St. Georg · ★★★★
25hours Hotel Number One
Hip design hotel right by the main station — chess boards in the lobby, in-room mini-saunas.
The 25hours Hotel Number One belongs to the Hamburg-based 25hours group, founded in the Hanseatic city in 2003 and now operating houses from Vienna to Dubai. Number One was the very first 25hours site, opened in 2006, and set the tone for the brand: playful designer rooms, a touch of Hanseatic understatement and none of the grand-hotel pomp. The concept is a mid-scale design hotel for city travellers who linger in the lobby longer than strictly necessary. Location: St. Georg, on Paul-Dessau-Straße in the Lange Reihe quarter, directly behind the main station in what is known as City Süd. Four minutes on foot to the main concourse, five to the Binnenalster, just under ten to Mönckebergstraße. The neighbourhood is multicultural and full of bars, lively in the evenings. Rooms and suites: around 170 rooms in Medium, Large, XL and Studio categories. Wooden floors, coloured walls, Klötzli alarm clocks, free-standing tubs in the studios and an in-room mini-sauna in the largest categories. From €155 in Medium, studios from about €280. Food and drink: the in-house NENI Hamburg on the ground floor — an offshoot of the Molcho family's Viennese original — serves Middle Eastern mezze cuisine to share. The Boilerman Bar is an open hotel bar with highballs and long drinks, open until 1am and also welcoming non-guests. Spa and fitness: no large spa landscape, but a shared sauna with relaxation area and a small 24-hour gym. Bike hire is available on the hotel's own Schindelhauer bikes, free for guests. Booking rating: 8.6 out of 10 across 1,980 reviews. Guests praise the design concept, the location by the station and the friendly staff. Occasional criticism of thin walls and station noise. Getting there: U1, U2, U3, U4 and S1, S2, S3, S21, S31 to Hauptbahnhof, Kirchenallee exit, then four minutes on foot. From the airport it is 25 minutes on the S1. Ideal for: weekend travellers with an eye for design who want to stay central and uncomplicated, and can do without classical hotel service.