Five of Europe’s best business hotels

Think every business hotel is the same? Think again. Here we look at five hotels throughout Europe that have gone to extreme lengths to make doing commerce pleasurable away from home.

SANA BERLIN HOTEL - BERLIN

Rates: From €83

Located near the Kurfurstendamm and Tiergarten park, this newly built hotel features a vast double-height lobby space, a sleek restaurant and seven floors of accommodation.

Facilities: Six meeting rooms can be configured through the use of partition walls, providing space for up to 130 people. Three of the rooms are on the hotel’s top floor, offering panoramic views over Berlin and access to a roof terrace.

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Rooms: The 208 rooms and suites have large windows and light-filled interiors with lacquered white surfaces and oak flooring. The hotel also offers 42 residences featuring washing machine and dryer and a fully equipped kitchenette.

Leisure: The Fitness & Wellness centre comprises an indoor pool, fitness room, saunas and massage service.

Restaurants: The ground-floor restaurant serves Portuguese-inspired cuisine, with a selection of fine fish and meat dishes. Late-night drinks and snacks can be found at the hotel’s Chill-Out Bar.

45 PARK LANE, LONDON

Rates: From £395

Designed by New York-based architect Thierry Despont, the relatively small number of rooms should allow for a superior level of bespoke service, including personalised mini-bar contents and amenities.

Facilities: Meetings can be held in the well-stocked library, an intimate space that houses the hotel’s business facilities. For larger events and conferences, there are ten bigger rooms at the nearby Dorchester.

Rooms: The 45 rooms offer immaculate interiors and great views. Hi-tech amenities include bathroom mirrors with integrated televisions. The Penthouse Suite features a private dining room and a wrap-around roof terrace, both with great views across London.

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Leisure: The hotel offers privileged access to the nearby Dorchester’s gym, spa and five restaurants and bars. An

in-house fitness studio and in-room manicure and massage service are also available.

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Restaurants: American star Wolfgang Puck is opening the first European outpost of his renowned LA eaterie Cut in September.

KEMPINSKI HOTEL RIVER PARK, BRATISLAVA

Rates: From €159

It’s difficult to rival the Kempinski’s location on the Danube. The medieval old town is home to Bratislava Castle, St Martin’s Cathedral and the Primate’s Palace - is only 200m away, while the city’s business hub and corporate HQs are all within a 5km radius. The hotel is 15 minutes from Bratislava Airport, and 35 minutes from Vienna Airport.

Facilities: Many of the 11 meeting rooms have views of the Danube. They can be configured to cater for everything from quick informal meetings to more formal gatherings. The ninth-floor executive meeting rooms feature a lounge area, while the ground floor Kempinski Event Plaza, framed by a Japanese garden, can hold up to 500 guests.

Rooms: Furnished in warm woods and pastel shades, the spacious 191 rooms and 40 suites overlook the medieval city, the Danube or the surrounding forest. All rooms feature complimentary internet. Limousine and butler services for suites and executive rooms available on request.

Leisure: Relaxation options include a spectacular 15m indoor pool with views over the forest; a fitness centre, and the Zion spa, with treatment rooms, whirlpool, steam bath, and Finnish sauna, alongside hydro-massages and ice-brushing. Three different golf courses (River Bernolákovo, White Eurovalley Malacky and Hainburg) are located less than 20 minutes away.

Restaurants: The River Bank brasserie offers regional specialities prepared with local organic ingredients, while post- prandial cocktails can be ha at the Arte Lounge or the Churchill Cigar Bar.

NOBIS HOTEL, STOCKHOLM

Rates: From €274

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The hotel features a pleasing selection of pieces by interior designers Grcic, Urquiola and more, making it a must for design fans.

Facilities: The management suites of this former bank are now the Nobis Hotel’s Private Rooms, their original oak panelling and stucco ceilings featuring in the five meeting rooms. The Boardroom and the Direktionen Room are both suitable for multimedia screenings.

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Rooms: Designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune, all 201 rooms represent the best of modern Swedish style; Arflex’s elegant ‘Litet’ desk and Wästberg’s desirably tactile ‘W083’ lamp make working a pleasure. Some rooms are small but still share the same design standard.

Leisure: Fully equipped gym with a sauna and a steam room. A variety of treatments and personal trainer programmes are on offer thanks to a collaboration with Sturebadet and Balance Gym.

Restants: The glamorous Gold Bar and the Lounge, with a 28m-high atrium, are ideal for impromptu meetings; Caina serves rustic trattoria fare in refined surroundings; while the Bistro, a modern take on the classic Italian café, focuses on espressos and pasta dishes.

25 HOURS HOTEL HAFENCITY, HAMBURG Hotel HafenCity, Hamburg

Website: www.25hours-hotels.com/hafencity www.25hours-hotels.com/hafencity

Rates: From €105

With its cabin-style suites and a repurposed shipping container for private meetings, the hotel is a modern take on traditional seamen’s clubs. Its lobby references a working harbour, complete with export crates and timber planks.

Facilities: Events for up to 110 people can be held in the two meeting rooms equipped with modern technology. There are three rooms for smaller, more casual meetings on the Club Floor; a revamped shipping container that provides an original setting for meetings of up to 12 people in the lobby, as well as a flexible, 300 sq m multipurpose room.

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Rooms: The 170 rooms are decked out with elements inspired by the seafaring world, including bunk beds, pilot ladders and custom-made wooden trunks. Accessories, wallpapers and logbooks recall the journeys of 25 real and fictitious seafarers and their stories of distant worlds.

Leisure: The hotel is home to the rooftop Harbour Sauna, with views of HafenCity; a pop-up bike shop; and a maritime-themed boutique selling books and hand-picked products. The Club Floor houses three lounges and a large vinyl collection.

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Restaurants: The Heimat Bar & Kitchen serves hearty breakfasts, lunches and dinners, its menu featuring dishes such as local cheese platters, Wiener Schnitzel and potato salads and apple tart. Snacks and drinks are served in the evenings.

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