a&o Berlin Mitte, Berlin

I received very bad customer service by young German girls at the reception: - When checking in, there seemed to be some hassle with rooms. I was explained that I was lucky that I had paid whole stay in advance and therefore I shouldn’t be worried. - Later, my door card was blocked one evening without giving any notice. I needed to go reception where they accused me not to pay my breakfast. That was false accusation. When, I asked about blocking my card, I received rude comment that it is not their job to explain me and the whole situation was more like my fault. - The hostel advertises free drinks if you don’t use room cleaning during your stay for environmental reasons. I didn’t use it at all and asked about the advertise. The response was that I should have done it when I checked in. Obviously, I didn’t know that kind of offer when checked in. - Lastly, I gave my email for the manager comment about blocking my card. I never received any comments and I believe my email wasn’t even delivered further. Instead, more likely I have been put on black list as I never received review email by hotels.com. The email, which you always receive after your trip.

If you know what you’re getting yourself into them this place is fine. Otherwise you’re in for a few minor / funny surprises: It is more of a hostel than a hotel, which not only means bunk beds (which were actually quite comfy I must positively admit) in small rooms with tiny bathrooms but also extra fees for things like bed linen (3.50 per bed) or towels in the bathroom (1.50 per towel) - none of which was mentioned on hotels.com at the time of booking (but doesn’t really matter, as the charges are negligible compared to the overall cost of a Berlin trip. ;-) There is only one elevator per building, so in case you want to get in or out by a certain time, give yourself some buffer as there will be a wait for the elevator - unless you take the staircase, of course. Also be prepared for lines at check-in since the place is quite big and there can be crowds of people checking in at a time. All staff, front desk as well as housekeeping, were always friendly and courteous, however I would have appreciated if housekeeping staff hadn’t been yelling all the time in order to converse with each other while cleaning different rooms on the same floor in the AMs - while your room has the ‘quiet / do not disturb’ tag on the door. The overall condition of the property is pretty good (as always in Germany), in the room as well as in the common areas. The place seems professionally operated and well organized. The location is conveniently located to various means of public transportation.

inconsistance was the major problem. Was put on the 7th floor with a decent view.-Elevator out of order one day,someone threw up in the elevator another day. Was advertised that certain objects were available if needed eg.Adapter for electrical appliances.When questioned about the need for such a device(my "northern europe"device was not the corrrect adapter),the person behind the reception counter just shrugged and said check the vending machine.No such device was avialable although many spots in the machine were empty for several days.When it was filled with an Adapter the vending machine was not working. I expected a lively group of young travelers as was advertised as a sort of warning ,but the hordes of high school and younger groups that showed up(class trips?) wouldnt have been so bad if only they would have stuck to their curfew for bed.Hallway ruckus,constant banging on doors ,drama etc. untill 3:00a.m. if not later was disturbing to say the least. I guess I got what I paid for.

This is a youth hostel, so be prepared for something basic. The bathroom is tiny, you can barely shower or go to the loo with the door shut. I stayed by myself so it was fine, I just kept the door open the whole time. The bed was quite uncomfy with only a small foam mattress, so for the second night I stacked two mattresses on top of each other and that felt a lot better. The room was also quite noisy, so I was glad I took ear plugs. Staff were hit and miss. Check in was slow with a big queue, but the staff handled it best they could. Management need to pay for more staff at front desk. One morning when I tried to buy a ticket for breakfast, 20 minutes before breakfast finished, the staff person said it was too late. Very odd. I think the staff just need more training.

You pay for a hostel, so expect a hostel. Lots of loud people coming and going at odd hours of the night, slamming doors that can be heard thru the paper-thin walls. The neighborhood is filled with people yelling and sirens. Luckily I did not have trouble sleeping because I was exhausted by the time I reached this part of my trip! Otherwise, it was clean, efficient, and comfortable. Wifi was decent in the room, but less than satisfying in the laundry room lol