Chronicle of a metamorphosis

By Flavia Tomaello, https://flaviatomaello.blog/, Instagram @flavia.tomaello

Copenhagen has the ability to narrate itself through its spaces. Each building, each canal, each bridge is part of a story that combines memory and present. He NH Collection Copenhagen It is one of those places where the city tells itself. It was born as the administrative headquarters of the Burmeister & Wain shipyard, designed in the sixties by Palle Suenson, and for decades it was known as the “Desert Fortress”, a severe concrete block that imposed distance. Today, converted into a five-star hotel, it is a symbol of transformation: a space that preserves modernist geometry and converts it into contemporary hospitality.

The restoration was a three-year process that respected the original structure and opened it to light and water. The façade was maintained, the windows were replaced, a seventh floor with a panoramic terrace was added and materials were reused to reduce the carbon footprint. The result was a building that obtained certification DGNB Goldthe first hotel in Denmark to achieve that sustainability standard. The metamorphosis is evident: what was once a closed fortress is today an open, bright space, connected to the city and the port.

The interior is a different story. Upon entering, a golden installation by Anna Bak illuminates the escalator and recalls the port’s heritage. The lobby, with low ceilings and warm colors, is perceived as an intimate refuge. The 394 rooms and suites They display a contemporary Nordic design, with marble, wood and windows that turn the city into a personal landscape. On the upper floors, views of the Knippelsbro Bridge and the harbor transform the stay into an experience. He ROOF Bar & Loungeon the roof, offers 360-degree panoramic views and has become a meeting point for both guests and locals.

Gastronomy is part of the narrative. The restaurant Platesdirected by chef David Johansen, offers contemporary Nordic cuisine that combines local produce with refined techniques. Breakfast, abundant and varied, is celebrated as a ritual that inaugurates the day with energy. The bar on the ground floor connects directly to the port, reinforcing the idea that the hotel is an extension of the city.

The location in Christianshavn is key. From there you can walk to the Opera, the Royal Library and the Nyhavn canals. The hotel lends bicycles and connects with public transport and the port ferry, becoming a starting point to explore the capital. The city extends into the hotel, and the hotel extends into the city.

Hospitality translates into service. Guests highlight the warmth of the team, the efficiency of the breakfast, the energy of the concierge staff capable of transforming a stay into a personal story. The NH Collection Copenhagen is not just accommodation: it is a space where industrial history, modernist architecture and contemporary life intertwine in a living chronicle.

The building that was once nicknamed “Desert Fortress” is today a symbol of openness. The metamorphosis is also that of Copenhagen: a city that preserves its industrial memory and turns it into an urban story. The NH Collection Copenhagen is a testament to that transformation, a place where every detail—the concrete pillars, the windows that reproduce the originals, the works of art that dialogue with the port’s memory—speaks of a city that reinvents itself without erasing its past.

When leaving, after a night at the ROOF Bar, a breakfast at Plates or a walk along the canals, the traveler meets the water again. But something has changed: the river carries with it the memory of a moment, of a look, of an experience that becomes a story.

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