Review of Grand Hôtel Stockholm

With an unbeatable location on the city’s waterfront next to the National Museum, the Grand Hôtel Stockholm lies opposite the Royal Palace and Gamla Stan, the Old Town. The Parliament buildings and Royal Opera House are within walking distance with the best shopping districts a short stretch of the legs and boats for the archipelago docked 25 metres from the property. To view the city at its best, head to the observation deck of Kaknas Television Tower, the tallest structure in Scandinavia – around a 15-minute walk. 

The Grand Hôtel Stockholm has a range of luxury private cars with English speaking drivers including a Bentley Mulsanne Extended, a Mercedes S-class and a Mercedes Viano. They also offer the Arlanda VIP Service for a fuss-free transfer to or from Stockholm Arlanda Airport, a transfer just over half an hour in good traffic.

There are 247 beautifully appointed guest rooms and 31 glamorous suites designed by a select team of interior designers, the entry level room is the Single Room for solo travellers, at 15 square metres of space. Individually decorated, the well-planned space features a work desk with armchair, a double bed and stylish furnishings and carpeting. Room features include Smart televisions with complimentary satellite channels; a fully stocked minibar with cool drinks and tasty nibbles; a personal in room safe; a choice of complimentary daily newspaper; Bottega Veneta toiletries; a complete selection of his & hers personal grooming items; electrical adapters; an umbrella and hairdryer. 

There are two other categories of guest room – the Superior at 20 square metres of space – a roomier alternative with several rooms featuring waterfront views – and the Deluxe Room, more spacious again at 30 square metres with a comfortable seating area and marble bathroom with twin vanities. 

Suites start with the Junior Suites with their shining parquet floors but there are several stand out suites including the Ingrid Bergman Suite named for the actress – a spacious corner suite at 76 square metres of space. Glamorous as the lady herself, the room features a portrait of her, silk bathrobes as well as some historic tiles dating back to 1874. There are playful touches alluding to the world of film plus a spacious walk-in wardrobe. As one might expect of a movie star, a welcome bottle of champagne awaits residents along with a fruit platter and flowers. 

If life calls for a little more space, suites can be tailored to requirements with both large and grand parlours able to be added, both with dining tables for private entertaining. Other parlours offer well equipped kitchenettes or just take over the entire floor …. Or two. It is possible. 

At the very top of the hotel are two suites – The Flag Suite and The Rooftop Suites – both designed by world-famous Swedish interior architect Martin Brudnizki. The interiors of both are reminiscent of a luxury private dwelling with a subtle colour palette and contemporary inspired furniture along with sumptuous marble bathrooms. The 100-square-metre Flag Suite is the highest point in the hotel and includes a little glass lookout tower and a private rooftop terrace.  The Rooftop Suite is slightly smaller at 85 square metres of space, is designed in a similar style and offers sweeping views of the waterfront and the Royal Palace. Both suites can be combined if required.

 With the hotel enjoying a close relationship with the Royal Court of Sweden, the 82 square metre Royal Suite is suitably regal and French balconies look out directly onto the Royal Palace across the water. The Royal theme is continued throughout the interior design with the suite enjoying three rooms – a meeting room which can be used as a dining room, a living room and a master bedroom. That Royal link is evident with The Bernadotte Suite on the hotel’s third floor. Named for the King’s Uncle Sigvard, who was commissioned to decorate the entire hotel floor in collaboration with Svenskt Tenn. A grand décor scheme includes Empire-style fringes and handcrafted wallpaper with views out over the waterfront and Royal Palace. Offering 165 square metres of space, The Bernadotte Suite offers a master bedroom, a sitting room and a dining room seating up to six people. 

It’s the Princess Lilian Suite however that takes pole position as arguably the most luxurious accommodation in the Nordic Region. Set atop the Grand Hôtel Stockholm and a healthy 330 square metres of luxury space, it is more like a residential apartment than a suite. With panoramic views over Stockholm, there are two bedrooms, a sitting room with dining area of up to 12 people, a library, a kitchen, a spa area and an in-suite cinema. There is a bar trolley, perfect for the cocktail hour, a grand piano and you can either bring your own chef, hire one in or cook yourself in the well-equipped kitchen. The relaxation spa area has a deep soaking tub, massage showers and waterfall and a steam or dry sauna. The cinema seats 12 and was designed by the region’s foremost acoustician, Ingemar Olsson, there are butlers on call and limousines at your disposal – what more could one possibly want? 

There are a number of accessible rooms for guests with disabilities.

The 1,200 square-metre Grand Hôtel Nordic Spa & Fitness is situated in the historic Burmanska Palace and is spread out over two floors. Taking inspiration from the Nordic Bathing and Swedish healing traditions, authenticity, purity and genuine healing are the hallmarks of the spa, delivered through the use of natural organic Swedish herbs in a stunning state of the art facility. The contemporary European wet area includes an indoor pool. Recharge batteries in the spa’s unique spa suites where friends or your other half can enjoy the views over the waterfront and the Royal Palace with a custom-made experience. Enjoy a snack or a glass of champagne whilst enjoying a spa treatment in the separate massage room before finishing up in a pool for two. 

The Fitness Centre is fully equipped with TechnoGym equipment and working out is enhanced by the panoramic waterfront views of the city and the Royal Palace. There is also a private studio for yoga, stretch and other activities including personal training with healthy food and drinks available at the refreshment bar for eat in or take away.

The Grand Hôtel Stockholm is one of Scandinavia’s most important hotels, ranking highly in the world’s roster of elite luxury properties, the home away from home for many a celebrity or noteworthy guest. Hosting the very first Nobel banquet in 1901, an occasion continuing to 1929 when the ceremony outgrew the hotel, the award-winners and their families still stay at the hotel every December. It has not rested on its laurels however and has kept pace with the times, undertaking a number of refreshments, the last of which, taking advantage of lockdowns, has recently been completed with a new look for the rooms and suites from the Bolinder Palace of the hotel and a brand new, more updated entrance. 

It has always been a hotel with attitude since it opened its doors in 1874 with the founder, French chef Régis Cadier opening Sweden’s answer to the renowned and glamorous continental style hotels then proliferating around Europe. Today, The Cadier Bar plays homage to him as does the actual name of the hotel for, ever the Gallic purist, Cadier put a circumflex over the “o” in Grand Hôtel. The Wallenberg family today own the property and have continued in this tradition, ensuring that today’s Grand Hôtel Stockholm is as on trend and au fait with today’s travelling elite as it was at the beginning – a very chic, comfortable and enjoyable urban retreat with the best location in the city.

The Grand’s selection of restaurants is legendary within Stockholm’s restaurant scene with chef-extraordinaire Mathias Dahlgren’s Matbaren and Rutabaga lacto-ovo vegetarian restaurant. The Veranda is perfect for celebrating all types of occasion in classic Swedish tradition whilst The Cadier Bar is a favourite bolthole for hotel guests and locals alike. 

The Cadier Bar is a stylish shelter for those in search of champagne and a curated cocktail menu created by a bar team spearheaded by award-winning bartender Hanna Oscarsson. In part ornate with a stucco ceiling and woodworked bar columns, the space is complemented by sleek modernist furnishings, monochrome flower arrangements and specialist lighting which combine to offer a sophisticated rendezvous. Open for à la carte breakfasts, lunches, afternoon tea and cocktails, the bar is named after the French chef and founder, Régis Cadier. 

Close to the entrance of The Cadier Bar, adjacent to the lobby, lies a beautifully designed Champagne Bar for enjoying an extensive range of champagne from the best houses and vintages without having to order a bottle, open early morning to the small, wee hours.

 For one of the best smörgåsbords in Stockholm, served with the hotel’s very own schnapps, Grand Aquavit 1874, head to The Veranda, a restaurant which first debuted over a century ago. A favourite meeting point for Stockholmers and hotel guests alike, lunch and dinner guests will enjoy a wonderful view of the waterfront and the Royal Palace.

Mathias Dahlgren’s Matbaren is a modern bistro, an informal restaurant based on the very best of seasonal produce with a daily changing menu. With mid-sized meals ordered and served one-by-one during the meal, served at table or on the large bar counter, there are always a couple of places available for impromptu visits. At his second offering, Rutabaga, next to Matbaren, enjoy Dahlgren’s vision of future cuisine with world class vegetarian dishes. 

The summer opening Terrace is an ideal spot for people and harbour watching. Sit outside and savour a casual menu or a drink whilst surrounded by lush citrus and olive trees in a very pretty setting. 

The Grand Café is based in one of the small buildings close to the quay in front of the hotel. Servicing coffees and beverages, the menu also offers delicious salads and sandwiches from the hotel’s kitchens and sweets direct from the patisserie. 

For private dinners for up to ten dinner guests, head to The Wine Cellar to enjoy either a four-course menu from The Veranda or a five-course menu from one of Mathias Dahlgrens’ restaurants. This is Sweden’s most comprehensive wine cellar offering Mouton Rothschild from the year the hotel opened and Pol Roger from 1914. Among the 2,700 different labels, the emphasis lies in the classic wine districts of Europe with the cellar housing around 18,000 bottles.

The Grand Hôtel Stockholm adheres to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact, supporting and respecting internationally recognised human rights. The Code was developed and adapted by the hotel’s board of directors to ensure that their operations live up to their social, environmental and ethical responsibility. 

Integrating concern for the environment throughout their operations is an integral part of the Grand Hôtel’s corporate strategy. They strive to use their resources carefully and to the greatest extent possible, to use renewable natural resources in their operations while taking an environmental approach to their product offering and services. They strive to protect the environment by preventing or minimising the environmental impact of their business while maintaining the necessary competence to always implement the most climate-friendly solution in areas where there is demand for their services. Their customers should be able to feel confident in the knowledge that they continually strive to further develop their products and services so they are in keeping with society’s environmental goals and comply with current environmental legislation. 

By adhering to applicable environmental legislation, regulations and other requirements which concern the organisation while imposing environmental requirements on contractors, suppliers, other business partners and products, they form the basis for establishing and following up comprehensive and detailed environmental goals and improving environmental performance.