DIFA Completes EUR10.5 mil Conversion of the 'Wallh"ofe' Building

Into the 167 room Wallstreet Park Plaza, Berlin

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. October 14, 2008

BERLIN, Germany, March 13, 2006. Wallstreet Park Plaza has opened in the heart of Berlin. Managed by Park Plaza Hotels Europe, this beautiful luxury hotel - with 167 guestrooms, meeting facilities, restaurant and bar - represents the company's fourth development in the city and debuts as the first of a new generation of Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts in Germany.

The entire design - by Hon. Prof. Johanne Nalbach - is themed around the famous New York stock exchange and includes features such as its own private auditorium, unique artworks and a custom-made carpet, the latter of which has already won an award. The carpet is an exclusive, bespoke design of dollar bills and won first prize at the World Trade Fair (AIT) for Innovation in Architecture and Flooring.

The hotel is the result of a huge conversation of the city's monumental 'Wallh"ofe' building which was purchased by DIFA (Deutsche Immobilien Fonds AG, Hamburg), last year. Since then, DIFA - Hamburg's No 1 capital investment institution for open-ended property funds and hotel investors in Germany and Europe - has ploughed in the region of EUR10.5 million to fund this unusual, yet unique development. The end product, which has taken under a year to complete, is Wallstreet Park Plaza, the hotel managed and operated by Park Plaza Hotels Europe under Carlson Hotels Worldwide's Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts brand.

The design concept

Hon. Prof. Johanne Nalbach is also responsible for designing the Federal Press Conference Centre in Berlin as well as numerous residential and commercial developments both in Germany and abroad. Her firm (run in conjunction with her husband) Nalbach + Nalbach, is one of the most prestigious architectural practices in Germany. Johanne Nalbach's links with Park Plaza Hotels Europe go back a long way when, ten years ago, she gave the company's 4-star deluxe art'otels in Berlin (art'otel berlin mitte and art'otel berlin city center west), an architectonic design. The bright and pure use of light, with its colourful accents, turns the 167 Wallstreet Park Plaza guestrooms into an oasis of well-being in which guests are relaxed and rejuvenated. High ceilings create a feeling of space. Custom-made furnishings - finished to the highest quality - are marked by a real love of detail and state-of-the art functionality such as plasma screen TV's and wireless internet. The unique dollar-bill carpet and stock market detail running throughout the hotel are features that are certain to appeal to more than just the business traveller. Of particular charm is the skill with which decidedly modern spaces have been integrated into the historic Wallh"ofe building, which, dating back to 1910 still retains its listed facade.

The location

Situated in the heart of historic Berlin, near to Alexanderplatz and the Reichstag, Wallstreet Park Plaza is set in a location that appeals to both business travellers and leisure visitors to the city. Excellent transport connections, along with its close proximity to exciting places of interest, shopping and the Berlin nightlife, make the hotel the perfect base for city tours and business trips.

Services & Conferences

The event facilities at Wallstreet Park Plaza also stand out! The unique, private auditorium - its cinematic jewel - can be used for film premieres, product launches and special events. Contemporary function space for up to 150 people also includes two conference rooms and a boardroom, each fitted with the latest equipment and technology.

Restaurant & Bar

The hotels' "twenty-three wallstreet" restaurant and "rule405" bar & lounge are likewise studded with detail reflecting the lively atmosphere of the New York metropolis and are set to be a welcome arrival to the thriving Berlin dining and entertaining scene. The restaurant brings together the multitude of international influences that encapsulate New York and the Wall Street block to form an extraordinary concept: New York fusion - a creative, experimental cuisine which sees a meeting of different cultures in every single dish. The menu is characterised by mouth-watering dishes such as grilled miso steak, salmon medallions coated in olives, warm spinach salad, as well as the classic Caesar salad. Chef Armin Ruehling, with his 18 years international experience in the USA, on various cruise liners, and with Hilton at its Weimar Hotel, proudly lends his signature to this varied menu. The "rule405 bar & lounge" - rule 405 being "do you know your customer" in stock market jargon - serves a range of drinks from around the world and is open all day for everything from snacks to main meals. The hotel's first-class offering also includes a sauna, fitness and wellness area and its own underground car park.