Hotels in Berlin: Hotel de Rome

There are not only interesting stories about The Rocco Forte Hotel de Rome at Berlin’s Bebelplatz but even the name itself is sufficient for more than two centuries back. Besides the history of the name “Hotel de Rome” the current hotel building tells its own exciting story. The building in its basic form was built in the years 1887 to 1889 and was designed by the architect Ludwig Heim. The “Dresdner Bank” was the owner which had its headquarters here until 1945. Until 1910, there were some structural changes which are very important for the individual character of the house. Two original staircases were almost maintained. The first and second floor in the corridors have large stucco on the walls with jewelry. In the former directors` bureaus there are the today’s executive suites of the hotel. It is a truly historic home on time.
From 1887-1889, the “Dresdner Bank” built a richly decorated building for its management in the style of the Italian High Renaissance. In 1923 three more floors were added and the house disturbed the architectural space of the quarter sensitively. After the Second World War, in 1952, the bank building was repaired after damage and was minimized to its original size of three floors. In 1945, the “Dresdner Bank” was expropriated and all branches were closed in the Soviet occupation zone. Until the fall of the Berlin Wall the district leadership of the Berlin SED and the GDR State Bank resided the house. After the fall the building was mainly empty and stayed unused.
The renovation of the building began in 2003 and the Hotel de Rome was signed on 12 October 2006 after a three-year rebuilding period. Owner of the building is the “CommInvest”. The Hotel de Rome only occupied a part of the former bank building. The building complex is a typical construction for Berlin.
Already in 1775 the names “Hotel de Rome” and “Hotel City Rome” were mentioned. It was an Inn at “Unter den Linden”, one of the nine first-class Inns in Berlin counted. At the end of the 50s, Adolf Mühling bought the hotel and rebuilt the house. Finally a five star hotel with 200 luxurious guest rooms, one ballroom and an elegant restaurant was opened. For years the Hotel de Rome was a prominent hotel in the city until the end of the 19th century and it became the meeting place of the German aristocracy.