Four rival hotels in Berlin have joined together to form an alliance for meetings and conferences.
The Grand Hyatt, the Ritz-Carlton, the Berlin Marriott and the Maritim, all on or near the major Potsdamer Platz development, plan to offer conference facilities to up to 5,000 people as well as 1,528 rooms including suites.
Thomas Wachs, regional director of Maritim, said that while his hotel's meeting facilities could cater for more than 3,000 people, the 505-bedroom property hotel could not accommodate that number of delegates.
"Under the alliance, we can now accommodate our delegates in the three other hotels and they can do the same when their hotels can not take more guests," he said.
In a joint statement, the four hotels said: "With this initiative, we want to position Potsdamer Platz, both nationally and internationally, as the location for meetings, conventions and conferences in the centre of the capital city.
"The four hotels offer more than 10,500 square metres for more than 5,000 people along with a unique range of art, culture, entertainment and shopping in Berlin and at the Potsdamer Platz."
Berlin is Germany's leading city for conventions and ranks fourth in the world after Barcelona, Vienna and Singapore.
Nearly 80,000 events were held in the city in 2005 attracting 6.2m people, a rise on 2004 figures of just over 9%.