Bleibtreu Hotel

Located on the sleepy Bleibtreustrasse, just off the shopper’s paradise of the Kurfürstendamm, the Bleibtreu Hotel is the sort of downtown boutique we’d like to see more of. This is a hotel that succeeds in being modern and hip, yet never painfully so, in being suitable for business and leisure travelers alike, not just bespectacled art directors and bar-hopping coolhunters.

The Bleibtreu may be all about simplicity, but there’s a lot of ground to be covered between simple and downright empty. In this case simple means there’s a certain unity to the décor, even when actual colors are used, like the occasional bold striped ceiling or mosaic-tiled bathroom.

Functionally, it’s all about ease, with simple furnishings, wi-fi and remote lighting. The rooms aren’t palatial, but clever design avoids any feeling of crowding. Public spaces are too often neglected in smallish city boutiques—the Bleibtreu’s centerpiece is the terra cotta courtyard, along the alleyway beside the hotel, and its 30-foot aqua-blue mosaic table.

The Deli 31 serves a Berlin interpretation of New York deli cuisine, and the Espressobar 31’s appeal is self-explanatory. As a bonus, there’s also Blumen 31, a florist specializing in roses — their work is evident all over the hotel.