Hotel Johann

Hotel Johann, situated on the eponymous Johanniterstraße, is hard to miss. The four-story stucco building it occupies features a tangerine orange facade, accented with big maroon-colored J’s. Dating back to the mid-1800s, this building has housed everyone from cadets to school girls, and now tries to lure in business travelers and tourists. There aren’t many common spaces, but the wood-floored entry welcomes guests with a reception desk and chalkboard wall announcing breakfast times and other practical information. The lobby lounge’s square pleather chairs and three-stool bar invite guests to sit down for a minute, to plan their trips or just relax. Staff are attuned to guests’ needs: for example, serving breakfast early before a big marathon, or into the afternoon on New Year’s Day. 

Hotel Johann sits on a quiet residential street in Berlin’s hip Kreuzberg district, about a 12-minute walk from charming and character-filled Bergmannkiez, where bars, cafes, restaurants, and little shops line the streets. Across from the hotel are paths running parallel to the canal that are great for jogging or walking. The nearest U-Bahn is about a 10-minute walk, while buses are closer. Major Berlin sights are reachable in 25 minutes or less, with sights to the North, East, and West equally convenient. 

• 10 minutes to Checkpoint Charlie via public transit
• 15 minutes to Potsdamerplatz via public transit
• 20 minutes to the East Side Gallery via public transit. 
• 20 minutes to Alexanderplatz via public transit
• 20 minutes to Museum Island via public transit
• 23 minutes to Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church via public transit
• 25 minutes to the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse
• 25 minutes to Brandenburg Gate via public transit

Guest rooms are clean, comfortable, and contemporary with rich wood floors, white walls, high ceilings, and big windows. Furniture is practical but pleasant -- blond-wood headboards, faux leather or black upholstered chairs, and basic writing desks -- a nice change from typical white-laminate IKEA-style furnishings used in many mid-range properties. Some rooms feature exposed brick walls or ceilings, an accent that adds atmosphere. In most rooms, bathrooms feature translucent glass sliding barn doors, a trendy touch. Bathrooms themselves are compact but modern with white tiled walls and white fixtures, faux-wood accents, and heated green tiled floors. They feature either shower stalls or combination showers and tubs. 

Entry-level Single Rooms are snug -- instead of wardrobes, there’s open shelving, and beds take up most of the room, though there’s still just enough space for a desk and chair. That said, beds here are big, and can reasonably sleep two, a boon for guests who want to save money. Small Doubles are adequately sized, while Big Doubles can be quite spacious. About half of the hotel’s rooms are so-called Singles and half are Doubles, but there are also two Family Rooms, which can sleep up to four guests with the use of a sleeper couch. 

All rooms have flat-screen TVs, free bottles of water, and free Wi-Fi. There’s no safe (though there’s one at reception), nor do rooms have air-conditioning, mini-fridges, or electric kettles. Bathrooms have toiletry dispensers and hairdryers. Two double rooms feature balconies with a shared divider wall and sitting areas facing the street.

Hotel Johann has amenities on par with other small, mid-range hotels. There’s a modest lobby lounge with a bar, staffed by reception, and a nice selection of drinks and coffees. The hotel also has an honesty bar with bottled drinks and snacks, all available for reasonable fees similar to the city's Kiosk prices. Breakfast is served in a pleasant wood-floored breakfast room with dark wood tables. There’s a nice spread of cold items (but not hot dishes) like fresh fruit, bread, museli, cheese, boiled eggs, and sometimes even salmon. While it costs an extra fee, the cost is about half of what we’ve seen at competitor’s hotels, and most guests choose to eat at the hotel. Outdoor garden seating is also usable in the summer months. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel and the reception desk is staffed 24 hours. The hotel also provides bike rentals, and there are two on-site parking spaces for a very reasonable extra fee, but they must be reserved in advance.