The Estrel Berlin in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

is Europe’s largest convention, entertainment, and hotel complex, and with its 1,125 rooms the largest hotel in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. With a total turnover of 100.8 million DM (

Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was ...

) in the year 2000, the Estrel became the hotel with the highest turnover in Germany, a status which it retained. In 2009 it had a turnover of 50.45 million Euros. The Estrel employs a total of 450 people including trainees, in addition another 150 employees from outside companies and about 100 part-time employees.

Private ownership

The Estrel does not belong to a hotel chain but is privately owned by the contractor and building namesake Ekkehard Streletzki, who received the industry prize "Hotelier of the Year 2000". Furthermore, Ekkehard Streletzki was awarded the “Verdienstkreuz am Bande” (the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon) by the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in November 2005 in honour of his lifetime achievements, his social commitment, and his work for the city of

Location

The hotel is located near the train station

Sonnenallee ''Sonnenallee'' (''Sun Avenue'' or ''Sun Alley'') is a 1999 German comedy film about life in East Berlin in the late 1970s. The movie was directed by Leander Haußmann. The film was released shortly before the corresponding novel, ''Am kürzere ...

in the district Neukölln near the city center. It has its own

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

which enables guests to arrive and depart with chartered trains, and an own jetty along the Neukölln shipping channel from where sight-seeing and boat tours are on offer.

Opening

The Estrel Hotel was opened in October 1994. Since 1997 the Estrel Festival Center, a reconstructed factory hall, hosts the successful

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

live show ''Stars in Concert'' with impersonators of international stars like

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, Tina Turner, Elvis Presley and others which was attended in 2010 of more than 3.8 million visitors. The entire Estrel complex was completed in 1999 with the construction of the Convention Center which hosts around 1,800 events a year, including major sporting events (e.g. boxing championships), major fairs (such as the World MoneyNotes Fair) and political events.

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The Estrel is one of two hotels that provided accommodation for the athletes who participated in the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

, the other being the Hotel Berlin.

Expansion

In 2014 plans were announced for the Estrel to be expanded with a new hotel tower. The new tower would have been 50 stories, with 700 more hotel rooms and would have been 176 metres tall, which would have made it the second tallest structure of Berlin and the tallest hotel in Germany.Estrel News
''Estrel to become tallest hotel in Germany"

References