Hotel BogotaEditor's Pick

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Captured in novels, history books, and fashion shoots, the family-run Hotel-Pension Bogota in Charlottenburg is a Berlin institution with quite a story to tell. Established as a small pension in the 1960s by a Jewish émigré upon his return from Columbian exile, today the hotel just off Ku’Damm occupies an entire turn-of-the-century building that’s haunted by the ghosts of Berlin’s past.

Rooms, with or without private bathrooms, vary from plain and almost nondescript (save an oil painting and a brass chandelier) to delicately refined. Most of the 130 rooms offer a small desk, a closet, a TV, a painting or two, and, if there is room, a table and chairs. We fell in love with a recently upgraded room that looked straight out of an English manor with its silk tartan couch, antique lamps, and vintage tiled bathroom.

The luxurious lobby is lit by a decadent chandelier, lined with mahogany and marble, and accented with oil paintings and delicate settees. The elegance continues in the adjoining library, which is adorned with green and gold-striped wallpaper and leather couches and chairs.

The subtly sophisticated hotel is as intellectually stimulating as it is unpretentious and comfortable. No wonder Kiera Knightly, who stopped by for a Vogue photo shoot, and Rupert Everett have raved about the Bogata despite the fact that most of its rooms are reasonably priced and on the simple side. However, the hotel hasn’t let fame go to its head: 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 de-Nazification trials took place. After all, this is more than a hotel— it’s a treasure trove of Berlin history.

» Susan Buzzelli

Note: This hotel was visited by a EuroCheapo editor and is recommended based on cleanliness, location, price and overall quality. EuroCheapo did not charge this hotel to be listed.