sbtinme

No, that's not helpful at all. I stated that one would be "hard pressed to find a more centrally located hotel in the city." I never said that this hotel had the very best location or an untoppable location. Since we're in the SPG forum of FT, I stand firmly behind my words.

I'm no apologist for this hotel and I'll be the first to echo the sentiments of others regarding the disappointing (and, I'd even say miserable) condition of the standard rooms in recent years -- shame on LeMeridien for not insisting on quality upgrades years ago!

However, now that those issues are being AGGRESSIVELY addressed, it seems a tad unfair to me to continue to slam this hotel. If one hasn't had the opportunity to see the renovated rooms, then your information is no longer current. No insult intended. Can't we all agree on that?!?

If not, then we'll just agree to disagree. I, for one, am delighted to see this grand old hotel finally getting its act together and spending some major coin to dress the place up. I find the location nearly ideal for my needs in CPH and, I'll also say that CPH is a city of unremarkable hotels, which paints a clearer picture.

In any case, I'm looking forward to my next stay here in 4 weeks and will report back my findings and observations.

BigBopper

Is two years "aggressively" addresing a situation? Renovations started in Feb 06 and are scheduled to be completed at the end of 08. I don't call that aggresive and I have yet to see a renovation project for a hotel finish on time.

Secondly, it doesn't address the issues in the square outside the hotel.

To me the location is great in outside the summer months. Of course, Tivoli isn't open so it defeats part of the location argument.

Having said all the negatives, it's still the best *wood location in Copenhagen

sbtinme

Regardless of one's opinion on the timeline, the final results are impressive. One can't help but agree that the renovation itself is quite aggressive -- it's essentially carving out the whole interior of a hotel, room by room, and remaking it from nearly scratch. Additionally, they've taken a very old building and added a central air conditioning system that will be in place in early 2008.

Gutting the rooms to the structure level and starting over is my definition of an aggressive remodel.

http://palacehotel.dk/web/website.ph..._deluxe_en.htm

This is one of the oddest threads I've seen on FT in some time. Is it a full moon?!? I'm done with this thread. Continue bashing away.

AAEXP

AAEXP

^Then you haven't seen anything . And BTW, no one is bashing anyone, just having a (lively) discussion based on your assertions.

kevinsac

First time I have read this thread, since we just started talking about a possible trip next spring. I was not even sure if Starwood was present in Denmark.

While I appreciate the "charm" of old-world European hotels, it sounds like this property was quite run down. While the location is tops, I'll follow the progression of the renovations before I book us and my extended family at that property.

I did notice on their web site "A/C from the beginning of 2008." By Jan 2008, 143 out of 161 should be done.

The Executive Suite has a 6 foot by 6 foot bathtub. Sounds like a welcoming party hosted by the liberal Danes!

You can't blame the hotel for that. If they were sold out the night before, then it's good business for them. That's always the rule for early arrivals.....if you want the room in the morning, book it the night before.

The only Starwood in Denmark, I believe.

raunow

I'll just drop an updated report from my first SPG Plat and overall very positive stay at the Palace Hotel.

As previous posters have reported, the hotel is currently undergoing a massive upgrade to 5* and once completed, will be re-branded "Le Meridien, The Palace Hotel". Upgrades a done one wing at a time, and the wings that are not updated look extremely tired. For a project description see http://www.palacehotel.dk.

I'm a new SPG Plat, just comped from HHonors, and since I've had a number of poor experiences with HHonors, I'm now trying to shift my business to Starwood whenever possible.

Having planned a night out with friends (I live in a Copenhagen suburb), and eager to try my new SPG Plat card, on friday night I checked if there were any decent offers for a room on saturday at The Palace. They offered a standard non-renovated room for dkr 960 (approx. USD 175 - quite low for Copenhagen), and considering that it would save me a dkr 400 taxi ride home, I booked it with the intention to check in in time to cancel if I couldn't get a decent upgrade.

On saturday, I arrived at the (non-renovated) reception at 1:45PM (Cancellation deadline is 2PM), wearing my best "I'd love an upgrade" smile. Flashing my mint-condition SPG Plat card, I asked if there was any chance to get an upgrade to a larger, renovated room. The receptionist checked, and said they'd already allocated a renovated Deluxe room to me. Having done my homework I'd of course checked that a renovated Suite was indeed available, and so I popped that most classic of FT question - "I saw you had an available renovated suite, would an upgrade into that be possible ?", and after a quick check the receptionist gave that even more classic FT answer - "Certainly, sir, I just upgraded you to the suite". And after a quick tick to choose the 500 points Platinum amenity, if was on my way.

I didn't see any bellboys in the reception arear, but there might have been (I only had a light bag). There was a seperate consierge desk, however.

The suite is in the (fully renovated) rear wing, facing a court-yard, and walking through the non-renovated rear wing, you could really appreciated how much this hotel needs renovation. However once you entered the rear wing, it was like a journey 100 years ahead in time, and entering the suite it was truly a world of difference.

The Deluxe suite is a one bedroom suite with a huge bathroom, a medium sized working/living room with a large walk-in closet, and a corridor connecting the rooms. The decor is very modern, there is wired internet (didn't try it) and two large flat-screen tv's (bedroom and living room). The most impressive feature, however, is the huge bathtub with room for two (as a previous poster mentioned a great feature to support the experience of scandinavian hospitality...). The suite is not huge by American standards, I'd say it matches your average US Jr. Suite in size (approx. 50 m2.), but it's the largest room I've ever stayed in in central Copenhagen.

The decor is kept in white with black carpets and tiles, tanned leather furniture and modern paintings. The bed was also huge and very comfortable with a thick and warm duvet the way we scandinavians like it. A bottle of some fancy italian water and cofee making equipment was complimentary. And the flowers in the living room and the red rose in the bathroom were fresh.

The suite is prepared for AirCon, but it won't be operational until the full renovation project is completed (not much of a problem in Copenhagen this time of year). The view from the suite into a court-yard is nothing to brag about, but I'd imagine the view from the rooms in front would be quite nice looking across the town hall square.

I shot some photos of the suite with my phone (hence the slight blur, I apologize):

http://gallery.flyertalk.com/gallery...el,-Copenhagen

All in all I was positively surprised having read the previous reviews, and once the renovation is complete I'd say the Palace becomes a pretty solid choice for a modern 5* in central Copenhagen. Even now, if they can keep up the Platinum treatment I experienced and you can land a fair price, it comes recommended. Just be prepared for some dust, noise and mixed decors in the hallways.

Dave89077

I am presently staying at the Palace hotel. I have to agree with most of the posts here. This hotel is old (built in the 1910) but has a lot of history. I am lucky enough to be in the newly refurished rooms (very nice--plasma TV, separate shower/tub, very comfortable bed, etc...). However, I got this room only because of Gold status. If I wasn't Gold or Plat, I would not want to stay in this hotel (the old rooms have not been updated in quite a while). At least not until mid 2008 when the construction is expected to be finished. Of course, when that happens the price will probably be raised so high that it won't necessarily be an attractive consideration. But I do like the location and the charm of the town hall clock.

kevinsac

Has anyone been in the non-renovated Executive Rooms? Supposedly the highest class of rooms, other than suites; overlooking Rĺdhuspladsen. I got a great deal on three of these rooms for next spring.....but unfortunately, they are among the last to be renovated.

fluegelwesen

as a Plat I always got an upgade to the renovated rooms ----- and I always refused and wanted an old room overlooking the Rĺdhuspladsen. I don´t care about a plasma TV, I usually go out in Copenhagen and do not stay in the room to watch TV. The old rooms at the Palace CPH are charming, sure somewhat torn but really charming. I hope they do not renovate these rooms or they loose a customer....

holtju2

The only problem with the suite that I received was that there was no shower? I don't mind the huge bathtub/jacuzzi but if I only need a quick shower before early morning flight....

I was actually afraid before I entered the suite. The corridors to the suite were in a horrible condition.

The rates will probably go up once the renovation is complete. Overall I was satisfied with the quick stay I had.

rgm18

any lounge at this hotel or plans to open one?

kevinsac

I wanted to share some thoughts about a recent 4-night stay at the Palace. They were in the midst of renovations, which is well documented at FT and their web site.

I had booked three rooms for family and me. Specifically, I had reserved 3 of the traditional (Executive) rooms overlooking City Hall Plaza, and I had indicated that we wanted the old “charming” rooms. When we arrived, they had upgraded us to rooms which had renovated. Oh well.

I was booked into room 339, which I believe is a Deluxe Room. My sister and BIL, and nephew and his wife were both in what I guess to be Superior (standard) rooms. Sister was told she had a view….of the back alley and neighboring rooftops. Her room was small; nephew’s room was tiny!

First—some positives. ^ The renovated rooms are very nice, in a muted medium blue, with greys and blacks. We all agreed the beds were quite comfortable, and the robes nice and plush. Nice quick-boil coffee-maker, similar to Sheraton LHR. A minimalist modern (but quite small) glass desk. A very nice wall-mounted 42-inch plasma TV.

The baths were set apart from the room by a frosted glass wall/sliding door. I had a big sink; small counter area on both sides of the sink for placing toiletries. Halogen lights; black tile on floor and walls. Behind the tub was a frosted glass wall, subtly illuminated by halogen lights above. Big watering-can shower head, like the London Savoy has had for decades. A hand-held shower nozzle on a hose … great enough that I am looking for one here at home. Nice quality in-room toiletries, but no one could tell me what brand. And a huge towel warmer.

Now, the negatives. We knew the hotel was undergoing renovations. It’s a major multi-year project. When I contacted the hotel to ask if there would be renovations undertaken in the public areas during our stay, I was told that there would not be. Wrong! The main entrance to the hotel is blocked off, even though the red carpet still lies outside. What used to be a small bar (cozy, I would think) is now the check-in lobby. But it looks cheap and sleazy, like a Motel 6: they have flower-patterned bed sheets (yep, bed sheets ) hanging behind what is now the front desk, to block off two back rooms. Looks beyond tacky!

A small corner of the restaurant has been set aside as the bar area. Three small bar tables, each set with 2 chairs. When the 5 of us went for drinks, we practically took over the whole area….they carried over chairs from the restaurant so that a few chairs remained for others.

The hallway carpets between renovated areas and non-renovated areas are held in place with duct tape.

In the rooms, there is an accent light over the bed, to illuminate the pictures hanging under the light. This wall-mounted light is tied in to the circuit with the bed-side lights. So, if someone wants to read at night using the bed-side light, the other person has to deal with the wall mounted light being on; no way around that. Turn off the wall-mounted light over the bed, and power goes off to the two bed-side lights. Poor planning! I asked one of the housekeeping managers walking around, and she said that my findings were correct.

There is no clock in the room. In sister’s room and nephew’s room, they had a small clock attached to the TV, which even acted as a night light. But I had no clock. When I called the front desk to find out if my TV somehow worked as a clock on a non-broadcast channel, I was told that it would not. So, when I asked if I was correct that there was not a clock in the room, front desk staff said “I guess so.”

Even in the renovated rooms, the windows have not been modernized. It was quite windy several days while we were there (and some snow flurries!) and the windows rattled quite a bit. I finally stuck some toilet paper in the window frames to keep them quite.

Internet is $10/hr or $45/day! WOW! Hotel does not have parking facilities. They suggested a garage about 1+ block away, which was $60/day. I know the exchage rates suck right now, but those prices are sobering.

Now, for my harshest criticism. As much as I have just bragged about the great bathroom, it is great only in esthetics. For practicality, I would call the renovated bathrooms an abysmal failure. The sliding door does not close, but leaves a gap of about 2 inches….not a lot of privacy. There is no place other than towel warmer to hang towels, not even hand towels by the sink. And while my Deluxe room had about 5 inches of counter space on either side of the sink (and a recessed shelving unit behind my toilet), there is no counter space in the Superior bathrooms. My sister and nephew’s wife made quite a few grumbles about that.

And worst of all is the shower. I’m not very tall for a guy (about 6’2”) but the following complaints were echoed by the women in our other rooms…..whoever planned the shower layout should be fired and then should be shot. Like at many European hotels, the bath tub/shower is not fully enclosed; instead, there is only a glass partition. The partition did not come up to the top of my shoulder and only came out less than 20-inches from the wall. It was useless. With the watering-can shower head hanging from the ceiling about 2 feet above my head and the useless glass partition, the bathroom was soaked after a shower by any of us. There was water standing on the bathroom floor; I had to mop it up with the bath mat and wring it out. Towels left hanging on the towel warmer (at the foot of the tub…and remember, the only place to hang a towel) got soaked. If I folded up the towels and laid them on the toilet lid, they got soaked. My toiletries on the sink counter got wet. The mirror got splattered. (And, even though the renovation is still recent, over half of the 100 or so water nozzles in the shower head are already clogged. Same in the other two rooms, too.)

In summary, there is a lot of potential with this property. But someone royally screwed up the bathroom. I always find it amazing that the entire executive staff of a property does not try out…even live for a week….in a mocked-up room before renovations are completed. I liked the hotel; I’d love to see one of the Executive Rooms once they are completed. It is in a perfect location. Prices were reasonable....for CPH standards. However, while the bathroom is wonderful to look at, it is, IMHO, an unmitigated disaster for practical reasons.

ericj

I'll concur with Kevinsac. I am some kind of a maniac regarding leaving the bathroom as spotless as possible, not for fear housekeeping might think I am a pig but because one of the best thing in a hotel is entering a spotless bathroom with fluffy towels and everything in good condition. Boy it was heavy maintenance at the Palace
The electrical wiring is also unfortunate, that's a fact. The room looks OK during the day with natural light (providing it's not too clouded), but at night it's either sinister or too bright with no in between.
The small desk had no electrical socket nearby. And what am I supposed to do at this desk exactly ? Write my journal ?
It's funny to visit the dilapidated parts of the place, though. I really liked the impression of going backwards in time in some corridors. The new fixtures slowly disappearing (a light here, a carpet there), to finally reach an abysmal level of depredation near the elevators. It's interesting, but one can't help thinking that the fifth star they claim they will get from this makeover is completely undeserved.
The building is too reculiar for the "contemporary bland" look they attenpted at. The result is neither here nor there. There was material for a real luxury revamping, with the golden mouldings, the Art Deco stuff and all that, but of course not in this area, with McDonalds and CPH's museum of horrors next door. Add to this the coarseness of Scandinavian service and you have a property to which it is exceptionally difficult to relate in friendly terms.
This hotel, my friends, sucks big time.

sbtinme

I agree with your entire post, but the last sentence is overboard. This is a quirky, old hotel set in the midst of the old, nearly ancient town square. An odd duck with great promise, it doesn't "suck big time."