(23 Sep 2014) Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, many visitors have snubbed the German capital's glitzy western districts in favour of the city's hip, exciting east.
But the western side of Berlin is challenging the east's hipster credentials in a major revival.
Nowhere is the change more obvious than in the latest trendy hotel to open its doors in the city: the 25hour Hotel Bikini Berlin.
It has been called Berlin's latest hipster hotel - and the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin does tick all the boxes.
From dark hallways illuminated by neon room numbers to the mandatory fixed wheel bike as standard - the Bikini Berlin does a good job of serving the hipster travellers who are so fond of the German capital.
Guests lounge around in hammocks in the rooms and in the lobby, only adding to the hotel's quirky image.
But one thing sets this hotel apart from its rivals.
It is not located in trendy Kreuzberg or Mitte. Not even in Neukoelln or Prenzlauer Berg.
It sits right in the middle of Berlin's City West, the area running along the shopping street Kurfuerstendamm, which used to be the very centre of West Berlin before the fall of the wall in 1989.
The hotel opened its doors in January 2014.
It is located in a listed 1950's office block that was dubbed the Bikini House because of its bikini-like shape.
General Manager Michael Wuensch says the hotel aims to reflect the variety of the city.
"We set ourselves the task to create a hotel that mirrors the diversity of Berlin, the creativity of Berlin and the culture and subculture of Berlin," he says.
Right next to the hotel is the Berlin zoo and some rooms boast a view of the monkey enclosure.
From the roof terrace on the other side, guests can see the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was partly destroyed during the Second World War and is now a memorial to peace and reconciliation.
The hotel is located in an area that is rapidly coming back into fashion, according to Burkhard Kieker, head of Visit Berlin.
"Twenty-five years ago, when the wall came down, all the focus was of rebuilding the east of Berlin, which had a very shabby socialistic image, and during that time the showpiece of the free west, West Berlin, was forgotten for 10 to 15 years. This has changed now, now Berlin West, the area around Kurfuerstendamm, is staging a marvellous comeback," he says.
The Berlin hotel is the fifth in the "25hours" hotel chain, with other hotels located in Zurich, Vienna, Hamburg and Frankfurt.
It has 149 rooms, ranging from smaller budget rooms for 115 euros (150 US dollars) per room per night to extra large rooms for 175 euros (229 US dollars) per night.
Wuensch says that the 25hours chain wanted to open a hotel near the Berlin zoo to give the hotel an urban jungle feel.
But once they started investigating the area around Kurfuerstendamm, he said they quickly realised that it was an area on the rise.
"We find the development really exciting. We did not want to open in an area saturated with hotels like in Mitte (central Berlin), where we would just be another cool hotel. Here we can play a part in getting things moving," Wuensch says.
The hotel's guests share his enthusiasm.
Sena Schmidt, who is staying in the hotel for the weekend, is a satisfied customer.
"I really like it. I like the location, the people and the food and breakfast is very good. Very nice," she says.
Simon Hampel, a visitor from Frankfurt, agrees.
"From the room to the restaurant and the whole hotel� It is all unique and beautiful" he says.
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