Meininger is a German budget hotel chain with properties Germany, Austria, and several other European countries. Earlier this month, I had a 6:50AM flight out of Berlin Tegel airport, and so I stayed at Meininger Hotel Berlin Tiergarten which is located just a short bus ride away from the airport.
Initially, I booked the room through Hotels.com for 65 EUR, but I cancelled the room free of charge the day before my stay and booked it directly through the hotel’s website for just 45 EUR.
Getting to the Hotel
Getting to Meininger Hotel Berlin Tiergarten is convenient whether you’re traveling from the airport or the city center. The hotel is located near Turmstraße which is both a bus stop and a subyway station. From there, it’s about a three- or four-minute walk.
Probably the easiest way to get to the hotel is to take the TXL bus. You can catch it right in front of Berlin Tegel airport’s terminal from where it’s about fifteen to Turmstraße.
Similarly, you can catch the same bus in the city center – for example, near Brandenburg Gate.
A single-journey bus ticket costs 2.80 EUR and you can buy it in a ticket machine in front of the airport terminal or directly from the driver. Once you get on the bus, don’t forget to validate your ticket in one of the stamping machines.
Check-in, Lobby, Dining, and Other Facilities
There was a small reception desk on the ground floor of the hotel where one could get a taxi called, check-in and check-out (only if paying in cash), etc.
While the desk was staffed when I arrived in the afternoon (I used it to check-in), there was no one there when I was leaving in the early morning.
Instead, I had to check-out at the main reception desk which was located in the lobby on the hotel’s second floor. That one was staffed 24/7.
Besides the main reception desk, the second floor also featured a breakfast room and a kitchen (I didn’t check either of those), a bar, some seating and vending machines, and a game zone with a foosball table (and supposedly some board games, etc.).
Guest Room
The guest rooms were spread across the second to fifth floors. I was assigned room 530 on the fifth floor. When I got off the elevator, I was surprised by the wall and carpet designs which featured (what I assume were) pictures of Berlin.
When I opened the door of my room, I was surprised by how spacey it was. A quick look at the floor plan on the door explained the situation – I was assigned one of the rooms designed to be accessible to disabled people.
Just past the door was a large open space with an entrance into the bathroom on the right side, and a desk with two uncomfortable stools and a narrow single bed on the left side. Next to the door, there were an open closet and some coat hangers.
The room’s double bed – or rather a bed made of two very soft and not so comfortable single matresses – was located behind a corner, in the back part of the room.
There was plenty of power outlets throughout the room.
As for the bathroom, it was spacey – again, to accommodate to people wheelchairs – but fairly simply furnished with a sink, a shower without any walls or curtains, and a toilet. There were no amenities other than a shower gel.
Meininger Hotel Berlin Tiergarten Summary
Given that I had a very early flight to catch (and thus a short night), the hotel was more than adequate. It provided a good enough room, and more importantly, a very easy access to the airport.
While I had read some reviews about the hotel’s rooms being small before staying at the hotel, clearly that wasn’t a problem in my case. And, even if I was assigned a regular room, I am sure it would have been more than enough for the short stay.
