Grand Staircase at the Westin
by yooperprofThe Westin Grand is in the center of one of the most interesting and important neighborhoods of Berlin. It is just off Unter den Linden, its entrance facing another of Berlin's most famous boulevards, Friedrichstrasse. The Gendarmenmarkt, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Museum Island are all just a few minutes' walk away.
The hotel was designed and built in the last days of the DDR. I was told that the grand staircase in the lobby is a copy of one which featured in the original Adlon Hotel nearby. Admittedly, the interior design of the Westin is not everyone's idea of good taste. It could even be called vulgar. (IMHO, maybe a little too Alexis Carrington?)
Oh but I had fun. Every day I would take the elevator from the fourth floor - where my room was - down to the first, just so that I could make an impressive descent down into the lobby below.
Yes, this is quite an expensive hotel. But when I stayed there in November 2004 I had an incredible rate (which I found through priceline.) $61 a night - which is less than many a midwestern motel.
