We stayed at the Gold hotel for 5 nights, on holiday as a couple with friends. We booked the Gold Hotel as part of a package via Expedia, having read reviews 1st.
The hotel was easy to find, a few minutes' walk from Samariterstrasse underground. The road is slightly away from the busiest roads in Friedrichshain, but close to bars, restaurants and shops.
The hotel has a 24 hour reception, and you ring the doorbell for access. Check in was quick and smooth, and the staff are lovely. Our room was on the 2nd flr. Although we booked a double we had twin beds pushed together, each with a large single duvet #pretty standard for basic rooms in Berlin#. The room was clean and basic, although with no drinks making facilities.
The room had a couple of disadvantages. The internal shower room #no bath or window# was small and could use updating. The curtains were very light and it was very bright in the room in the morning. Otherwise it was really nice. Something I really liked was that the room overlooked the communal garden for the flats in the block, and we could watch the locals enjoying their garden, playing with their kids, watering the plants. It felt rather intimate somehow.
The location is great. We visited for a music festival at the Astra Kulturhaus, but the hotel's well positioned for general sightseeing, and the area is popular with visitors because of all the shops, galleries, bars and restaurants.