There are not any Hyatt or Starwood hotels in the city of Copenhagen. There is a Marriott, but it was booked up for the dates we were visiting, so we ended up booking an independent hotel – the Copenhagen Admiral Hotel. Our flight from Vienna arrived later in the day and after a 30-minute cab drive from the airport we arrived at 8:30pm. Being in the northern part of Europe, and in June, the sun was still shining and we had plenty of daylight left for check-in and some exploring. Once you walk into the hotel you turn immediately to the left to find the check-in desks.
Introduction: Study Abroad in Copenhagen
Review: American Express Centurion Studio Seattle
Review: Delta One International Business Class Seattle to London
Review: United Club London Heathrow
Review: Austrian Airlines European Coach London to Vienna to Copenhagen
Review: Park Hyatt Vienna
Review: Copenhagen Admiral Hotel
Review: SAS Business Lounge Copenhagen
Review: SAS Intra-European Business Copenhagen to Frankfurt
Review: Lufthansa Business Lounge – Frankfurt
Review: Lufthansa International Business Frankfurt to Seattle
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Hotel façade later in the evening
The Copenhagen Admiral Hotel has a unique history. The building that the hotel is located in was built in 1787 as a granary. In 1973 it was converted into a private hotel with the work conducted by architects Fleming Hertz and Ole Ramsgaard Thomsen. The final design was highly regarded at the time, and the hotel first opened its doors in January 1978. A later refurbished was completed in 2004.
One thing that is apparent was the desire of the architects to keep as much of the original building structure present. Large wooden beams and arching brick work, all original, are present throughout the structure. Because much of the original building was preserved most rooms have a similar look but, no two rooms are exactly the same.
The check-in process was painless and the hotel associate sweet and helpful with the girls, and the myriad of questions they had for her. We had 2 rooms, one for our daughters and one for Susan and I. After receiving our hotel keys Susan and I proceeded to the third floor and checked into room 352.
Beautiful scale model ship in hotel lobby on way to elevators
Hotel 3rd story hallway with brick arches
The entrance into room 352 is tight with the bathroom immediately on your right. Walk six feet in, and there is a lot going on. The overall design esthetic is simple Scandinavian leaning toward the budget side. The room makeup includes a pushed together double bed with affixed wall nightstands. Furniture includes sitting chairs, loveseat sofa, coffee table, writing desk and chair, and wall mount TV with minibar console. All of this is snuggly fit together into 260sqft.
The walls and ceiling are finished in a white cream plaster covering the original brick work. The lumbers are everywhere, and give the room a solid rustic feel. The curtains open onto one of the original windows which has an eyebrow shape casing that you can walk into (it’s tight for two persons) and view the harbor activities. Our stay was in mid-June and the temperature was always comfortable while the window was open. During our stay there is some sort of night-club across the harbor and some evenings Susan was awake listening to the late night festivities.
The bathroom is consistent with a bathroom footprint designed in the 1970’s. Small, with a single sink and combo shower-tub. That said it worked, and although not the most luxurious, served its function. The water was always hot and available, but with medium pressure.
To the left the opera house was visible
Nightstands affixed to the wall
Small bench sandwiched in a nook
Other attributes of the hotel include a lounge on the ground floor, a small business center with computers to use, and “Salt” the hotel restaurant. We ate a meal there on our last night and the food was excellent. The restaurant also extends out the back side of the hotel with views onto the river. The restaurant was busy with patrons; especially the outdoor seating areas when the weather was nice.
Small bar and lounge that was frequently open past midnight
Next to the lounge was the small business center
The back or harbor side of the hotel
Waterfront area of the Salt restaurant
On the last night of our stay we moved into a junior suite. Our oldest daughter had joined her class at the study abroad program in town and we wanted to save some money by having our youngest daughter stay with us in the same room on the last night. What we didn’t realize was there is really no room for a rollaway in the standard rooms. The hotel moved the 3 of us into a junior suite at no charge and couldn’t have been nicer about the accommodation. I wasn’t able to do a full review of the junior suite, but included are some photographs.
Junior sweet with second story
Landside views out to the city
One exceptional attribute of the Admiral Copenhagen Hotel is its location. Directly on the water it’s close to many points of interest. We could walk to many of our destinations in a matter of 30 minutes or less.
Picturesque New Haven street was around the corner from the hotel
The Marble Church was also close
The architecture walking along at the King’s Garden
A quiet corner in the King’s garden
In Summary:
The Copenhagen Admiral Hotel isn’t laden with luxuries and high end appointments, and for our stay the hotel was expensive at $358 per night (before taxes and fees). The high point included the interesting architecture of the building itself, and the beautiful location on the water. The staff could not have been more accommodating and took care of us on several of our requests. Would I stay at this hotel again? Maybe, but I would also take a hard look at the Copenhagen Marriot as it also receives excellent reviews. In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Copenhagen Admiral Hotel.