Berlin – Loft beds and communal tables, those sturdy standbys of summer camp, are coming to a hip new hotel that perfectly reflects the emerging social dynamic in the 21st-century culture of collaboration and social networks. Set in a former factory, the Michelberger Hotel, located in the electric, eclectic Friedrichshain district, boasts high ceilings, massive windows, and the collective imagination of its founding team – a group of young creatives who simply wanted to build rooms they’d like to stay in.
‘Perfection does not create memories, because memories only result from movement, from a lively experience of interaction – with people, the surroundings and the atmosphere,’ says founder Tom Michelberger.
The five room categories on offer include a cosy 33-cubic-metre space for one or two guests, and a larger space for four or more. ‘The Big One’, meanwhile, is a living/working loft space for eight. With room rates starting at €59, the property is ideal for the new budget traveller who is short on cash but long on sociability and design awareness.
Lest wary travellers think they are in for a rough-and-tumble night in student digs, however, consider that Werner Aisslinger, the German designer famous for the Loftcube mobile home unit for rooftop living, has had a hand to play in the Michelberger’s design. Common areas in the hotel feature oversized lampshades made out of vintage travel books, while the traditional reception desk has morphed into a friendly welcome island in the bar area. Elsewhere, the clean, modernist functionality of the guestrooms is punctuated with flea-market furniture and quirky home-made accessories.
Looks like it’s check-out time for boring budgeteers.
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