Casa Camper Berlin

Class: First

Style: Hip

Rooms: 51

Spanish shoemaker Camper is known for its smart yet simple footwear, and five years ago they applied the same functional aesthetic to Casa Camper in Barcelona, the firm's first hotel. The company's second hotel, in Berlin, is similarly chic and practical, created by the same interior designers, Jordi Tio and Fernando Amat. The bedrooms in this high-rise hotel are decorated in a rich and restful red, with dark-stone floors and blond-wood wardrobes. From bedside lights to bathroom fittings, every detail is fit for purpose, with mod cons kept to a minimum and no superfluous frills or clutter. The communal spaces are sparsely furnished but the hotel still feels cosy, and the penthouse bodega has the intimate élan of a private members' club. This bodega has a good selection of local books and magazines, but the highlight is the all-day buffet, serving complimentary snacks and soft drinks. If you fancy something more substantial, Albert Raurich, former chef de cuisine at Spain's most famous restaurant, El Bulli, produces Asian tapas downstairs in the new Dos Palillos restaurant. With no spa or gym, this is a compact bolthole rather than a fully fledged resort hotel, but with helpful, friendly staff and bicycles for hire in the lobby, it's a great base from which to tour central/East Berlin.