The area around hotel is not very nice. However it is only an 8 min walk to Alexanderplatz train station. If you have Euro coins, you can go on the tram across street from hotel. At Alexanderplatz there is many coffee shops, 5 guys, and other places to eat. There is also shopping; TK Maxx, footlocker, etc.
The breakfast had a huge variety for all tastes; very enjoyable (except long food lines). The front staff is not particularly pleasant but the hotel property itself is nice and clean. The pull out sofa bed was ok; definitely not as terrible as others we’ve utilized. It is probably acceptable to most under 60 that do not have any back issues. It is a great value because of the breakfast, nearby Alexanderplatz & easy access to train station & tram.
At train station, go to platform 4 to go almost anywhere within city to see most all the main attractions; just know which direction you are headed. Utilize your phone map. An AB ticket covers most of city; an ABC covers more area on outskirts (like Sachsenhausen concentration camp). Once you buy a ticket, the ticket covers all your train, bus, & tram rides for 24 hrs (if you buy 24 hr ticket).
My review is 3 stars because of the stupid shower design. The bathroom flooded every time someone took a shower. Therefore we constantly used our towels to dry the floor then had to retrieve more. Otherwise I would have rated it 4-5 stars.