Published on : Tuesday, January 9, 2018
The Fontenay, GINN-Hotel and PIERDREI to open in 2018
The Elbphilharmonie has proven a veritable tourist magnet since the opening last January and is enjoying popularity. Britain’s broadcaster BBC recently ranked the concert hall among 2017’s eight most accomplished buildings. And Hamburg was the only German city among a list of 52 top destinations drawn up by the New York Times and ranked tenth overall. To cater to rising tourist numbers, Hamburg has many attractive hotels with several others due to open this year. Hamburg News offers the following overview:
The Fontenay to open in March
Preparations to open Hamburg’s latest luxury hotel “The Fontenay Hotel” on the banks of Lake Alster are going full speed ahead after water damages in August put paid to plans to open in late 2017. Now, the hotel is more likely in March. The developer Klaus-Michael Kühne will present the luxury hotel in mid January. Designed by architect Jan Storm, “The Fontenay” is an eight-floor, sculptured hotel measuring 19,000 square metres gross. The heart of the building is made of 198 sandblasted glass panes forming the Atrium Lounge with an unobstructed view of a golden mirror on a height of 27 metres. Some 131 suites, four event rooms measuring up to 220 square metres and a 1,000 square metre spa with indoor and outdoor pools on the seventh-floor roof terrace have been built at a cost of over EUR 100 million. And prior to its opening, “The Fontenay” is already one of seven in “The Leading Hotels of the World”. The first reservations from guests all over the world have already been received, said Thies Sponholz, Managing Director.
Hotel SIDE to reopen in March
Opened in 2001, Hotel SIDE is Hamburg’s only five-star design hotel and has 178 rooms and suites. Its location opposite the Hamburger Staatsoper offers an outstanding flair. Designed by the famous Hamburg-based architect, Jan Störner, the hotel has eight floors combining glass and natural stone. The core of the SIDE is a 28-metre high atrium designed by the Milan-based designed Matteo Thun and features a computer-guided light installation by Robert Wilson that turns the area into a beautiful experience. Orchestrated by Thun, the entire SIDE hotel is undergoing extensive refurbishment and will close from January 3, 2018 until late March this year. The lobby, reception, the 178 rooms, event rooms, spa area, Sky lounge and ten “flying suites” on the upper floors are all being renovated.
GINN Hotel Hamburg Elbspeicher to open in spring
The operator of the Gold Inn group has three hotels in Berlin and their first hotel in Hamburg will open in spring under the new GINN hotel brand. The four-star hotel is located on the Elbe River, near the Fischmarkt, and beside the Hamburger Elbspeicher. The hotel’s 132 rooms and suites have been designed like lofts – of which 80 per cent are complete. The first-floor lounge with reception desk and access to the restaurant and hotel bar overlooks the Elbe River and is likely to become a popular nigh-time haunt in Hamburg. GINN’s concept includes state-of-the art technology with high speed internet throughout the hotel. Guests can check out on their smartphones and tablets.
Serviced apartment building “my4walls” to open in spring
Last October, the four-star business and conference hotel Holiday Inn opened in the highest building in City Nord. The 12-storey “my4walls” serviced apartment building is due to open opposite the hotel in spring 2018. A total of 143 apartments varying in size from 25 to 32 square metres feature open-plan kitchens, level-access showers, 1960s-style furniture and smart-managed lighting and music systems. Services include a 24-hour reception, breakfast buffet, a cocktail bar, a gym, a launderette and self-storage for long-term tenants. Synergies with Holiday Inn include a joint shuffle service to Hamburg Airport and use of the hotel’s restaurant and wellness areas. Emphasis in “my4walls” is on services for guests who stay from seven days to several months – unlike short-term stays in hotels.
PIERDREI to open in late 2018:
The PIERDREI aims to attract both hotel guests and people in the new suburb KPTN (pronounced captain) being built between Sandtorkai and Tokio Street in Hafencity. The three-star, superior design hotel has 212 rooms and is due to open in late 2018 under the motto “Time for New Perspectives”. Many surprises are likely in view of the five-strong team of operators including Kai Hollmann, a hotelier, Professor Norbert Aust and Sebastian Drechsler of Schmidts Tivoli, Frederik and Gerrit Braun of Miniatur Wunderland. The hotel features a “port stage” for concerts, plays and readings and a special creative area for children is being planned as well. The hotel aims to attract both guests from Hamburg and abroad.