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In bed
The ultimate hotels for the discerning traveller who wants a truly special place to sleep in style
Text Guy Dittrich
The George HAMBURG
3 Barcastrasse, Germany, tel. 0, www.thegeorge-hotel.de
The George Hotel in the port city of Hamburg might not grab your attention from the outside. But once inside the lived-in feeling belies the hotel’s bland exterior. Here is a hotel to be used and not just admired, although Sibylle von Heyden’s interiors are noteworthy. The patina of the wood flooring, the dark wood panelling and leather upholstery make for a warm and cosy, club-like atmosphere.
English high tea is served every afternoon and can be taken in the neatly clipped courtyard garden.
Alternatively, there is the treat of the evening’s smoking session in the library. Throw in the liberal use of Designers Guild fabrics and the bold patterns of the Osborne & Little wallpaper used across the six floors of the champagne-toned guest rooms and so far, so English.
The wide-range of Scottish malt whiskies, which move the bar menu up to 60 pages, broaden the picture slightly before a more cosmopolitan reading of modern Britain begins. Take the Arabesque cushions and lamps in the sixth floor spa, with its views towards the Außenalster
lake and over the rooftops of the creative ateliers of the St Georg neighbourhood, the modern Italian-inspired menu at Restaurant DaCaio and the smallest room even have Eames rocking chairs. All in keeping with the concept of bringing a bit of Britain to Hamburg. Double rooms from €130.
Lydmar Hotel STOCKHOLM
2 Södra Blasieholmshamnen, Sweden, tel. 223160, www.lydmar.com
As Per Lydmar has – how shall we say it? – matured, so too has his hospitality. Those who remember his first Lydmar hotel on Stureplan will still find plenty of the idiosyncratic touches in his new townhouse hotel, but no rocking bar in the lobby. Rather, there is a freestanding bar in the library-like restaurant and the entrance lobby is a fully fledged art gallery. With only 46 rooms, each different, the feeling is of staying at the elegant home of a stylish friend.
Lydmar’s personal possessions – particularly items from his photographic collection – decorate the space. The antique caged lift, spiralled by a limestone staircase, leads to five floors of classy comfort. On exiting the lift, guests enter a living room, complete with honesty bar, which makes the layout particularly convenient for those wishing to hire a whole floor. There is also a full-security suite.
Some original features of this 18th-century building have been retained, such as stucco and wooden beams on the top floor, but the modern classic style is emphasised by the lack of patterning and the subtle colour combinations. Sofas from Moroso and Minotti sit alongside more traditional ones upholstered in soft velvet.
“We introduced a touch of the rock ’n’ roll by mixing up the furnishings,” explains architect Erik Nissen Johansen of Stylt.
Staying at the Lydmar puts you in a certain well-connected category. For the further “in” on Stockholm, ask the concierge team, smartly kitted out in their Martin Bergström outfits. Rooms from €183 a night.
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