#9
A very cool and just short of excellent hotel
We really enjoyed our stay at Hotel Herman K, However, it was just short of excellent. I would give it 4.5 stars and I would suggest it has more pros than cons from our experience, as detailed below.
Overall we thought Hotel Herman K was a design led, cool friendly and very good hotel and we would recommend it. However, as explained below, there are some aspects we found slightly diminished the overall experience and if the management want a truly five star experience they should consider addressing these to take it from very good to excellent.
First the positive aspects of our stay:
Location - The hotel was so easy to get to from the airport. Just 15 minutes from the airport on the Underground and a short walk from the Kongens Nytorv underground station. In fact you can walk through the Magasin du Nord store as the underground station has an exit directly into the store. The hotel is directly opposite the Magasin du Nord store and is well located for the shopping district and we found it a short walking distance from some excellent restaurants. It is also just a few minutes walk from Nyhavn.
Staff - The staff were great and very welcoming, helpful and thoughtful and friendly throughout our stay. They really made the difference and our welcome was lovely including a “nice to see you” drink which was a delightful touch.
Hotel Design/Ambience - The hotel ambience is urban cool and friendly and the bar/reception area is striking and dramatic. The hotel was formerly an electrical transformer station and has kept the industrial stark aesthetic which works really well. The outside of the hotel has a very striking grid of horizontal metal blades while inside the concrete is left exposed along with concrete floors and original terrazzo stairs. It is clearly deservedly a cool and fashionable venue and whilst we were there Elle magazine had a cocktail party there to which we were told we were welcome to attend and the attendees, who included some Danish celebrities, seemed to be having a great time.
Room design - The room itself is modern in design bright and airy and we found it quiet and the bed very comfortable. We also really liked the usb ports built into the bedside shelves. The room has a safe, a hairdryer and a hand held clothes steamer. There is also a kettle and we had a small table and a single chair. The television is a good size with only a few English language channels. However the room is on the small side (see below). The wi-fi is also very good and the hotel was very clean.
Breakfast - The breakfast is superb, a fresh organic buffet supplemented by freshly made hot food made for a great start to the day. Both days we were there I had a freshly made omelette, ginger and apple juice and a pastries and my wife had freshly made scrambled eggs with champagne. The food was excellent, the staff friendly and it is well worth making sure you experience the breakfast.
Wine hour and nightcap - Not only can you have champagne for breakfast but the hotel offers a free glass of its own very drinkable wine between 5pm and 6pm and a night cap with a wide selection of free spirits served between 10pm and 11pm. This is a nice touch and fits well with their friendly welcoming vibe.
The negative aspects that we felt prevent this hotel being a truly 5 star experience include:
Position of reception - The reception area is positioned at the back right next to the lift and bar. This is an awkward position as when you arrive in the hotel you are faced with the bar rather than reception and this can be confusing when the bar is busy. If the bar is busy then it is is both difficult to navigate and you feel a like you are in the way as you are standing right next to the lift. More than two people at the reception area makes it feel like a crush.
Room size - I paid extra for a “Superior Double Room with Balcony” and I found the room size small. The room itself is comfortable and the decor is nice but we felt a bit squeezed. There is nowhere really to store your luggage as the wardrobe was very small (single size) and raised up above drawers and the safe. If you had hand luggage only I think you could place your case beneath the bedside shelves. There is not much they can do about the room size but be aware it is cosy and comfortable.
Room issues - We found the air conditioning heating was not working when we arrived and the room was too cold. We did contact the hotel staff straight away about this and were given an additional duvet and promised it would be fixed the next day as it was quite late when we arrived but this did not happen. In addition there were bluetooth speakers in the room that were not working. The staff did try and find another room for us but there were none available and these were irksome rather than fundamental issues and not worth us wasting time chasing, especially as the next day the staff were very busy with the all day event for Elle magazine.
Bathroom door - This may seem a small issue but the bathroom has a sliding door and is very difficult to slide shut, because it has a flat handle and does not slide smoothly. I am strong but I found it awkward to close and it felt badly designed and a bit poor quality, it should glide closed but instead it shuddered.
Despite these quibbles overall it really is a very good and just short of excellent hotel. As I said our overall experience was very enjoyable and we would definitely return, it just needs some work on the details before we can class it as excellent.