Bayerischer Hof Munich

Playing host to the likes of aristocrats, film stars and pop idols, the independently owned Hotel Bayerischer Hof is without a doubt the queen of Munich’s grand hotel scene. Once the spare palace where King Ludwig I entertained his royal guests, since 1841 it’s been a stately and old-fashioned hotel in the vein of a Hotel Adlon or a Waldorf-Astoria.

Interiors vary from traditional to more traditional; even the modern-styled rooms by Siegward Graf Pilati are more Art Deco than avant-garde. Others range from subtly African-colonial to a classic Bavarian look by Hans Minarik and two distinct English country-house schemes, one minimal and monochromatic, the other by Laura Ashley, festooned with floral prints and chintz. There’s no shortage of space, either in the bedrooms or the marble baths, and the suites beggar belief—as well they should, in a hotel of this sort—with vaulted ceilings and sprawling sitting rooms.

The rooftop pool area has been renovated, to great effect, featuring the Blue Spa designed by French icon Andree Putman which includes a solarium, sauna, steam bath and massage treatments. Conference spaces are legion, as are nightlife options, with five bars and four restaurants, including the two-Michelin-starred Atelier.