April 7, 2008

Euro-phile: Berlin's concept hotels

The Stylephile is in Europe this week!
As conclusively argued by Gawker, Berlin is so hip, it's practically out of fashion. It's hipper than New York in the 80s. It's hipper than Ibiza in the 90s. It's so hip, it's giving contemporary Williamsburg a major hip-ache.
Whateves...why not skip the hip, and crash in a coffin instead?
That's right, if you're planning your own personal Bloc Party in Berlin, why not sleep in one of the ~~cozy~~ creepy little funeral caskets in room 31 at the Propellor Island City Lodge? (Garlic and crucifixes not included.) Located on the westside of Berlin, The Propellor Island City Lodge is a little removed from the hipster scene (the eastside enclave of Friedrichshain is where all the cool DDR kids are at). It features around 50 rooms, each one individually designed by different artists, most of them clearly bonkers. I asked the receptionist whether the coffins were comfy and she assured me they were. "But please...don't have sex in them," she added. Duly noted.
Other fun options for the adventurous traveler include:
The Q! Hotel, officially Berlin's sexiest boutique hotel, perfect for the Wallpaper-reading, moneyed design-head with Euros to burn.
For budget-conscious comrades, the Ostel Hotel comes complete with authentic Communist-era furniture and clocks that proudly show the time in Havana, Moscow and Beijing. They call it Ostalgia...yearning for the good old days when East was East, West was West, and McDonald's was a dirty word.
If this all feels a little Un-American, then you can stay at the the Bleibtreu Hotel, an eco-friendly property with a wellness center, New York-style deli and a yoga studio. Or the Lux Eleven, favorite of the NY Times, and minimalist, pure white haven for the long-term guest.

April 7, 2008 in FASHION | Permalink