A newly opened 44-room boutique hotel in Copenhagen’s Indre By, Henrik’s Hotel marks the third generation of the Hildebrandt family’s return to the building where their story in hospitality first began.
3 days of design took me to Copenhagen, and the city convinced me to extend my trip.
Staying longer meant finding somewhere new to sleep, and the recently opened Henrik’s Hotel turned out to be a fortuitous choice for an additional four nights. Set at the edge of Indre By, the city’s historic centre, Henrik’s is the newest addition to the Hildebrandt Hammer family’s collection of four hotels.
I was introduced to owner Julie Hildebrandt Hammer by a local friend working at the festival. Spending time in the city, you soon realise Copenhagen isn’t that big, its entrepreneurial spirit moving through a network where everyone seems to know everyone, only ever a WhatsApp message away.
The family’s story starts with Julie’s grandparents, Aase and Jørgen Henrik Hildebrandt, who bought this building, a beautiful, ageing property that happened to be for sale, in search of space for their car rental business. They fell for it instead, and what began as a workaround became Hotel Ascot, the family’s first, in the early 1970s. Henrik’s Hotel takes its name directly from him. “This building is where our grandparents first began our family’s journey in hospitality,” says Julie. “Bringing it back to life felt like continuing something much bigger than ourselves.”
Julie and her brother, Frederik Hammer, are now the ones taking that story on, three generations on, and the pair oversaw Henrik’s interior refit with an eye toward atmosphere and intimacy ahead of overt luxury. “Our grandfather always believed in creating places with personality,” says Julie, “and we wanted to carry that spirit forward.”
Walking in, the interiors read with a new traditionalist sensibility: a renewed interest in familiar decorative languages, expressed through a contemporary arrangement of materials over nostalgia. The journey from the lobby through the hallways establishes the mood early, a woven wallpaper along the corridor walls giving way to statement prints, upholstered headboards and layered fabrics in the suites. Four colour variations run through the rooms in desaturated, chalky mid-tones: soft creams and ivories, dusty botanical greens, Nordic blues, earthy terracottas, each room holding its own atmosphere while staying connected through a shared language of texture and pattern. It’s an international warmth, not the pared-back coolness usually associated with Scandinavian minimalism.
“Marble bathrooms and grand spaces are one kind of luxury,” says Julie, “but for us, it’s about how somewhere makes you feel. We hope guests feel curious, inspired and relaxed, as though they’re arriving at the home of someone with great taste rather than checking into a hotel.”
The bathroom beyond offers a break from the pattern of the suites. Butter yellow sets the backdrop for chrome fixtures, an exposed washstand and pleated wall lamps, with a rain shower, mosaic floor and glazed tiles completing the room.
My days start with a classic Nordic breakfast buffet. A slice of dense rye sourdough, toasted and topped with a soft-boiled egg, cured fish, cucumber and a smattering of capers is basically my deathrow breakfast. But if a bowl of thick, creamy skyr topped with berries and a cardamom bun on the side is more your style, they have that too.
Landing back here in the evening, the distinct rattle of cocktail shakers draws you towards Josephine’s Bar, set where Ascot Hotel and Henrik’s Hotel physically meet. Long before, this was one of Copenhagen’s public bathhouses, then the Ascot’s reception offices for decades. “It has always been a place where people came together,” says Julie. “Today, instead of arriving for a bath or checking in at reception, people gather over cocktails, conversations and celebrations.” Sit at the bar long enough and the local recommendations arrive as easily as the drinks.
“Every detail at Henrik’s has a reason behind it, from the interiors to the music, the breakfast and the recommendations we give guests,” says Julie. “You become part of the neighbourhood instead of simply staying beside it. We know our city well and genuinely love sharing it.” For coffee, she points guests to Prolog or Sonny, Alle Tiders for breakfast or lunch, Mangia for dinner and La Glace, Denmark’s oldest confectionery, for anyone with a sweet tooth. “Our biggest recommendation is simply to walk or cycle around the city,” she says. “Some of Copenhagen’s best cafés, vintage shops and hidden gems are the ones you discover along the way.”
It’s the same trick Copenhagen plays everywhere: a city small enough that a good table is only ever a shared drink away.
Visit Henrik’s Hotel
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