Ibsens Hotel

An old guesthouse given a second chance as a cosy, colourful hotel, with friendly service and a central location

For some hotels, a street address is nothing more than data for customers to plug into their SatNav for directions. For Ibsens, however, it’s an important part of its personality: after a top-to-bottom renovation in 2011, the rich life of Nansensgade (a gallery-, bookshop- and café-lined thoroughfare in central Copenhagen) filters through the eclectic spaces of this former guesthouse, sister to hip Hotel Fox. Fabrics and sculptures are by local designers Krestine Kjaerholm and Pia Hutters, the safe boxes in the lobby are daubed in graffiti-style art, and the leather luggage tags used as key fobs come from nearby boutique The Last Bag.

All this design could make a hotel stuffy, but not Ibsens (witness the record player in the lounge, complete with some cool old vinyl to spin at your leisure). The overall vibe is casual, funky and warm - helped along by smiling staff and simple, cosy rooms with a hint of retro. And, when the weather’s fine, large floor-to-ceiling windows open to the let the bustle outside flow in. The result is a hotel where the hospitality of its guesthouse pedigree is still very much alive, but brought bang up to date with modern touches (free WiFi, snazzy TVs) and wonderful splashes of colour.

Highs

• A plum location between the downtown area and the beautiful lakes
• The friendly welcome and laid-back ambiance make it ideal for families, solo travellers and groups of friends
• Plenty of communal areas for mingling and soaking up the atmosphere - we loved the inviting lounge with its fireplace and working record player, and the small library
• Quirky details throughout - maps of Copenhagen on carpets and walls, shaggy throws on chairs, blackboards showing the weather forecast in the lobby
• There’s a choice of 2 restaurants serving tasty Spanish and Italian fare

Lows

• At 10-12 sq.m the Small Rooms are small - and the Medium Rooms (12-16sqm) aren’t much bigger. Both have small double beds but are best suited to solo travellers
• Bathrooms in all except the Junior Suites are a little underwhelming
• With 118 rooms, it’s larger than most i-escape hotels, but character-filled spaces and friendly staff mean it still feels intimate
• Rooms are fairly basic and lack amenities such as hairdryers, minibars and air conditioning
• There’s no wardrobe space to speak of, only hooks and hangers on the walls