Louis Hotel

Anyone expecting today’s Munich to be heavy, gray and industrial is in for a pleasant surprise. These days it’s occasionally referred to as “Italy’s northernmost city,” and the contrast with the traditional picture of Germany — not just the weather, but the mood as well — couldn’t be clearer. It’s this new Munich for which the Louis is something of a symbol: it’s a German design hotel that swaps dark Teutonic drama for something warm, sunny, almost Mediterranean.

The rooms, especially, are lighter than the typical urban boutique fare, with spare, slightly bohemian furnishings in warm, earthy tones against a very plain background of white paint and wood floors. There’s more than a little bit of luxury about, but it’s discreet — you’ll notice the Paris-Métro bathroom tiles before you notice the underfloor heating.

Though the services are tightly edited, there’s a decided emphasis on the good life — not just physical, as in the gym and sauna, but spiritual as well, as on the rooftop where a terrace takes in a striking view of the city’s landmarks. Nowhere is this ethos more clear than in the restaurant, Emiko, where a team of Japanese chefs turn out inspired Japanese cuisine as well as European fare that’s even better than the real thing.