HOTEL REVIEW: THE ABSALON, COPENHAGEN
COPENHAGEN is still every bit as Wonderful as when Danny Kaye serenaded us with the song in the famous Hans Christian Andersen musical, many moons ago. But it is also one of the more expensive cities in Europe, so it helps if your base is close to the city’s throbbing heartbeat.
The Absalon Hotel certainly fits the bill. It is just 100 yards or so from the city’s Central Station – indeed if you walk straight through the terminal hall you emerge directly opposite northern Europe’s best known amusement park, the world renowned Tivoli Gardens.,
A few minutes more takes you to the lively city centre square, surrounded by pulsating bars, Coll cafes, multi-national restaurants, cinemas, the renowned Circus entertainment centre, the City Hall, and old Hans Christian himself, perched on a stool overlooking the main square and the start of the mile long, Street (or walking street) the city’s shopping Mecca.
But back to the Absalon boutique hotel….. It is a veritable oasis of calm, with charming helpful staff, bright interiors and sometimes quirky decor with unique touches to make the visitor feel that he – or she – is special.
Right away the colourful reception area lifts the gloom of a cold and wet Danish winter’s day. I was amazed when Receptionist Alexander greeted me by my first name just as soon as I stepped through the automatic doors – very impressive! So right away I felt that I made the right choice of accommodation even though I had not been to Copenhagen for more than a decade.
Check in formalities were minimal and completed in a couple of minutes. Straight away you felt you were in a Harry Potter movie by stepping inside the lift (the sliding doors of the lift are the illustration of a well-stocked bookcase) and when you stop out on your allotted floor there are huge glass jars of toffees and chocolates which never seem to run out (despite my best attempts).
The Absalon Hotel was founded some 75 years ago in 1938 (the year of the start of the Second World War in which Denmark was occupied) by the grandparents of the current General Manager Karen Nedergaard.
In May 2015 Karen opened the completely new and totally renovated Absalon – keeping the classical architecture of the building as a predominant factor of its exterior and interior design as well as “the wish to include the urban colourful universe which surrounds the trendy and hip neighbourhood of Vesterbro.”
All 161 rooms and suites are decorated with textiles and wall papers from the award winning English Designers Guild, a brand known for its use of vibrant colours and exclusive wallpapers that combine with the modern and classic structure of the building to create a cosy atmosphere.
A novel innovation at The Absalon and the company’s Andersen Boutique Hotel (just across the street) in April 2012 is the introduction of Concept24 by the Absalon’s General Manager Karen. Basically this means that the guest may keep the room for 24 hours no matter what the time of arrival…. A great idea which deserves to be adopted more widely. This was an innovation I took full advantage of and used my room well into late afternoon before departing for the airport and my evening Ryanair flight back to Dublin.
“Core values like home, caring, honesty, helpful, hospitality and excellent service are still the bearing of all employees at The Absalon,” says Karen. “The Absalon is one of Copenhagen’s oldest family owned hotels.”
The hotel’s multi lingual and fresh Front Office team is claimed to be the some of the best in the industry and readily share their insider tips for seeing Copenhagen, one of Europe’s great tourist cities. With a 24-hour reception desk there is always an employee ready to help the visitor – whiter it is a reservation for one of Copenahgen’s trendy restaurants, sightseeing by bus, or boat, or indeed to catch special events in the city. Simply tell the staff what you want to see, and they will be able to find the best deal for you…
A word of warning however, do not be tempted (like me)to take a taxi from the airport just because you are arriving late in the evening, fatigued, stressed and unfamiliar with the exact whereabouts of the hotel. Recalling that the Central Station is massive with exits at all four points of the compass, I took the safe option and headed straight for the Taxi sign at the airport. Wrong! The taxi ended up costing about £35. The next morning I got my bearings just by looking out the hotel door and saw the Station entrance just a 100 yards away! Later I found that a 36kr (£4) train ticket would have landed me just a couple of minutes walk from the Absalon.
Brian Ogle
HOTEL FACTBOX
Absalon Hotel, Helgolandsgade 15, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1653. Tel: 00 45 33 31 43 44. Email: info@absalon-hotel.dk. Website: Absalon-hotel.dk
The 'Travel' Life of Brian 