The Hyatt Group, majority-owned by the Pritzker Family (founders of the Pritzker Architecture Prize) decided to bring their branch of hotels to Germany, choosing a lot in the new Potsdamer Platz district developed by Daimler-Chrysler. The Hyatt group has been a pioneer in hotel architecture since the 60's. The Architect Rafael Moneo was commissioned to design the hotel's building for their Berlin branch and Hannes Wettstein was appointed for the interior design.

This was Rafael Moneo's first hotel project. It was created from 1993 to 1996. The hotel consists of a whole block in Potsdamer Platz with 3 restaurants, convention halls, spa with swimming pool and 340 rooms and suites.

The building combines a Mediterranean and minimal design with no intention on absorbing the attention from its neighbors.

The red sandstone facade contains columns of small windows which follow the grid of the sandstone.

A division in color and material can be seen on the ground floor and it is found both in exterior and interior spaces.

The interiors were designed following minimal concepts of material, lighting and furniture design, something that had not been used before in spaces with such a large scale. 18 months after the opening the lobby was refurbished to give a more welcoming, cozy atmosphere.