TITANIC Gendarmenmarkt Berlin

Fruit of the cultural cross-pollination between Germany and Turkey, TITANIC Gendarmenmarkt Berlin is the product of a family of Turkish restaurateurs who’ve already made their mark on the Berlin food scene — and who’ve already opened several hotels in Istanbul and Antalya. And this fact alone explains most of what sets TITANIC apart from the rest of Berlin’s luxury hotels.

With a location close to the Friedrichstraße and the Galerie Lafayette it’s a shopper’s paradise, and well placed for most business purposes as well. And a hotel as decadent as this one is a treat for leisure as well. The design borders on the flamboyant, all marble, mirrors and chandeliers, and the owners’ culinary expertise pays dividends when it comes to the guest experience — from simit and menemen at breakfast to the Café’s encyclopedic pastry selection and the somewhat self-explanatory Beef Grill Club, there’s very little danger of going hungry.

Also present: a lavish Turkish spa, complete with a proper hammam, the likes of which we’ve rarely seen this side of Istanbul. And there’s more where this one came from, as more TITANIC hotels are in the works for Berlin — which is good news if you like a bit of variety in your luxury-hotel scene.