The Dude

Housed in an elegant 19th-century townhouse, this 30-room boutique hotel was created by an advertising executive to provide an antidote to identikit design and a sense of good humour befitting to Berlin. They have a number of house rules, including no photography, ringing a doorbell to access and no large groups in order to foster an atmosphere of anything-goes discretion. The rooms are quite stark, brass-knobbed beds offset by block-coloured walls, with complimentary Moleskin and Molton Brown goodies in the bathroom. They serve breakfasts at their all-day deli and have the high-end Brooklyn Beef Club steak restaurant in the basement, with a rare whisky bar and wines from Napa Valley.