Munich Just Got Its First New Luxury Hotel in 16 Years. Here’s Why That Matters.

Rachel Dube
·3 min read
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Bavaria is known for buxom beauties, sudsy steins and lads in lederhosen—and that has always attracted a certain type of tourist. But more recently, Munich, the region’s capital, has strapped on a double-Windsor and creased its trousers. . .it’s looking all grown up.

Tech companies like Apple, Google, and IBM have all made Munich their new hub. German publications, ranging from Vogue to GQ, have also moved their offices to the city on the river Isar. Small armies of young professionals have followed. Musical talents have always called Munich home, but now fashion and culinary stars are flocking here as well. Product launches, fashion shows and other major events are now being hosted in Munich, instead of their previous home—Berlin.

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The hospitality scene is shifting in accordance and many of Munich’s new professional class can be found at Bar Montez, the new Rosewood Munich’s glitzy bar.

The hotel’s bar give cocktail sippers a respite from heady brews.
The hotel’s bar give cocktail sippers a respite from heady brews.

The first hotel to open in the city in 16 years (can you believe it?), Rosewood Munich is understandably a big deal for the city. The project was 10 years in the making, yet seems to have arrived at just the right moment. Located in Munich’s historic old town, the hotel fills the former Bavarian State Bank headquarters and the adjacent Palais Neuhaus-Preysing.

While the building’s original facade was preserved—like all the buildings around it—inside, Rosewood has created a modern masterpiece, something that was missing from Munich’s hotel scene.

Compared to the city’s existing product, Rosewood’s rooms are spacious and styled more like apartments than hotel rooms. Each of the 132 rooms, which includes 59 suites and five sprawling “houses,” are filled with custom furnishings, marble bathrooms with heated floors, and gorgeous views of the city skyline or interior courtyard. High-tech touches—like intuitive temperature and lighting controls and Dyson hair tools—are another novelty in this Old World city center.

Entry-level rooms range from about $740 to $2,904 per night, while suites command up to $4,910. The hotel’s “houses” are more like grand rental homes and go for as much as $36,954 per night.

The hotel blended historic architecture with modern amenities.
The hotel blended historic architecture with modern amenities.

A sure sign of change, the patrons of Bar Montez sip craft cocktails, not Paulaner. The hotel’s other restaurants—Brasserie Cuvilliés and the Wintergarten and Palaishof offer a similarly sophisticated clientele. There’s even a speakeasy called 100B, specializing in rare spirits. The only way to get in? By trying to sway favor with the hotel bartenders, who may or may not reveal the secret code and location. If that’s not proof positive of a sea change, we don’t know what is.

The hotel also brings the 1,300-square-foot Asaya Spa to the city, which welcomes both guests and locals. It includes an indoor pool, dual saunas, steam rooms, and a fully equipped fitness center.

But Rosewood won’t be the only game in town for long. Suddenly a suite of suave hotels are targeting Munich. Next year, JW Marriott Hotel Königshof is set to open its doors.

Prost to all that.

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