Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin, Germany

The Hotel Adlon Kempinski is a luxury landmark hotel adjacent to the historic Brandenburg Gate in the heart of Berlin. Its history goes back 100 years to when entrepreneur Lorenz Adlon set about building the best luxury hotel in the world for his emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II. When it was completed in 1907, the Adlon's heating system, plumbing and air-conditioning were so state-of-the-art that the German royal family actually moved in, making the luxury hotel the very hub of German society.

In the Roaring Twenties, Lorenz Adlon's son Louis courted intellectuals, heads of state and movie stars and the luxury hotel became a magnet for the likes of Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin. Although it survived both World Wars unscathed because it was declared neutral territory, it burnt down three days after the end of the Second World War.

Situated in East Berlin right on the edge of No Man's Land, the historic hotel was left in ruins for over forty years. In 1997 the luxury hotel eventually re-opened and welcomed its guests as a Kempinski property with an extra floor, state-of-the-art facilities and some of the largest bedrooms in Berlin. Influenced by a perfect blend of the bygone era, Adlon Kempinski gives the sense of an atmosphere inspired by an illustrious past and a dynamic modernity. The hotel exudes a sophistication and elegance that's hard to ignore. The lobby is a gilded, domed space with low-slung tables round the famous elephant fountain; it is a great place for tea and champagne cocktails as a piano player tinkles the ivories from the Bel Stage above. After a recent refurbishment in 2007 the whole of this area of the luxury hotel has high-speed, wireless internet. The “Gourmet Restaurant Lorenz Adlon”, is a Michelin awarded restaurant. Other tempting delights wait in the “Gabrielle Restaurant”, the “Restaurant Quarré , the “uma Restaurant”, the “Shochu Bar” and the "FELIX ClubRestaurant". All 304 rooms and 78 suites at the luxury hotel are spacious and decorated in a grand, classic style that echoes the Hotel Adlon's long history. Many of the rooms have a view on three, stylish inner courtyards, but corner rooms with views of the Brandenburg Gate are by far the most impressive. The suites have open fires and are furnished with more lavish antiques and Molton Brown toiletries, bath salts and bath oils in the marble bathrooms. The luxurious 800-square-metre Adlon Day Spa offers a full range of treatments as well as a swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, solarium and gym.

Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin  Unter den Linden 77, 10117 Berlin, Germany.

Some of the photographs and the text are part of my book European Style Hotel