Rocco Forte Hotel de Rome - Berlin, Germany

The building housing the Hotel de Rome in Berlin Germany used to be the headquarters for the Dresdner Bank from 1889 to 1945. In 1945 the assets of the Dresdner Bank were seized by the communists.

Until the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the building was used by the East German Communist Party as its Berlin administrative office and also by the East German state bank.

After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the building sat mainly unused. In 2003 the building was converted into the Hotel de Rome which subsequently opened in 2006.

The first floor of the hotel includes 4 historic suites which used to be the offices of the Dresdner bank directors. The directors of the bank were allowed to have their offices decorated to their individual preferences. As such, in keeping with this principle, the designers for the Hotel de Rome designed each suite differently.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to stay in one of these historic suites during my visit to Berlin.

Room 104 - Deluxe Suite (Historic):

Although classified as a Deluxe Suite, this suite can be described as more of a junior suite. It used to be the office for Eugene Gutmann, one the directors of the Dresdner Bank (between 1872 to 1920).

The original oak panels on each side of the bed retains traces of the Second World War in the form of damage caused by pieces of shrapnel from a bomb dropped in the city towards the end of the Second World War.The original wall cabinet in the right-hand corner of the room previously contained a small cocktail cabinet and the leather-clad doors are restored originals and are consistent with the style of the building's period.

Due to the building being a listed historical site, the bathrooms in the historic suites all have different dimensions. Suite 104 has the largest bathroom compared to the other historical suites.

Swimming Pool:
The area where the swimming pool is used to house the jewel room containing the bank's safety deposit boxes. The size and shape of the tiling on the walls reflects the size and shape of the old safe deposit boxes.