Not a house, but a “casa” – and that in Berlin Mitte. The Hotel Casa Camper is an unusually humorous hotel: simple, comfortable and unconventional.
Not a house, but a “casa” – in the middle of Berlin Mitte. Large room numbers shine into the night sky from the windows of the hotel façade; behind the slats of the narrow glass slits, one or two silhouettes of showering hotel guests can be seen. The Hotel Casa Camper is an unusually humorous hotel, simple, comfortable and unconventional. The concept and design by Fernando Amat and Jordi Ti. sometimes gives very clear tips: “Take the stairs, it’s healthier,” reads a sign next to the elevator. The long hotel corridors are painted in bright red, as are the sober but homely rooms. The beds are located in the darkest part of the room – the bathroom area and a washbasin with a surrounding counter are located directly by the window and only separated from the sleeping area by a curtain. A Shaker bar, Bauhaus light switches and homely oak floorboards and wall paneling are standard features in all 51 rooms and suites.
In contrast, the architects and designers have moved the hotel bar to the completely glazed top floor on the eighth floor. Up there, the gray Berlin can be seen large and airy through the floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows – a cityscape with a television tower in the background. The breakfast room, lounge and computer workstations are located in different zones of the flowing space. In the separate Honesty Bar, each guest enters their room number on a list and only pays for their self-mixed drinks on departure. The snack bar buffet provides freshly prepared finger food and drinks almost around the clock, which are included in the room rate. Why is a famous shoe brand from Mallorca building a hotel in Berlin and then running it itself? Miguel Fluxa, who took over the family business Camper from his father, smiles proudly in response to this question. “We’ve been making shoes since 1877 – we’re a family of shoemakers.” After Camper had developed into a globally recognized brand, Fluxa rejected several proposals to open up the brand name to watches, bags or perfume. “There are too many people already doing that. It doesn’t suit us,” he says calmly. However, an interest in architecture and design led the globally expanding company to a hotel concept. Barcelona was the first stop, and in their second hotel in Berlin, the Catalans have also linked a restaurant to the hotel that they run themselves. In Dos Palillos on the first floor, conceived by designers Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec, guests sit at a long counter with a view of a large open kitchen. There, the team of Albert Raurich, who became famous as head chef at El Bulli, prepares Asian dishes in tapas format. A little molecular, unfamiliarly exotic, and then refreshingly Spanish.
Address
Casa Camper Berlin
Weinmeisterstraße 1
www.casacamper.com
