Discover this year’s crop of wildly innovative Danish hotels

Now in 2021 this trend is being maintained with major expansion plans for Scandic Hotels with three new openings across the Danish capital. In the new neighbourhood of Nordhavn, the award winning Comwell Hotel Group are building their first hotel in the city, whilst luxury operator NH Hotel Group will be launching their first Danish property, a five-star hotel on Copenhagen’s harbor front. The Dutch newcomer, ZOKU Copenhagen, is opening its eagerly anticipated loft-style aparthotel, whilst a new luxurious take on the hostel concept is set to open with Next House Copenhagen and at BOOK1 in Denmark’s second city, Aarhus. Meanwhile on the island of Bornholm, Green Solutions House takes sustainability to a whole new level. 

Here’s a sneak peek at each of the hotels….

Three new Scandic hotels in Copenhagen

Scandic is Scandinavia’s leading hotel group. The first of their new openings for 2021 is Scandic CPH Strandpark in March, a 357 bedroom property located close to Kastrup airport, the beach and the marina. The hotel is a genuine city resort hotel with its own harbour, conference department, swimming pool and wellness area, plus restaurants and a skybar. And is just a short distance from Amager Strandpark, home to the impressive Den Blå Planet National Aquarium, which also houses meeting facilities. 

Next up in April is Scandic Nørreport. Located at Copenhagen’s busiest train station Nørreport, on the corner of Frederiksborggade and Nørre Voldgade, it is conveniently located with a direct metro service to the airport and right around the corner from the city’s food halls and Botanical Garden. The 100-bedroom hotel will be small compared to other Scandic properties and will feature a roof top terrace, restaurant and sky bar to take in the views of the city.

Finally, in November 2021, Scandic will be opening Scandic Spectrum. With 632 bedrooms it will be Scandic’s largest hotel to date. Located close to Kalvebod Brygge (Copenhagen’s harbor pools) with views of the city from its skybar and a green oases of atriums. A series of specialty restaurants are planned, as well as a swimming pool and an innovative meeting and conference department.

Comwell Copenhagen Portside to open in Nordhavn

In January the new Nordhavn neighbourhood saw its first hotel when the award winning Comwell group opened its first hotel in the Danish capital under its own name.

Comwell Copenhagen Portside has been designed by architecture firm, Arkitema Architects, who have drawn inspiration from the harbour’s historic warehouses to create a 493 bedroom hotel with a further 18 conference and meeting rooms. The hotel is close to the new metro station and will have ’green walls’ covered in plants, a roof garden and an atrium garden.

The group have traditionally been known for their premium spa hotels, such as Comwell Kellers Park near Vejle, on the East Jutland coast, which picked up the accolade of Denmark’s best hotel in both the Jutland and Zealand categories at the 2019 Danish Travel Awards.

More conference space by Copenhagen Airport

Out by Copenhagen Airport, the new select-service hotel, Comfort Hotel Copenhagen Airport is opening in March. Constructed next to the Clarion Hotel Copenhagen Airport, the new conference hotel will offer 605 budget rooms, allowing the total hotel complex including the adjacent full-service Clarion Hotel to total 1,000 rooms. Alongside the hotel, a 2,500 m2 conference hall called The Hanger, is opening. The Hangar will seat up to 2,150 delegates - or approximately 25 cars or 5 small aircrafts. 

Just a few metro stops away, Scandinavia's largest conference center, Bella Center Copenhagen, has been expanding capacity and is set to open an additional hall in April, adding 14,000 m2 to the already 121,000 m2 large center. 

New luxury hotel NH Collection ’Ørkenfortet’

Arkitema Architects, together with Henning Larsen Architects, are also behind the creation of a new 5-star hotel on Copenhagen’s waterfront in the area of Christianshavn.

The building, known as the Ørkenfortet (the Desert Fort), was originally built in 1962 as the headquarters for the engineering and ship-building company, Burmeister & Wain and will be run by NH Hotel Group under their five-star ‘Collection’ brand. It will be their first hotel in Denmark. The hotel is expected to open in the autumn of 2021 with 394 rooms.

New boutique hotel in the center of Copenhagen

Right in the historic heart of Copenhagen, 25hours Hotel Company will open their first hotel in Denmark in 2021. The boutique hotel with the name 25hours Hotel Round Tower will open in a former university building previously housing the Faculties of Theology and Law, right next door from the iconic Round Tower. The hotel will feature 243 rooms, a large wellness area, bar and café and a cozy courtyard open for both hotel guests and locals.

New aparthotel ZOKU Copenhagen

In the first quarter of 2021 a newcomer to the Danish Capital will arrive in the form of the Dutch hotel group, ZOKU.

ZOKU Copenhagen will comprise 160-loft style aparthotel rooms with fully equipped kitchens and a private dining area as well as the normal hotel room amenities. Situated on Amager island and close to central Copenhagen the capsule living and cool co-working space is a great solution for an extended stay. It also offers guests a central garden, a rooftop greenhouse, with hammocks for relaxing, and various communal spaces. The hotel’s restaurant will be run by Kavit Shah (formerly at Copenhagen’s Michelin starred restaurant ‘Geranium’) and will focus on healthy dishes made from local and sustainable ingredients.

New Hostels at Next House Copenhagen and BOOK1 in Aarhus

In 2021 Denmark’s two biggest cities will each open a more luxurious take on a hostel to appeal to a younger audience of travelers.

First up is Next House which Arp-Hansen Hotel Group will be opening in Summer 2021 close to the Central Station, Tivoli Gardens and Copenhagen’s new harbor front.

Billed as ‘Europe's biggest luxury hostel’ it is located in a former office building which it has been completely transformed and extended to offer 433 bedrooms will a total of 1,650 beds. It is hoped the structure of the new hotel will comply with DGNB certification for sustainable and green buildings with solar panels and a strong environmental element, using hanging gardens both inside and outside.

Beyond the Danish capital in its second city Aarhus BOOK1 is due to open in the city’s former library. Designed by the Danish Brøchner Hotel Group with a new take on old style hostel accommodation.  In their first project outside Copenhagen the property will offer 444 beds spread across dormitories, private rooms and even suites.  

Having delayed the opening from 2020 the hostel is due to open in beginning of 2021, close to the ARoS Museum in the centre of the city.

Design details of the former library have been preserved and mixed with minimalist Scandinavian styling using cool industrial steel. The hostel is aimed at younger travelers and uses innovative digital solutions such as an app that will allow guests to chat with the staff and open their hotel room.

BIG hotel to open in Esbjerg 

In Esbjerg on the Danish west coast, internationally renowned Danish architect group BIG is behind a new 117-room hotel by A Place To set to open in October 2021. A Place To is an innovative co-living concept targeting a younger audience and spanning three buildings. The hotel will be located on the top nine floors of the tallest of the buildings, while the other floors will serve as housing for some of the city’s many students.  All rooms are beautifully decorated with Danish design from HAY and feature balconies with views over the Esbjerg city center and the North Sea.

Vestsalen – new major conference and event venue in Horsens

A former state prison in the city of Horsens in Jutland, Fængslet (literally ‘The Prison’) has long welcomed visitors to its captivating prison museum and event spaces – you can even spend the night in one of the 22 authentic prison cells as part of their SleepIn hostel concept.

This June, Fængslet is set to reimagine its ground floor to become the city’s newest conference and event space, called Vestsalen (literally ‘The West Hall’). The new venue will consist of two main halls: Store Sal (literally ‘Large Hall’) with a capacity for 450 persons (up to 350 seated) and Innergården (literally ‘The Inner Yard’, i.e. the covered former prison yard) accommodating up to 800 persons (up to 600 seated).

Designed by leading Aarhus-based architecture company CUBO, the new state-of-the-art convening venue will cover a total of 1,900 sq. metres, including support facilities such as a foyer, cloakroom, backstage studios and WCs. 

New climate-positive hotel wing at Green Solutions House on Bornholm

The rocky island of Bornholm in the Baltic has long been a frontrunner in terms of sustainability and was awarded 1st place in this year’s RESponsible Island Prize from the EU for its green energy efforts. In July next year, the new climate-positive hotel wing at Green Solutions House in the town of Rønne will further add to the green credentials. Danish architect group 3XN is behind the innovative building adding 24 guest rooms to the 35-room hotel as well as a conference room and rooftop spa.  

Adults-only hotel in Ærø

On the south Denmark island of Ærø, a new hotel concept is also ready to open this year. The cozy Ærø Hotel will become Denmark’s first adults-only hotel with an age minimum of 16 years. Ærø is an ideal destination for couples, friends or solo-travelers looking to explore nature. The hotel’s indoor swimming pool and soon expanded fitness area makes it ideal for a relaxing retreat.

Notes on COVID19

Before booking please check on the Danish Police website that you are able to visit Denmark. The list of approved countries is updated every Thursday at 3pm.

If a traveler wishing to enter shows clear signs of sickness, for example a cough, fever, or similar, they will not be allowed to cross the border.

Visit the Danish Health Authority page for the most up to date Coronavirus information.