Regular visitors to the blog will by now be familiar with one of my all-time pet peeves: Why is a region so affluent as Scandinavia so lacking in true 5-star hotels? It would seem to me that the self-same people, who also are among those who drop the most moolah on 5-star hotels outside of their geographical confines, would want to invest in either building new 5-star hotels or bringing the few existing ones up to international standard.
The Bella Sky Comwell Hotel in Copenhagen. Photos courtesy of the hotel.
While I’ve been pondering this mystery and trying to factor in where that whole Lutheran guilt thing, Scandinavia’s largest hotel – the Bella Cromwell Sky hotel – has been settling into its position as the largest hotel in the Nordic region. Opened in May 2011, it’s once again made headlines for winning the Best Hotel Architecture title in the region at the 2011 European Hotel Awards, and having seen the two leaning towers that form the hotel at close range, we are not really surprised. Luxury Travel Beat wanted to see what other headlines the hotel has the potential for making, so we parked our bags and headed to our second home – Copenhagen to check it out.
One of the rooms at the Bella Sky hotel
The Rooms: We stayed in a corner room with a serious view of the surrounding Orestad region. I’m sure on a clear day I would have been able to see all the way to neighbouring Sweden but this is winter in Copenhagen – no such luck. Most of the rooms situated in the higher floors will give you magnificent views of your surroundings, and there’s even a suite equipped with a pair of high-tech binoculars:
Some of the suites at the Bella Sky come equipped with long-range binoculars. Photo by Cynthia Wamwayi
Designwise, you can expect to see a sampling of what has made Copenhagen world-famous. The Bella Sky’s 814 rooms, suites and public areas are designed according to a concept they call New Nordic Cool, which leans heavily on the use of classic Nordic furniture with an edge to match the hotel’s ground-breaking architecture. When I first set foot into my room, I am immediately greeted with a gratifying sense of lots of space. They’ve achieved this by strategically placing large mirrors on opposite ends of the room, and weirdly, according to Mr. LTB, a wall of glass separating the bathroom area from the living room.
The well-secured, all female Bella Donna Floor. Photo by Cynthia Wamwayi
The Bella Donna Floor: All 20 rooms on the 17th floor in Tower 2 of the Bella Sky hotel are strictly off bounds for men. Guest need cards to enter the floor and if one of them suddenly finds they’d like to share their room with a male guest, they have to switch floors. Inside, rose and burgundy tones have replaced the black and grey hues found on the hotel’s other floors. Other perks include Ole Henriksen toileteries, fashion and gossip mags, chocolate, fresh fruit and flowers.
Some of the amenities inside a room on the Bella Donna floor. Photo by Cynthia Wamwayi
Food and Beverage: The Bella Sky’s food and beverage offerings consist of a chilled-out, top-floor Sky Bar equipped with a snazzy Poul Henningsen piano and an even snazzier view, a Lobby Bar, two restaurants – The Library and The Balcony – where breakfast is served, and off course, room service.
The Sky-bar at the Bella Sky hotel. Photo by Cynthia Wamwayi
Other Amenities: Free wireless throughout the hotel (charging for Wi-Fi should be abolished in all four and five-star hotels in 2012!), a well-equipped gym and a spa with steam rooms and plunge pools. As at most Copenhagen hotels, bicycles may be rented by the day in the summer. I was informed that the bikes had been taken in for the winter.
LTB Blurb: Bella Sky’s location is a bit outside of the city center and in an area that is pretty much dead after 7pm. It’s right next to the Bella Center Exhibition center and a 15 minute walk from Field’s, which is one of Denmark’s largest malls. We loved that it is about 5 minutes from the Bella Center metro station (for 10-minute connections to downtown Copenhagen) and about 15 minutes from Orestad train station, which connects the area to the nearby Kastrup International Airport.
The lowdown: Bella Sky Hotel, Copenhagen. Center Boulevard 5, Copenhagen 2300, Denmark. http://http://www.bellaskycomwell.dk/. +45 3247 3000
