Hotel De Rome

Designed by government-dubbed “master” architect, Ludwig Heim, Rocco Forte’s Hotel de Rome opened in October 2006 and occupies the former digs of the head office of the Dresdner Bank, which was built in 1889.

Designer Tommaso Ziffer, who also designed the Hotel de Russie in Rome, blessed the ornate and classical design of the original building with a contemporary twist. With 146 large bedrooms, including 72 classical rooms, and a number of other options including—for the special, moneyed few—a 105-square meter Presidential Suite that brags a full-length terrace with enviable views of historic Bebelplatz and Unter den Linden. Many of the bathrooms feature separate walk-in showers and grandiloquent mosaic marble detailing above double-ended baths.

Start at the hotel’s restaurant, which expertly dishes out traditional Mediterranean cuisine and Bebel bar before exploring the countless number of of other offerings: the grand Opera court, with its original glazed ceiling, impressive ballroom and five meeting rooms. Most important, perhaps, is the wellness center, with a spa featuring a plunge pool, steam, sauna, treatment rooms and relaxation area and a fully-equipped gym, making the trek easy for those who prefer to pad from work-out to luxuriating-out in their robes unadulterated. The original vault of the bank is now a 20-meter swimming pool. Now that’s a prime use of existing space.