"Like its legendary predecessor that once stood on the original site, the Hotel Adlon Kempinski upholds a tradition of luxury, hospitality and exceptional service. This landmark hotel is located on the Pariser Platz next to the world famous Brandenburg Gate and within easy reach of shopping and cultural highlights. Surrounded by the American, British, Russian and French embassies and in walking distance to the Reichstag and the Kanzleramt, the Adlon is the heartbeat of the political and social life in the German capital.
The Leading Hotels of the World understands the finer points of hospitality and luxury. Indulge yourself in a lifestyle of luxury at one of our 5 star hotels and the unparalleled comfort they offer. The Leading Hotels of the World's featured hotels cater to the discriminating few, where first class service is a norm rather than an exception." (
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History of Hotel Adlon
"The first Hotel Adlon was built in 1907 by Lorenz Adlon, a successful Berlin wine merchant and restaurateur. Adlon wanted to build his hotel on the Pariser Platz, at the heart of Berlin. He had Kaiser Wilhelm II personally intercede with the owners of the Palais Redern, a landmark designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, which sat at Adlon's chosen location. The Kaiser cleared the way for Adlon's purchase of the Palais and its demolition.
The Adlon was one of the most famous hotels in Europe between the two World Wars and hosted celebrities including Louise Brooks, Charlie Chaplin, Herbert Hoover, Josephine Baker and Marlene Dietrich. It was also a favorite hangout of journalists, located in the heart of the government quarter next to the British Embassy, on the same square as the French and American Embassies and only blocks from the Chancellery and other government ministries.
Ruined Pariser Platz, seen from the Brandenburg Gate, 1950. Hotel Adlon on right.
The hotel continued to operate throughout World War II, although parts were converted to a military field hospital during the final days of the Battle for Berlin. The hotel survived the war without any major damage, having avoided the bombs and shelling that had leveled the city. However, on the night of 2 May 1945 a fire, started in the hotel's wine cellar by intoxicated Soviet soldiers, left the main building in ruins.
Following the war, the East German government reopened the surviving rear service wing under the Hotel Adlon name. The ruined main building and all of the other buildings on Pariser Platz were demolished. The square was left as an abandoned, grassed-over buffer with the West, with the Brandenburg Gate sitting alone by the Berlin Wall.
In 1964, the remaining part of the building was renovated and the facade was redone. However, in the 1970s what remained of the original Hotel Adlon closed to guests and was converted to a lodging house for East German apprentices. Finally, in 1984, the building was demolished.
With the reunification of Germany, the site was bought by a West German investment firm. A building loosely inspired by the original was designed and on 23 August 1997 the president of the Federal Republic of Germany opened the new Hotel Adlon, rebuilt on the same location as the original hotel. It currently operates as Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, part of the Kempinski chain. Due to the hotel's success, it has been expanded twice, with new wings along the rear on Behrenstrasse. They are known as the Adlon Palais and the Adlon Residenz." (
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