Hotel d'Angleterre

Kongens Nytorv, the square at the head of Nyhavn where the Royal Danish Theatre also stands, has Hotel d'Angleterre on one side, a luxury hotel in Copenhagen founded in 1755 by Jean Marchal and Maria Coppy. It is the oldest grand hotel in Denmark and reopened in 2013 after a two-year restoration. It is known for Marchal, its Michelin-starred restaurant, for the Balthazar Champagne bar, for a facade lit each Christmas, and for a guest list that runs through Danish and European royalty.

History

Jean Marchal, a Frenchman in service in Copenhagen, and Maria Coppy, the daughter of a royal chef, opened an establishment in 1755 that grew into the d'Angleterre. The hotel moved to its present site on Kongens Nytorv at the end of the eighteenth century and was rebuilt after the Copenhagen fire of 1795. In 1875 the architect Vilhelm Dahlerup, who also designed the Royal Danish Theatre across the square and the first Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, remodelled the facade in the form that still stands.

Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the d'Angleterre was the address for state visitors, performers and the Danish court's guests, and its position on the square made it a witness to the city's public life. The hotel closed in 2011 for a complete restoration under its owners, the Remmen family, and reopened in May 2013 with fewer and larger rooms. Marchal, the restaurant named after the founder, received a Michelin star soon after the reopening.

Architecture and design

Dahlerup's facade is white and classical, with a row of columns above the entrance and balconies looking on to the square. The restoration kept the proportions of the public rooms and the Palm Court, the hotel's ballroom, and furnished the interiors in a pale palette with Danish and French pieces. From late November each year the facade is dressed in lights, a display that draws crowds to Kongens Nytorv and has become part of the Copenhagen Christmas.

Rooms and suites

The hotel has around 90 rooms and suites, large for the city, with high ceilings and marble bathrooms. The suites face Kongens Nytorv, with the theatre and the head of Nyhavn in view; rooms on the inner side are the quietest.

Dining

Marchal, the restaurant on the ground floor, holds a Michelin star and serves French-influenced cooking with Danish produce. Balthazar is the hotel's Champagne bar, with one of the longest Champagne lists in Scandinavia, and afternoon tea is served in the lounge beside it. The hotel counts two restaurants and bars at its core.

Wellness

The spa, Amazing Space, occupies the lower floor with an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, treatment rooms and a fitness room.

Weddings and events

The Palm Court, the hotel's ballroom, takes wedding receptions, galas and dinners, and a series of smaller rooms serve meetings, private dinners and ceremonies. The hotel has a long tradition of hosting the city's official and private celebrations, from royal receptions to company dinners.

Location

Kongens Nytorv is the square where the old town meets the harbour quarter: Nyhavn's canal and coloured houses begin at one corner, the Strøget shopping street at another, with the Royal Danish Theatre and the Magasin du Nord department store on the square. Kongens Nytorv metro station, served by the M1, M2, M3 and M4 lines, is at the door, and Copenhagen Airport at Kastrup takes about 15 minutes by metro, or 20 by car.