff are earnest and eager to please any and every guest.

Even if you don’t spend the night here, you should pop in to check out the art exhibits on display in the library, or take part in the regularly-changing special events. Ask at the front desk for permission to check out the former studio where Yva and Helmut Newton once worked (now a hallway lined with photographs and dominated by a curved staircase). and the more sober hallway where the de-Nazification trials took place. After all, this is more than a hotel—it’s a treasure trove of Berlin history.

Breakfast is included in the room rate. Wi-Fi is available in the rooms for a small fee, and there is a free Internet station in the lobby.