Your Next Stay: HENRI Hotel, Hamburg

Hotel Review

Explore Hamburg from the city centre with a chic stay at the HENRI Hotel.

One of our favourite things about Hamburg has to be the easy and walkable access you have to pretty much everything from the downtown core. So, a hotel located steps away from the train station, trams and bus stops, and the main pedestrian shopping area is a win for us. And you can get all of that with HENRI Hotel, Hamburg. It’s the first hotel in the HENRI chain of boutique properties, housed in an old office building that seems to have never lacked charm. Hamburg was a city of merchants, with goods being traded while people came in and out. These days it’s as much about the arts as it is about the merchants, giving the city a cool mix of business and a laid back vibe–a perfect mix for this hotel. Don’t forget, while you’re in Hamburg, check out Next Destination’s top 8 things to see and do in Hamburg.

Location, location, location.

The location

It’s all about where your hotel is located in your destination that makes all the difference. Because chances are, if you’re in the centre and near all the action, you’ll see and do much more on your trip. Thankfully, the HENRI Hamburg is located right in the middle of downtown between Mönckebergstraße, Hauptbahnhof and Rathausmarkt, meaning you have access to public transport, and easily walkable to key areas like Rathaus (city hall), and the UNESCO heritage site Dyke Road, restaurants, museums, the Spiecherstradt district (where merchant buildings are packed in between canals and Hamburg’s infamous bridges) and more. Make sure you also check out our Next Destination mini guide, Hamburg to plan out your entire stay!

The common space

The HENRI brand is all about creating that community in its common spaces. In fact, their brand ethos is to create your home “for the moment”. So creating that welcome as soon as you enter one of their hotels is key. The lobby at the HENRI Hamburg feels more like a cozy, German living room than a stuffy chain hotel lobby.

Worn leather sofas, velvet chairs that let you sink in deeply after a long haul flight, a bookshelf with books for the taking (to read, not to keep!), and rugs all make you feel more like you’re in a home rather than a hotel, and fit the hotel’s theme of hospitality meets retro chic. And since most HENRI hotels are built either into old homes, or smaller old buildings, they keep that boutique feel while preserving the details of the space they renovated.

One standout at the HENRI Hotel, Hamburg, is the common dining space. The hub for breakfast in the morning, it feels like a big open kitchen in someone’s home thanks to a large island filled with eggs, croissants, cereals, fruits and meats. The fridge is stocked with dairy, yogurt, juices and more (by day it’s filled with salads, fruits, beer, sodas and ice cream that you can take on an honour system). Newspapers hang on racks and you can seat yourself at a table, or in a cozy booth nook. It’s the spot to spend a leisurely morning, grab an afternoon coffee, or a drink pre-dinner.

A cozy feel

The Rooms

When it comes to rooms at the HENRI, it’s all about function mixed with some 50s and 60s flair. Take your pick from its 65 studios and suites, that all have a lived-in, cozy feel while making the most out of the space. The rooms pay homage to the building’s office and workspace roots with retro-styled coffee machines, dial phones and ample work space, and walls show off character with old-fashioned posters, eclectic wallpaper, patterned rugs and chairs with plush, oversized pillows.

Bathrooms come with sustainably sourced toiletries, in large bottles (none of those disposable minis!) that have quirky and fun sayings on them and even lists of songs to sing in the shower.

The best bit about this hotel, the original HENRI Hotel, is how quiet it is. It’s not often you find a renovated hotel that still manages to keep rooms quiet and guest noise to a minimum, but you get some peace and quiet while staying here.