Review: The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin [Germany]
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Elegant classic luxury that does not feel stuffy | Very small pool and gym |
| Great convenient location | Breakfast was a mixed bag |
| Generous and flexible preferred travel agent rate benefits |
I spent my first 2 nights in Berlin at the Hilton Berlin and I hotel hopped my way to the Ritz-Carlton for one night, and then back to the Hilton again the day after.
Why? Because I have 3 separate $300 hotel credits to navigate through from 3 different Amex Platinum that I have opened this year and will close soon. The logic behind the hotel hop is so that I can take advantage of the hotel credits provided from Amex Hotel Collection for Hilton Berlin two times and Fine Hotels & Resorts at the Ritz-Carlton. If I’d done back-to-back stays on Hilton Berlin for 4 consecutive nights total under 2 separate reservations, they’d combine it as one stay so I’d only get $100 in-property credit rather than $100 credit twice.
Thankfully, both hotels are just 2 U-Bahn stations away, making it very easy to move in-between the hotels. Benefits aside, I had a pleasant short stay at the Ritz-Cartlon in Berlin!
Ritz-Carlon, Berlin- Booking
I booked a one night stay through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts in order to use my $300 hotel credit from the Amex Platinum Card. The total price was just over $400, so just over $100 in difference.
Points wise, it’s a Category 6 hotel, meaning that you’d have a decent chance on redeeming 50K Free Night Certificates plus topups, or even 35K FNC if you’re staying during low season.
My stay coincides with the Q1 2026 promo where I’d get an extra elite night per brand stayed plus 2500 points.
Ritz-Carlon, Berlin- Location
The Ritz-Carlton Berlin is located in Potsdamer Platz, just south of Brandenburg Gate. This place was once destroyed in World War II and then bisected by the Berlin Wall after. There are displays of the wall pieces by the hotel where you can learn tidbits of the Wall’s history. Now, it’s a place full of commerce surrounded with skyscraper offices, restaurants, and shopping centers.
It is in a very convenient location as it’s literally in front of the station that serves S-Bahn, U-Bahn, and regional trains for intercity travel and to BER airport with the FEX line with 15-minute intervals.
In front of the hotel, there’s an all-black Buddy Bear statue carrying a suitcase, fitting for Ritz-Carlton. There’s more than 200 of these statues scattered around Berlin alone, each with unique designs, which made for a fun Easter egg hunt when you’re in the city. They tend to be found in front, and at times inside, of hotels as well.
Ritz-Carlon, Berlin- Check-in
I got to the hotel at noon from the Hilton Berlin two U-Bahn stations away. An attendant greeted me and assisted with my luggage, and handed me a mini boxed water. I then approached the front desk to start check-in process. Because of my Amex FHR booking, I was granted early check-in and upgraded to a corner room that’s slightly larger than the standard room.
Ritz-Carlon, Berlin- Amex FHR Benefits
The Amex Fine Hotels & Resort benefits in Ritz-Carton Berlin is one of the most generous ones I’ve experienced compared to my previous FHR stays! You may get the typical benefits like noon check-in and room upgrades to guaranteed ones like 4pm checkout and daily breakfast for two. But, Ritz-Carlton Berlin stands out with the $100 food and beverage credit in which they convert it to 100 EUR instead! Since EUR is the stronger currency, I was able to get more value from the credits.
Not only that, the credit applies to anything food and beverage. Yes, that includes room service and the minibar from your room. This benefit typically only applies to the hotel’s restaurants and this is the first for me where I was able to use it for room service.
Another noteworthy benefit’s the free breakfast that can be done through in-room rather than just the restaurant. However, the breakfast menu for in-room dining will differ from the restaurant. Because I only stayed for one night and for the sake of the review, I had breakfast at the POTS restaurant downstairs at ground floor.
The benefits will be similar with other preferred travel agent rates too, not just for Amex FHR.
Ritz-Carlon, Berlin- Deluxe Corner Room
The Deluxe Corner Room I was assigned to was Room 711. The entrance area’s quite spacious with a closet and a large mirror with attached surface to help balance yourself when you put on your shoes.
You can find bathrobes, slippers, and ironing board in the closet. But I find it odd that a luggage rack wasn’t inside.
Moving on to the bedroom area, it’s very open with good space between the bed and the living area.
The minibar
Water and a small gift bag of chocolate were placed on the room’s desk. There’s a board of plugs embedded to the sofa next to it.
The view was nothing special, but the Marriott is just a few steps away from the Ritz-Carlton.
The bathroom’s located to the right of the entrance with a nice sink area in the middle and bathtub to the left and shower and toilet to the right. The marble wall make it look somewhat old-fashioned but not too bad. Though some rooms have white marble walls that make them more tacky so I’m glad mine has the more subdued color.
I was out of my room for a few hours and headed back, and another set of welcome gift was placed in my room! It’s a plate of chocolate that’s Berlin-themed with the bear,a piece of Berlin Wall, and a model of Trabi car (a symbol of the fall of Berlin Wall).
Overall, this is a very elegant room with lots of space that’s a lot for European standard. Even not being upgraded to a suite felt like an afterthought.
In-Room Dining
To use up my credit from Amex FHR, I took the lazy route on ordering room service, and to catch up on The Boys Season 5. I ordered a veal schnitzel, a side of basmati rice, cheesecake, and a strawberry milkshake. Some side breads with butter are also given as free. There’s also a button provided that you can push after you’re done to get the setup taken away. Very convenient.
Everything costed 70 EUR. Overpriced, but also in-line with room service at a luxury hotel. For the rest of the unused credit, I just raided the minibar. Still, it was a good and very filling meal session.
Ritz-Carlon, Berlin- Breakfast
Breakfast takes place inside the POTS Restaurant on ground floor. Breakfast is in buffet style, but there’s also a selection of a la carte items you can order separately. The good news is the breakfast benefit from Amex FHR covers both!
The place has a nice ambiance with lots of bronze-colored furnishing.
For the buffet, you get mimosa bars, cheese selections, cold cuts, breads, pastries, and hot items. The buffet section were quite good.
For the a la carte menu, I opted for the chicken congee, and unfortunately it was disappointing. It was too watery and the soy sauce didn’t taste like one. Possibly other a la carte items are better choice than this.
Keep in mind that the portions are big for the a la carte menu, so if you’re staying without breakfast included, you want to take that into account since the buffet itself is 55 EUR already.
Ritz-Carlton, Berlin- Pool & Gym
The pool and gym are at the basement floor next to each other. Surprisingly, for a hotel at this level, both the pool and gym are small. Though the pool has fun things with pool jets and waterfall you can play with.
Conclusion
The Ritz-Carlton Berlin is an elegant hotel placed in a very convenient location that can get you around the German capital easily with trains and buses. It has the classic luxury feel, but it does not feel stuffy like some Ritz-Carlton hotels. If you’re able, I recommend booking through a preferred travel agent rate as the hotel credits are more generous and flexible compared to other hotels that would deliver the same benefits.
