The wealthiest city in Germany, Hamburg has celebrated its maritime pedigree throughout its 1,200-year history, though perhaps nowhere more elegantly than at Hotel Atlantic Kempinski Hamburg.
Opened in 1909, the Atlantic quickly filled with first-class guests sailing across the ocean on the Hamburg America line and the bond between cruise liners and the Atlantic was perpetuated with the 1913 launch of the Vaterland, one of the first transatlantic “floating palaces.”
The view from atop Hotel Atlantic (Source: MRNY)
Today, the spacious hallways of the Atlantic are lined with vitrines filled with nautical antiques and artifacts from the glory days of ocean crossings. Also known as “the White House” of Hamburg for its majestic white columned facade along Lake Alster, the Atlantic has been the benchmark for superior accommodations and the epitome of Hanseatic elegance for over a century.
Beautifully situated on the lakefront and a short walk from the main station, the Atlantic has been the Hamburg residence for the illustrious and the famous, including the King of Siam, the Prince of Wales, Cary Grant, Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Aristotle Onassis, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nobel Prize laureates, and James Bond in “Tomorrow Never Dies,” as well as the headquarters for the British military after WWII. As one guest from the Twenties remarked, a sojourn at the Atlantic was akin to being in residence at an “English country estate.”
Hotel Atlantic’s Grand Lobby (Source: MRNY)
Each afternoon at the Atlantic, high tea is served in the Grand Hotel lobby under the benign gaze of the German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, whose blue majolica portrait hangs above the fireplace.
Classic cocktails from the Twenties are offered in the Art Deco Atlantic Bar, where a grand piano with pianist appears to be awaiting an entrance by Dietrich in a tuxedo.
Hotel Atlantic’s Art Deco Atlantic Bar (Source: Kempinski)
For those guests interested in the hotel’s historic provenance, The Atlantic‘s “Hotel Safari” is a labyrinthine tour of the hotel’s private salons and secret passages, including the hidden “Phantom Room,” which leads to the hotel’s rooftop terrace with its signature iconic illuminated sphere.
The Atlantic’s “Phantom Room” (Source: MRNY)
Declared a German historic monument (complete with commemorative plaque at the hotel’s entrance) in 2010, the Atlantic recently completed a refurbishment of its 30 suites and 215 rooms, outfitting them in four color schemes, including a silver-and-blue homage to Belle Epoque Europe and the cool, icy blues of Lake Alster. The high-ceilinged commodious rooms are customized with five-star luxury fittings such as Macassar ebony furniture, black Murano glass chandeliers, Carrara marble, silk upholstery, Nespresso coffee machines, and iPod docking stations.
(Source: MRNY)
Dining options at the Atlantic include the Atlantic Restaurant with stellar views of Outer Lake Alster. For those seeking Asian cuisine, Tsao Yang (Chinese for “sunrise”) offers a broad swath of Chinese gastronomy. A summer lunch atrium features a two-tiered fountain, which overflows with ice and oysters on the half shell during clement weather, while 13 historic salons and ballrooms are available for private events and celebrations.
For those arriving at the Atlantic immediately after disembarking from a transatlantic flight, a 24/7 “body clock” breakfast is available whenever your body says it’s time for smoothies, omelettes, and fruit. Perhaps even better is the copious breakfast buffet served in the Alstersalon, with its windows fronting the lake. A wake-up call is followed moments later by a light knock on the door, whereupon a uniformed valet enters bearing a silver tray with your wake-up cup of coffee.
The Atlantic’s summer atrium (Source: MRNY)
In keeping with its five-star luxury standards, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski Hamburg offers butler service, baggage packing and unpacking, 24-hour room service, shopping assistants, and limousine service. There’s also a plush, eight-person private screening room for private film screenings (or marriage proposals and canoodling) and an indoor pool and solarium.
With such amenities, it’s no wonder that the German artist and rock star Udo Lindenberg, whose work is featured throughout the hotel’s public spaces, moved into the Atlantic in 1995 and is often found sketching at the Atlantic Bar.
After several nights in such splendor, you, too, might yearn to become a full-time resident of Hotel Atlantic Kempinski Hamburg.
(Source: MRNY)
Getting There: United Airlines flies nonstop from Newark to Hamburg. An evening departure on United Airlines from Newark gets you into Hamburg early in the morning – and if you’ve availed yourself of United Economy Plus seats, it’s possible that you’ll have slept a little on the flight, meaning that you’ll be ready for all the pleasures that Hamburg offers.
