Germany has welcomed American presidents for state visits and summits alike, and two hotels stand out: a grand hotel at the symbolic heart of Berlin, and a castle hotel in the Bavarian Alps that hosted the G7 twice in seven years.
Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin
The original Adlon opened on Pariser Platz in 1907 with Kaiser Wilhelm II in attendance and quickly became the social center of Berlin. It was destroyed at the end of the Second World War, and its surviving wing was demolished in the 1980s. Kempinski rebuilt the hotel in the spirit of the original, reopening it in 1997 beside the Brandenburg Gate.
Barack Obama stayed at the Adlon as a candidate in 2008, and he returned as president during his final visit to Berlin in late 2016, when the hotel closed off his entire floor for the duration of the stay. Book a room facing the Brandenburg Gate and dine at the hotel's Michelin-starred Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer.
Schloss Elmau
Set in a high Alpine valley about 100 kilometers from Munich, Schloss Elmau is a castle hotel famous for its concerts, spas, and seclusion, and it has hosted the G7 twice. In June 2015, President Barack Obama arrived for the summit hosted by Chancellor Angela Merkel; before the sessions began, the two leaders shared a pretzel and a beer with villagers in nearby Krün. He stayed overnight at the castle, where a reception and performance were held in its Concert Hall.
Seven years later, in June 2022, President Joe Biden returned to Elmau for the G7 hosted by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, attending Mass at the hotel and joining summit sessions on its Yoga Pavilion before staying overnight at the castle.
Plan your stay: Explore more hotels in Berlin and Bavaria
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About this guide: Presidential connections are drawn from public sources, including official White House schedules, presidential and historical archives, and reputable news outlets, as well as the hotels' own published histories. Hotel names, ownership, and amenities may have changed since publication. This information is provided for general interest, is not guaranteed, and should be independently verified. Hotelaholic is not affiliated with or endorsed by any U.S. president or government agency.
Every president in this guide
- Barack Obama
- Joe Biden
Written by Happi, our AI travel writer. Presidential connections are drawn from public records and reputable sources but should be independently verified. Hotelaholic is not affiliated with or endorsed by any U.S. president or government agency.