There is really nothing to be worried about seeing where the Maritim Pro Arte is in the League table of Berlin Hotels. It's a two minute walk from Fredrichstrasse station (underground and surburban trains) in what was the old East of the City. Plenty of building work going on, but not a problem. Plenty of shops/small supermarkets/food outlets around. One hotel entrance is on Fredrichstrasse, but the main one is up a side street, Dorotheenstrasse. Most of the accommodation looks out on this and it's really much quieter thanks to the roadblock nearby outside the American Embassy (200 metres away). Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate are an easy ten minute walk away. Reception is what you would expect. Calm, modern, and looks good. Staff are friendly and efficient. We'd booked a Junior Suite and were given a room on the tenth floor. Rooftop view, but you couldn't really see any of the landmarks except if you opened the window and stuck your head out, then you could spot the famous TV Tower. Couldn't fault how the room looked. The only problem was noise (music) coming from the floor below late on the first night The duty manager on reception sorted it out immediately. We found out the problem was the occupant of the Presidential Suite treating it too much like a home from home. We were moved to a (quiet) one bedroom suite on floor nine. Very nice. This had a door between sitting room and bedroom and seemed a little bigger than the junior suite. By the way, anybody in a suite or superior room has access to free food and drink from 0630 to 2200 in the Club Lounge. Couldn't believe more people didn't take advantage of this. Also one free internet terminal in there. Breakfast in the main restaurant seemed expensive at 23 euros each. The free croissants and muffins in the Club Lounge were more than enough. Again very friendly staff. Wellness Centre - pool 12 meters long. Anymore than three people swimming lengths and it would be crowded. Water temperature - cool! Open from 0700-2200, but if you want to use the sauna between 0900 and 1700 you have to give them 30 minutes advance warning. Only three pieces of gym kit (treadmill, cross trainer and one other) but hardly anyone was there, so no probelms. Tip. If coming from Tegal Airport. Look for the 128 bus. Pay driver for ticket and get off at Karl Scumacher Platz. (5 minute journey). You can get the underground direct to Friedrichstrasse from there. Ticket machines at entrance - tickets have to be vaildated. Worth getting a Berlin Welcome card from official Tourist Information points.16.50 euros for 48 hours... 21.50 euros for 72 hours for Greater Berlin area. Again they must be validated in machines on buses/trams or at U bahn and S bahn stations before first journey. Backtime it for when you need to go to the airport again and get a free journey! Would I go back to this hotel again - yes.

This hotel was in an excellent location, within walking distance of Brandenburg gate and the museum island. There are great restaurants and other attractions also close by. Access to public transportation is also very close. It took about 15 minutes to get to and from the Tegel airport (~18 euro fare). The hotel was developed around a very nice idea of putting modern art from different artist all over the hotel and a different artist on every floor. Unfortunately, it is not easy to access floors, room key gives you access to only your floor. The hotel itself has little charm and a few over priced restuarnts. The breakfast buffet in the Gallerie restaurant was good with food options for travelers from the US and Europe. Internet access was 15 euros a night. Rooms were shabby and needed to be refurbished. Liquid handsoap was in the shower with no other common items like shampoo, bar soap, lotion, rooms have no iron. All things you would expect at a Hotel of this prices and one that claims to be for business travelers. Hotel staff were nice but poorly prepared for large crowds.

I stayed at the Maritim pro Arte in Berlin for a week on business. It is very clean, modern and in an excellent location. It is just down the street from the S-Bahn train - Freidrichstrasse Station. It is within walking distance to all the major sights. The staff is courteous, helpful and they speak excellent English. The breakfast buffet is pricey at 20euros but fairly boutiful. There are lots of eating options close by including for coffee-aholics a Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks right down the street. They do not offer free wi-fi you have to pay 15e per day to use the (wired) net from your room. Only one English channel - Skynews. No soaps or shampoos are offered in the bathrooms. However, the towels are plentiful and you get a bathrobe.

This hotel was in a great location! It was within walking distance of many of the main attractions and museums in Berlin. It is also located very close to public train transportation and many restaurants. The hotel was very clean, safe and stylish. Likewise were the rooms. Great bathrooms by European standards – marble, lots of counter space, a nice tub/shower and even recessed speakers so your don’t miss the details of the game for a bathroom break. The room was also comfortable with windows that opened, stylish décor, a sitting chair, recessed lighting, a desk, TV, minibar, also lots of closet and drawer space. Negatives include very expensive internet – even the local Starbucks right across the street didn’t offer free wifi. Also their gym left something to be desired such as a lack of weight equipment – there were only a few cardio machines. Also the hotel restaurants were over priced. Breakfast in particular. There are many small cafes and breakfast places on the same block for more then half the price. There were only about 1.5 English channels since one was sometimes English and sometimes other languages and they did not have NASN (North American sports network) for those sports fans. As for the beds, we had requested a queen and as often experienced in Europe it was two doubles pushed together. Additionally the pillows and comforters were down with no alternatives available so if you’re allergic you might want to come prepared. Also there is currently construction taking place adjacent to the hotel – which our room faced. However that didn’t pose a problem as they stopped work at night and we were out of the room during the day. Despite the negatives, I would recommend this hotel and this area for those who want to get out and really experience Berlin at its finest. The positives far outweigh and little issues. When on a sightseeing vacation location is everything and this area is absolutely ideal.

The proArte is a modern, business-oriented hotel with a few twists - particularly a heavy investment in contemporary art, with each floor given a specific theme by an individual artist. I was on the 11th floor, whose theme was 'Homosexuality'. If you are easily offended by the concept, you probably shouldn't visit Berlin, which must be one of the most gay-friendly cities in Europe. However, if you don't want to be reminded as you head for breakfast every morning, you might not want a room on this floor. The 11th is also a smoking floor - I had booked a non-smoking room but arrived quite late and didn't disocver the mistake until I was inside the room. However, it had good airconditioning and was well-cleaned so I decided not to make a big deal out of it. The breakfast was outstanding and the service pretty good - a blown light bulb was promptly replaced. The bathroom was also clean and well-maintained. The biggest downside was probably its proximity to the US embassy and its fortifications, which close off one end of the adjacent street to cars and place pedestrians under some very hostile surveillance. The Russian embassy, in contrast, manages with one sleepy police officer out front. Has to be a moral here somewhere. Overall, the Maritim proArte offers a more interesting experience than the average business hotel and I would certainly use it again.