The challenge wasn't 25 hours, but 240.
We'd decided to stay the entirety of the Christmas and New Year break in Copenhagen, and wanted a comfortable home base that wouldn't cost a fortune. My instinct was to hit VRBO and rent an apartment; my husband argued that by Christmas we'll be totally exhausted and we'd want others to do the cooking and cleaning. On that, he had an excellent point. Problem was, Copenhagen hotels tend to default to austere Nordic design, and those we knew had limited public spaces. The hunt was on for a great location and generously sized room complemented by lots of comfortable communal areas where we could feel at home throughout the holidays.
The 25Hours Hotel Copenhagen delivered.
I'd discovered the chain in Paris three years ago, and was impressed by the way they managed to bring a boutique feel to an enormous hotel. The same is true in Copenhagen, though the design was different. The Berlin-based chain explains that the atmosphere and ambition is the same across their locations -- "provocative urban locations, irreverent yet functional aesthetic, and the romantic nostalgia of grand hotels" according to their website -- but each is created by a local team with its own look and feel.
The early 19th century building started life as a porcelain factory and then became a university building, blessed with high ceilings, thick walls and enormous windows. Designers have used loads of colour and pattern, and the rooms have a bit of an industrial chic feel to channel the factory origins. Rooms come in single, medium and large. We’d booked the last, given the length of our stay and the time we expected to be lounging in the room. On a shorter trip, the medium would have been ample.
Tall, open shelving units, half-walls and a narrow stand with a large TV on top broke a large space into four distinct areas: a dressing, storage and entry spot just inside the door; a sitting area with desk, sofa, chair, stool and coffee table, a bathroom done in cheery burgundy and white geometric tiles with separate rooms for the toilet and an enormous shower, and the sleeping area with a large, comfortably-dressed king-sized bed. Butter yellow walls to a rail a few feet below the ceiling, aqua-green above, a lighter olive green on the floor-to-ceiling curtains and a variety of fabrics with bursts of bright colour brought cheer to the room, even though the sun only came out briefly once in 10 days. 
As a writer, I’m a fan of the chain’s thoughtful use of language. You’re greeted in the room with a hand-written welcome note and a variety of materials about the hotel and the local area that are beautifully composed in breezy, modern language with a wry sense of humour throughout. Instead of the usual “do not disturb” sign there’s a “25Reasons” booklet that allows you to choose from red pages (we’re up to no good in here, keep out) or green (help, we’ve made a mess!). Guests clearly love this small innovation as most hang the book out with their chosen phrase for the day from amongst the 25. All the signage is fun and direct. And it’s all in a similar “voice” to that used by the attentive, friendly staff who feel like friends from the moment of check-in. That kind of attention to brand delights me.
Public spaces include a lounge/library with two enormous sofas and an ottoman in front of a fire often crackling with dry wood; a listening room with a record player, tape deck and collections of vinyl and cassette (the record player was sadly broken when we were there); a work room with a long communal table and chairs; and an enormous, glass roofed atrium called “the assembly hall” that I’d guess was once a courtyard between the different buildings cobbled together to make the hotel. There’s another open fire with a sofa and comfortable chairs in the restaurant, Neni, where breakfast is served. It’s an excellent place to settle if you’re staying in for the morning.
Breakfast was disappointing. If you’re not a frequent visitor to Denmark, you may not notice this. But with a fair amount of experience in the usual Danish breakfast buffet of meats and cheeses, 25Hours was underwhelming. In a town obsessed with local sourcing, the offerings felt like a generic, global corporate chain. It’s the only place that cool brand slipped.
I missed the classic Danish Rullepølse that’s usually on the breakfast table and more obviously Danish cheeses. Pastry offerings were limited, and were obviously of the bulk, bake from frozen variety rather than the wienerbrød and the like that’s so delicious in this part of the world. There was also a warm buffet with eggs, sausages and bacon, but I found the last two so laden with salt I was thirsty for the rest of the day. The booking system allows you to choose your package with or without breakfast. For our long stay over the holidays, “with” made sense. If I were returning for a short break, I’d skip the in-house dining and go across the yard in front of the hotel to the excellent pastry shop.
The warning: Think carefully before booking with children. The local designers clearly thought Copenhagen was synonymous with sexy weekend. The pattern on the floor to ceiling curtains in our room seemed abstract on first glance, but was in fact writhing naked couples in an array of creative embraces. Settle into that lovely library room with the fireplace and you’ll notice that the books on the shelves are mostly on sex and sexuality, the floral painting above the fireplace looks remarkably like a vulva and there’s a poster from an exhibition about sex toys with a drawing of an 18th century woman preparing herself with her right hand to consume the treat she’s holding in her left. My husband found my “puritanical American shock” amusing, but I think most Brits I know would be uncomfortable with the questions the decor might prompt from children. Keep 25Hours for the grownups.
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