Hospitality Design - May 2014 - 138

perspectives

places berlin

5
different type of traveler. For example, while
the receptionists at Steinplatz wear suits and
ties, the uniform at this hotel is sweatshirts
and jeans. This is no surprise, as the 25hours
brand is known for its seven quirky hotels in
five destinations-Frankfurt, Hamburg, Vienna,
Zurich, and now Berlin.
Despite rising tourism figures, the four
partners behind the 25hours brand did not come
to the German capital for the money. "There are
far better hotel markets than Berlin," says owner
Christoph Hoffmann, "but the city has this cool,
sexy appeal, and is probably the most diverse
creative crowd in all Europe."
Hoffmann and his partners called in
furniture designer and Berlin local, Werner
Aisslinger, to help them come up with the
urban jungle concept in Bikini's 149 rooms,
Neni Restaurant, Monkey Bar, and lobby.

Out on the Town

"The building is on the border of pulsating
West Berlin and Tiergarten Park. Half of the
rooms face the green space around the zoo; the
other half of the building looks out onto urban
landmarks like the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial
Church. The contrast is amazing, so we wanted
this nature-meets-culture motif in the hotel,"
Hoffmann explains.
Aisslinger used green tones (and greenery)
throughout the hotel to bring in elements of the
Tiergarten Park and zoo. "Walking around the
hotel should be like a small trip through Berlin
for guests," says Aisslinger, pointing out that he
wove Berlin's history into the interior design. For
instance, Aisslinger salvaged Alexanderplatz
subway station tiles from a 1980s renovation
project to fashion the turquoise-colored
reception desk. Additional urban accents are
found in the graffiti-clad concrete pillars located

New development in Berlin isn't only happening on the hotel side.
The city's eclectic nightlife and restaurant scene is undergoing its own
transformation as well. "'Poor and sexy,' that's how Berlin defined itself
over the last two decades," says Ester Bruzkus of local firm Bruzkus Batek,
which designed the new Dean nightclub. "Trash-culture was chic-culture,
attracting people from all over the globe. But times are changing and so
are many parts of the city," which are becoming more "sexy," Bruzkus
says. Housed in the legendary former Delicious Doughnuts space that
opened in the '90s, Dean's design reflects the ongoing changes around the
Rosenthaler Platz neighborhood: "Gray and a touch of trash-Berlin outside,
unexpectedly glamorous inside. [It's an answer for] people who, like parts
of Berlin, grew out of the shabby look but not out of the nightlife."
The space is outfitted with sharp materials, such as golden ceiling
panels, polished asphalt, and black and white marble. Guests are guided
along a massive bar inspired by a catwalk and past niches covered in dark
gray velvet and black wooden lamellas to find a dance floor topped by a
canopy of lights. As Bruzkus says, "The city's architecture and design are
interacting with contemporary trends and future needs to create the next
development stage of Berlin."

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May 2014 hospitalitydesign.com

6
5. Quirky and casual,
25hours Bikini's
reception desk is made
from salvaged subway
station tiles.

6. In 25hours Bikini's
lobby, greenery, bright
colors, and graffiticlad concrete columns
reference Berlin and the
hotel's location across
from a park and zoo.

at the entrance to the reception area and in
Yoshi Sislay's fanciful renderings. Aisslinger
contracted the Barcelona-based illustrator to
adorn Bikini's guestrooms and common areas
with reflections of Berlin in permanent black
marker.
"We could have hung monkeys around and
added some palm trees and people would have
said, 'Oh wow, it's an urban jungle!' Aisslinger
says. "But we didn't want an adaptation of a
movie set. It's more about being honest and
bringing in the roughness and the creativity
of Berlin." hd
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