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The Danhostel Copenhagen City: A 'Five-Star Hostel'

Where: 50 H.C. Andersens Boulevard;, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1620

We knew things would go awry with New York Times reporter Seth Sherwood's review of Copenhagen's Danhostel once he likened the idea of a "five-star hostel" to that of "gourmet fast-food" and "luxury trailer park."

Though Sherwood didn't hate the place, he seems pretty ambivalent about it, and with good reason. While the locale is good (described as "the edge of the Copenhagen city center"), the rooms are so barren Sherwood says his "felt like a prison cell designed by Ikea."

That's not the hotel's only trait reminiscent of bygone college days. Sherwood says bathrooms resemble closets (though perhaps unlike most dorm bathrooms, these were very clean) and that the basement offers a television lounge and computer area. Too, the place was proliferated by an assortment of 20-somethings, including the dreaded hipster.

Overall, Sherwood recommends spending about 100 to 200 kroner more (about $20 to $30) for a budget hotel behind the nearby Central Station. Also of note is that the hotel's web site won't be available in English until March 1.

Tags: Copenhagen Hotel Reviews / Seth Sherwood / → All Tags

Farfegnugen at the Hotel Fox

Where: Jarmers Plads 3, Copenhagen, Denmark

This week, the Grey Lady checks in on the Hotel Fox in Copehagen, which opened back in April 2005, the same time Steve Wynn was unveiling his Las Vegas masterpiece.

The story behind Hotel Fox is that it was once an aging hotel that Volkswagen decided to spruce up by hiring 21 "artists, illustrators, graphic designers, graffiti writers and other forward-looking creators to decorate its 61 rooms."  And each artist did so using their own personal style, which means every room in the hotel is distinctly different.

Reviewer Seth Sherwood was placed in Room 510, a small room (out of the S, M, L and XL room categories) designed by a German illustrator who lined the walls with  "humanoid" creatures with monstrous heads and filled the room with tufted armchairs and "Gothic electric candelabras", all apparently designed to soothe the guest's thoughts. Aside from the playful interior, the room had a single bed and a little desk with  a small flat-screen TV and a phone.

The biggest fault of the hotel seems to be its bathrooms.

Untouched by the commissioned artists, the generic industrial tiles and fixtures recall an American college dormitory. Mine had only a shower with an unmountable, hand-held sprayer. The lone serving of Hotel Fox combination shampoo and shower gel came in a packet like airline salad dressing. The stiff towels seemed washed once too many times.

But you can cheer yourself back up by renting an iPod from the hotel or a bicycle. Also check out the free breakfast and the hotel bar which is actually the hotel lobby that transforms into a bar Thursday through Saturday with a DJ and signature cocktails.

The small rooms start at 945 kroner while the XL rooms go for  1,620 kroner. Sherwood recommends at least a medium.

Related Stories:
· Check-In, Check-Out: The Hotel Fox [NYTimes]
· Hotel Fox: Copenhagen Lifestyle Pad [HotelChatter]