AMERON Hamburg Speicherstadt

Hamburg’s historic Speicherstadt warehouse district is a picturesque and central setting that’s oddly underserved by hotels — in fact the only lodging within the bounds of this UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Ameron Hamburg Hotel Speicherstadt. The building itself is a listed landmark, and inside it’s a collage of 20th-century styles, from Art Deco to mid-century modernism; the rooms, in particular, are warm and soberly handsome in hardwoods, leather, and saturated Sixties colors.

It’s an eclectic mix for so historic a setting, and feels loose in a way you might not expect from Hamburg. The smallest rooms are cozy indeed, though they spread out dramatically as you ascend the range — and from the high floors the views of the canal and the city are impressive. There’s a wellness center that includes a gym, sauna, and sanarium, and the lobby features a stylish bar. The restaurant, oddly, is set on the other side of the canal, connected via an elevated walkway; the menu is Italian, in another welcome surprise. Speicherstadt’s renewal is part of the HafenCity redevelopment — so the Ameron is joined by plenty of restaurants and cultural sites, including the stunning Elbphilharmonie concert hall.