A stay at Nobis Hotel Copenhagen

Whenever I travel, I always try to seek out beautiful hotels which appeal to my love of design – not only are they a treat to stay in, they’re also a wonderful source of inspiration for my own projects. The Swedish Nobis Hospitality Group has been responsible for some of my favourites to date, including Miss Clara and Hotel J in Stockholm, and its first addition in Denmark – Nobis Hotel Copenhagen – has been causing a stir ever since it opened last September. So, when I was offered the chance to check it out in person during a recent city break with my mum, I jumped at the chance.

I’ll be clear from the start: this isn’t a cheap place (rates start at around DKK2,300 / £270 per room per night). But you really do get what you pay for in terms of service, comfort and design, and I reckon it offers pretty good value for a five-star hotel.

First of all, it has a super-handy location on Niels Brocks Garde, right next to Tivoli and the Glyptotek art museum, and just a couple of minutes’ stroll from the main station. It’s also less than 25 minutes from the airport, door to door.

Secondly, the whole place is beautiful, both inside and out. It sits in the former Royal Danish Academy of Music, a landmark building from 1903 that has been sensitively transformed by Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh, who was also behind the design of Miss Clara. He kept as many of the original features as possible while incorporating plenty of 21st-century additions, and the result is an elegant mix of neoclassical grandeur and modern minimalism that he calls ‘an updated take on Le Corbusier’.

The first thing you see when you enter is a sweeping staircase decorated with ornate plaster panelling, with a stunning light installation dangling down through all five floors. Off to one side is a sleek marble and concrete lobby; to the other, a tranquil lounge area with tan leather sofas, oversized cone-shaped pendant lights and grid-like shelves adorned with plants and design books.

The 75 rooms are just as striking. Each is painted in a rich yet soothing shade of blue-green, which is offset by tan-leather furniture, chevron-pattern floors and moody monochrome rugs from Swedish brand Kasthall. The beds are steel-framed four-posters topped with Dux mattresses, the oak wardrobes and desks are custom-made, and the ensuite bathrooms are clad in grey Bardiglio marble from Italy. There’s also a scattering of mid-century design classics, including CH25 paper-cord lounge chairs by Hans J. Wegner, ‘Mantis’ floor lamps by Bernard Schottlander and ‘Lampe de Marseille’ wall lights by Le Corbusier himself.

We had one of the small-ish standard rooms (confusingly known as Superiors), but the high ceiling and tall window meant it still felt light and airy. And it was very cleverly designed to make the most of the space: the bathroom had a frosted glass wall to let light filter through without reducing privacy, and there was plenty of storage for luggage and clothes. The only slight downside was the fact that the heated towel rail was fixed to the wall above the toilet, so we had to be careful not to scorch our shoulders.

There are no twin rooms, which means it’s not ideal if you’re travelling with a friend (or your mum!) but, as is the norm in Scandinavia, the double beds are actually made up of two single mattresses with separate duvets, so sharing isn’t too much of an issue. We’re both light sleepers who toss and turn at night, but we didn’t wake each other up once, and excellent sound-proofing meant there wasn’t a peep of noise from the road outside.

If you want to upgrade, there are larger Superior Lofts, Deluxe Rooms and Junior Suites, plus a pair of Penthouse Suites in the attic where musical instruments were once stored. These had only just been finished when we visited so I was able to look around before they opened to guests, and they really are lovely. Each consists of a vast open-plan living and sleeping space with private lift access, several seating areas and skylights looking out over the city rooftops and the rides of Tivoli, plus steps down to a second double bedroom.

I was also lucky enough to get a peek at the top-of-the-range Nobis Suite. Beneath its ornate plasterwork ceiling is a cluster of Swedese armchairs, a dining table flanked by Hans J. Wegner’s CH20 ‘Elbow’ chairs, a huge bathroom with an egg-shaped tub, and a bedroom area screened by a shelving unit decorated with wooden toys from famed Danish designer Kay Bojesen. It’s knock-your-socks-off expensive at DKK25,000+ (£2,930+) per night, but it truly is one of the most beautiful hotel rooms I’ve ever seen.

Of course, there’s more to a good hotel than pretty bedrooms, and I was also very impressed with Nobis Hotel Copenhagen’s restaurant. Headed up by chef Jeppe Foldager, it’s housed in a 1960s extension that Wingårdh has jazzed up with glass and copper plates, black steel windows and oak furniture. We didn’t get chance to sample the French- and Nordic-inspired dinner menu (although I’ve heard good things about it), but we did enjoy a delicious breakfast every morning. There’s a small but perfectly formed buffet with pastries, cheeses, cold cuts, fruit and avocado, plus a menu of freshly prepared hot and cold dishes. My my top tip: the yoghurt and granola pot, which is topped with dried berries and a sprinkling of muscovado sugar.

The hotel also has an outside terrace, a gym and a marble-clad wellness area with a sauna and cold plunge pool. And, this being Copenhagen, there are of course bikes to hire if you want to make like the locals and explore the city on two wheels.

All in all, it really is a fantastic place to stay, and the perfect option if you want to indulge yourself a little. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to return.

Book a stay at Nobis Hotel Copenhagen here. 

Nobis Hotel Copenhagen kindly provided a free stay for the purpose of this review, but as ever all words and opinions are my own, and I would only recommend places which I would be happy to pay for.  

All photography by Abi Dare