The new Château Royal: Breathe in a bit of capital history

Kfuture regular guests of the new Berlin Hotel Château Royal are faced with a difficult decision. Do you want them to reserve the same room every time they book? Frequent travelers in particular are happy when they don’t have to adjust to a new environment. Or should they ask for a different one of the 93 rooms every time? Because if you always sleep in the same bed at the Château Royal, you’re missing out.

Take the art, for example: there are over 100 contemporary works of art throughout the building, many of which were produced specifically for the location. Thomas Demand has papered the walls in one of the rooms. In another, Aylin Langreuter allows tree fungi to grow over the built-in furniture. The curtains in the family suite have fun appliqués by John Bock. The art program continues in the public areas.

Behind it are the makers of trendy restaurants

Behind the new hotel in a side street of the boulevard Unter den Linden are the makers of Berlin local greats such as Grill Royal, Petit Royal or Kin Dee. And they always knew that casually placed contemporary art lifts the spirits.

But it’s not just because of the art that regular guests should remain flexible. The rooms themselves are also quite different – the standard layout of a chain hotel does not exist at the Château Royal. Because two listed old buildings, one from 1880 and one from 1907, were merged into a complex with a new building by David Chipperfield Architects, inevitable rooms with very different shapes and characters were created. There is the radiantly bright room in the newly raised roof, but also rooms with bay windows, small corridors and niches. Some even have stairs – they compensate for the difference in height between the two old buildings. For the responsible interior designer Irina Kromayer, this is exactly what makes the hotel so charming.

Kromayer developed the furnishing concept of the Château Royal together with Etienne Descloux. It has become tastefully contemporary, with lots of wood and high-quality materials, with vintage furniture, tastefully muted colors and discreet references to the Berlin houses of the Gründerzeit and early modernism. Locals feel right at home when they see the sisal runners in the hallways and the colorful tiles in the bathrooms, while guests can breathe in a bit of capital history here.

And as in any proper Berlin period apartment, there are wooden paneling that tactfully hide closets or even the toilet. Almost everything in the interior is specially designed and made to measure: the bed as well as the armchairs, the lamps as well as the small metal box next to the room door that displays the number, reads the card and gives off light.

Good to know for all potential regular guests: on the ground floor they can enjoy the diversity of the house without having to make a decision once and for all. The public areas, the lobby, the fireplace room, the bar, the in-house restaurant “Dottir” under the direction of restaurateur Victoria Eliasdóttir – each room has its own atmosphere and is staged with great attention to detail. In the “Dottir”, for example, you can sit bright and cheerful with a view of the inner courtyard.

The wine bar next door is all the darker, topped with a stained glass dome light. Another reminiscence, by the way, of the old Berlin apartment with its colored glazing on doors and windows. Visitors who want to get to know the Berlin of Berliners can start with an overnight stay at the Château Royal.