This article was first published in capital.
the hotel: It looks amazingly similar to the Taj Mahal. But we are not in India in front of the world famous shrine. But just a stone’s throw from Copenhagen’s famous Tivoli Gardens. Literally. From all of the hotel’s 38 luxurious rooms (37 of which overlook the garden), you can hear cries of joy and laughter from the fairground roundabouts.
“We are not a Tivoli hotel, but we are fortunate enough to be a high-end boutique hotel in the backyard,” says hotel manager Maria Oldenberg.
Does this sound like a mecca for families? This is it. Because here you get a free wrist and your own entrance to the theme park. The intimidating queues with pointed elbows and thrusters are eliminated.
And there are pancakes both to pay in the capsule at Pannekagehuset and other desserts at Cakenhagen, the hotel’s pastry shop. Teddy bear for all young children upon check-in.
However, Nimb is not an exclusively family hotel. It’s also a five-star boutique hotel with several restaurants and bars, a rooftop terrace with a cocktail bar, an outdoor pool, and a spa area. For fitness junkies, the hotel is a tiny little paradise with, among other things, a 34-degree heated training room (why not?), personal trainers, and private yoga classes.
Inside: To avoid guests preferring only the new wing, the hotel chose to name the old part of the original. There is a bit more touch, and the style of the rooms is similar after all. Photo: Evind Jeseth/Capital
future luxury
– The founder of Tivoli wanted to bring the whole world together in a theme park. Instead of Copenhageners having to leave, they can experience the world here, Oldenberg says.
That is why the park has attractions such as temple tower, camel, monsoon, and dragon boat. Then the Taj Mahal slides straight into a Scandinavian-influenced city.
The Nimb as we know it today – a Moorish-inspired mansion – opened its doors in 1909. It was designed by then-gallery director Knud Arne Petersen, who was also an architect. Married couple Wilhelm and Louise Nimp opened the doors to their first Tivoli restaurant called Divan 2 in 1872.
They have proven themselves to some extent as a gastronomic entrepreneur. Louise is best known for inventing the open sandwich. The most elegant little sister of the Dane Smørrebrød. The restaurant soon became a place to be seen and seen. In the hotel’s restaurant, naturally called Fru Louise, the same sandwiches can be enjoyed to this day.
Manager: – We are not a Tivoli hotel, but we are fortunate enough to be a high-end boutique hotel. The Tivoli is located in the backyard, says Hotel Manager Maria Oldenberg. Photo: Evind Jeseth/Capital
Nimb first opened its doors as a hotel in 2007, then with only 14 rooms. Three years later, three rooms were added, before the hotel was extended in 2017 with a new 21-room wing. Although Nimb is relatively small, the smile is big and the service is straightforward.
“Whether you come here for a cup of coffee or stay in a suite for two months, you should receive the same warm treatment from our staff,” Oldenberg says.
With the reception as the ‘heart of the hotel’ it is essential to have a good team. Employees who dream of working higher in the system may want to start out as cleaners, before working their way up. No one will be allowed to escape his watchful eyes and big smiles.
– I collect good people. The most important thing is who you meet when you enter. So I believe that the luxury of the future depends on the authentic guest experience.
Historic Elegance: The hotel bar has been located in the building’s original ballroom since 1909. Photo: Evind Jeseth/Capital
Good at home, better away
Soothing jazz music plays on the Bang & Olufsen TV when the key card is flicked in the hotel room. For each room, the hotel selects antiques from around the world. Sometimes they end up being bought by the guest.
All hotel rooms have an original piece of Tivoli, such as a picture from the garden or a charming Tivoli poster. Most often room bouquets contain flowers from the garden. Antiques are combined with Danish design classics like Georg Jensen and bedding from Copenhagen-based Geismars.
Forget cheap shampoo, soap bars, and shower caps. Here, the marble box is filled with toothpaste from luxury Florence-based brand Marvis, face masks from Danish wellness pride Meraki and bamboo toothbrushes. Danish baby products come with a little bit of adventure. Couldn’t make the evening seem easier, but the idea is good.
In the minibar, the special Nimb gin is displayed in beautiful crystal bottles. So do sweets like Bülow’s premium Danish licorice licorice and candy brand Hey Yum, designed for unlucky kids with horrible allergies. You have to look away from more snack brands like Snickers and Pringles.
We like to offer guests something that cannot be found everywhere. It’s about showing that we care. We have many regulars who come back here again and again, and many of them live here for a long time.
Sweet Experiences: The hotel describes its restaurant as “a French pub in a Danish fairy garden”. Photo: Evind Jeseth/Capital
Popcorn, banana bread and art
There is a very special smell in the air in the new part of the hotel. Like warm, frothy popcorn. The extension, called Tivoli Hjørnet, was designed by award-winning New York architecture firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. They are behind the famous glass building of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Tivoli Hjørnet has also won a number of awards in architecture.
Works by four artists hang in Nimb. John Loring, former design director of American jewelry house Tiffany & Co. Richardt Branderup, former chief designer at Tivoli from 1968 to 2002, who was behind many famous posters at the fairgrounds. Scottish photographer Harry Benson, who published the coffee table book about the exhibition in 2007. Catherine Rabin Davidson, who created wall decor in the hotel bar and lithographs in several suites.
The hotel bar is located in the building’s original ballroom from 1909. Afternoon tea during the day is replaced by cocktails in the evening, as heavy chandeliers hang from the stucco ceiling.
There are rumors of Avocado Mad with melted komti, boiled eggs and bacon from the breakfast à la carte menu. The same goes for the chocolate-filled banana bread, which the kids in the breakfast room devour regularly. Fresh orange juice in a glass bottle proves once again that the devil is in the details.
- It is located next to Tivoli in Copenhagen.
- 38 rooms, of which 37 overlook the Tivoli Gardens.
- Rooms are from 23 to 240 square metres.
- 20 rooms with balcony.
- It is located in a Moorish-inspired mansion from 1909.
- In 2007, Nimb was opened as a 14-room hotel.
- It was expanded to 17 rooms in 2010.
- Expanded with a new 2,000 square meter suite in 2017 designed by New York-based architecture firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.
- Got a pool and wellness section in 2018.
- There are Nimb Brasserie, Cakenhagen, Gemyse, Fru Nimb restaurants and bars and the hotel bar.
Tassel on the door: Many hotels have a “Do Not Disturb” sign. In Nimb, they have red and white tassels with exotic vibes, handcrafted in Aarhus. Photo: Evind Jeseth/Capital
square meter mine
Copenhagen has had a rich offering of great boutique hotels in recent years. Didn’t seem to worry the hotel manager too much.
– I think it’s great how Copenhagen has developed as a destination. Some really interesting hotels have emerged, and I think it would be great to help elevate Copenhagen as an experience, says Oldenberg.
– The city has many unique and private hotels, but there is only one Nimb. And we have many square meters for each guest, and space is a luxury. We could have made more rooms, but we took a different route.
To call it a hotel room would be an understatement. Because the simpler rooms are somewhat the size of two spacious bedrooms in Oslo. The wings are larger. Having been a tourist in Copenhagen all day, going from balcony to toilet is somewhat of a step.
Like a fish in the water: The outdoor pool should be a godsend and a curse for families with young children. Photo: Evind Jeseth/Capital
swimming
There’s something deliciously decadent about the idea of being able to step out of a hotel room and into an elevator in a padded gown and slippers, and then straight into a relaxing mode.
A family with two children in overalls walks up the elevator, up to the rooftop terrace. Even if the sky was gray and the rain was dangerously close. The pool should be a godsend and a curse for families with young children.
After Nimb opened the outdoor pool, they had more guests. Only hotel guests and Nimb Club members can access here. If you dream of swimming in the middle of the night without the little children splashing around you, you are likely to be disappointed. The pool is not open at night, but the view over Copenhagen makes it worth it.
In the fall of 2018, the health department opened in the basement of the hotel. Treatments such as Moroccan bath and Hawaiian massage entice guests. Unsurprisingly, a pregnancy massage, with a hole in the bed to lie on stomach, was an aura-by-aura boom.
With the dim lighting and low music, you almost feel the need to whisper. This contrasts with reception with the vibrant city life just outside the door, and hip Kødbyen two minutes away.
Discovery used: a roaring waterfall under the reception area, an old wooden canoe floating in the middle of the paddling pool. The hotel manager found it in an antiques shop in the Danish capital. Photo: Evind Jeseth/Capital
golden chances
Our guests have very high expectations and our job is to meet them – and preferably to exceed them, says Uffe Sørensen, Head of Concierge at Nimb.
On the lapel of the lever are two crossed golden keys. He is the president of the porters association Les Clefs d’Or in Denmark – De Gyldne Nøgler.
Because there is a growing interest in concierge services. In 2022, we’re too spoiled for travel and we know what we want – sometimes something is just out of reach. So it’s a good idea to have someone with a good network who can open the doors.
– We have many of the best restaurants in the world in Denmark with high demand. Then I had a better chance of installing a table there than you, says a twinkle in his eye.
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