Hotel 38

Great hotel, except some rooms are noisy

Plusy: The staff was professional. The rooms were spotless. The entire property was well decorated in a contemporary style. The breakfast was very good.

Minusy: I booked this room at the last minute on New Year's Eve when the hotel was almost full, so I believe I received one of their substandard rooms. It was on the first floor and faced Oranienburger Strasse. The walls and windows were not well insulated from noise, so I got almost no sleep the first two nights. It was understandable that things were loud on NYE, but even the next night when things were calmer there were drunks yelling in the street all night long, and it sounded like they were right outside my window. The room was also sparingly furnished, and the air seemed tainted, perhaps because of chemicals emanating from the nearby janitor's closet. I believe all of this contributed to may catching a cold as well. However, all I had to do was ask for a quieter room, and they moved me to a really nice room that was so quiet, it was like an isolation chamber. The bed was also very comfortable, so it was a great place to convalesce for a couple days when my cold was at its worst. The staff was very professional about the matter and moved me to a nicer room at no charge as soon as it was available. So, I would just advise you to confirm what kind of room you are getting before making a commitment, because not all rooms are created equal in this hotel.