Le Royal Meridien Hamburg

Location. Located on the Alster Lake, with panoramic views across the water from the ninth floor bar, the art-filled Royal Meridien hotel lies within a kilometre of the Town Hall Square, and 10 kilometres from Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel Airport.

Hotel Features. Guests enter the contemporary lobby area which has a concierge desk, a separate guest relations desk, and two reception desks. Over 650 objets d'art in Le Royal Meridien, including statues, paintings, sculptures, and various maritime ornaments and curios, give the hotel an art gallery feel.

A panoramic lift carries guests to Le Ciel, a French restaurant on the top floor with views over the Alster Lake and Hamburg's skyline. The Opus Lounge in the lobby has a maritime theme and comes replete with round tables, half-moon bar and shipping ornaments; there is live piano music every evening.

Le Spa fitness and wellness area comprises a sauna, steam room, solarium, hot tub, indoor pool and fitness equipment and offers a range of massage and therapeutic services, including facial and cosmetic treatments.

Guestrooms. Built in 2003, Le Royal Meridien has 284 rooms over nine floors. Each floor has a different colour scheme and the furnishings and fittings of the rooms match this scheme, right down to the colour of the steel bathtub. All rooms have multimedia 42-inch plasma screen TVs, Ligne Roset furniture and Canadian maple wood floors. Bathrooms have separate tubs and showers with three nozzle heads; there are limestone counters with etched-glass basins, makeup mirrors, bathrobes, and designer toiletries.

Expert Tip. Boats can be rented across the street from the hotel, allowing guests to spend an afternoon appreciating the city sights from the Alster Lake. The more adventurous may choose to sail north, where the lake turns into a river and there are several wide canals to explore.

Guests must be at least 18 years old to check in at this property.