The Radisson SAS Royal Hotel designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1960, became the first designer hotel in the world; today Arne Jacobsen’s designs still hold true.
Danish architect Arne Jacobsen designed both the building and the interior in 1960 of the contemporary Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, but by the 1980’s, suddenly Arne was "out" when the hotel decided to change its décor. In 2000, when the hotel decided it was time to renovate once again, they made the decision that it was time to bring Arne Jacobsen’s designs back, coming full design circle. The Radisson SAS Royal Hotel was renovated in 2001, with rooms inspired by Arne Jacobsen using colors that gave a nod to their 1960 room, 606, which was also restored according to Arne Jacobsen’s original design. Arne Jacobsen had used a color palate of blues, greens and grays to create a symbiosis between the sea and the building. The new designer wanted to also incorporate the colors of the rooftops in Copenhagen and added shades of red. The new guestrooms reflect a compromise of both old and new color palates. In the lobby, The Royal Bar and the guestrooms, Arne Jacobsen’s famous "Swan" and "Egg" chairs still strike the right harmonious design chord.
Edward F. Nesta and I stayed at the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel in May 2006 and found the hotel to be perfect with its close proximity to the train station, Tivoli Gardens and shopping areas. From our corner room we had spectacular views of Copenhagen and Tivoli Gardens where we watched the rollercoaster rides, which was the closest that we were going to come to experiencing them. As daylight changed to twilight, we marveled at the ever changing views that we had of the city from our windows.
Our room was designed using shades of green and featured Arne Jacobsen’s famous "Swan" chairs, and Scandinavian design desk. The headboard of the bed had four free form panel inserts in shades of blues and greens that were illuminated when the room lights were turned on. The hotel had included thoughtful amenities, which included robes, a coffee and tea maker, iron and ironing board, trouser press, mini-bar, safe, a Grundig television and in-room high-speed Internet access.
Our green marble floor bathroom featured walls of striped rows of small tiles in shades of cream, blue and green and a wall of windows, which continued our panoramic views of Copenhagen. The bathroom had double sinks on a green marble vanity and a combination tub and shower.
The hotel has 260 rooms, which includes two suites: the Royal suite and the Kappenberger suite, and 32 junior suites. There is a Fitness Center with steam and sauna available on the entrance level of the hotel, and although we passed by the Fitness Center on our way in and out of the hotel, I must admit that we never stepped foot inside the Fitness Center, as we preferred to get our exercise sightseeing in Copenhagen.
The hotel has two restaurants: Café Royal located on the entrance level, where we enjoyed breakfast each morning, and their gourmet restaurant, Alberto K, named for Alberto Kappenberger, who was the first General Manager of the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel. Alberto K opened in 2001, is located on the 20th floor, and features breathtaking panoramic views of Copenhagen. The restaurant has an Italian focus, an extensive Italian wine list and features the culinary creations of Executive Chef Betina Repstock who joined the restaurant in 2003. During our stay at the hotel, we had dinner at Alberto K and had the opportunity to experience Chef Betina Repstock’s exciting creativity, where two of the selections that we sampled were Quail, basil gnocchi, radish, quail egg and ice salad, as well as Langoustine, buckwheat, cucumber melisse, and frozen yogurt.
Read about Alberto K in the Restaurants section.
Radisson SAS Royal Hotel
Hammerichsgade 1
1611 Copenhagen V
Denmark
Telephone: +45 33 42 60 00
Fax: +45 33 42 61 00
Email: copenhagen@radissonsas.com
www.radissonsas.com
Read our articles on Denmark in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs’ Recipes, Liquor Cabinet and Music Scene sections.
For additional information on Denmark please contact VisitDenmark at www.visitdenmark.com and Wonderful Copenhagen ® at www.visitcopenhagen.com. For SAS Scandinavian Airlines information, please contact them at www.sas.se. For information on DSB rail service, please contact them at www.dsb.dk.
© September 2006. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
