In Berlin's City West, just a few minutes' walk from Kurfürstendamm, the triangular exterior facade of the 17-story Dorint Hotel rises into the sky. The corner facing Kurfürstendamm is rounded, the facade tapers upward, and the windows, precisely arranged, lend elegance to the Art Deco architecture. Berlin architect Jan Kleihues has succeeded in creating a masterpiece with the building, and he left nothing to chance: Kleihues, who during his career assisted Markus Lüppertz and was project architect for Daniel Libeskind and Peter Eisenman, designed everything from the tiles to the soap dishes to the door handles. His signature runs through the entire building. Only in the design of the Operá Suites did he take a step back. Kleihues, who is also a university lecturer, had his best students design the suites. And so, every room looks different.
The extraordinary architecture is complemented by works of the artist Junior Toscanelli. The large-format paintings were designed specifically for the places where they hang today. Toscanelli would have preferred to be able to freely design his works, and so his paintings feature the given dimensions and project numbers - as a small subversive gesture by the artist. Meanwhile, guests will also find works by artists such as Markus Lüpertz or the French artist MissTic in the hotel's rooms and hallways.
The Dorint Kurfürstendamm is a prime example of the successful combination of architecture, design, art, and hotel business. For KAYA&KATO it has always been clear that hotel business is a place of culture and encounter - and in the best case a stage and partner for art. These factors are inseparable. The finesse, perfection, and beauty of the Dorint Kurfürstendamm reveals itself to the guest at second glance. And so, at the end of our several-hour visit, Dorint Hotel Director Carsten Colmorgen points out that the hotel's exterior façade was specially made of Kirchheim shell limestone, which shimmers in different hues depending on the incidence of light. Further proof that a closer look is often worthwhile.