Hotel d’Angleterre: Copenhagen’s Historic Luxury Hotel Review

The name Hotel d’Angleterre has belonged to European hospitality for centuries, and its best-known address is on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen, where the story opened in 1755. A second five-star namesake sits on Lake Geneva at 17 Quai du Mont-Blanc (Forbes Travel Guide). The review that follows explains what the name means, how old the hotel actually is, and how the two properties differ, so you can tell them apart before you book.

Last checked: 2026-09-08

Name: Hotel d’Angleterre · Location: Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark · Classification: 5-star superior · Year Opened: 1755

Hotel d’Angleterre: key facts

What does Hotel d’Angleterre mean?

The name is French. “D’Angleterre” translates as “of England” or “from England,” so Hotel d’Angleterre means “Hotel of England.” In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, hotels across Europe adopted the name to signal that English-speaking travellers — then a fast-growing travel market — would find a welcome in their own language. The Copenhagen house carried the name from its early years; the Geneva property, with a building dating from 1872, used the same title for a similar kind of guest.

The name is less a brand than a historical label: the same sign could be found on grand hotels in many European cities, and it still appears on two five-star properties today. That is why “Hotel d’Angleterre” can legitimately describe two different hotels in two different countries.

The pattern: “d’Angleterre” is a hospitality label rooted in the age of English travel, not a single-brand trademark.

How old is Hotel d’Angleterre?

Hotel d’Angleterre in Copenhagen is roughly 270 years old in 2025. The official history dates the establishment to 1755, when Jean Marchal and his wife opened a restaurant that later moved to Kongens Nytorv and grew into a hotel with guest rooms. The building in front of you, though, is younger than the institution. The Great Copenhagen Fire of 1795 destroyed the earlier building, and the operation moved to the nearby Gramske Gård. The present structure took shape after the fire, with a major extension and refurbishment led by architects Vilhelm Dahlerup and Georg E.W. Møller between 1872 and 1875 (Wikipedia).

Afar’s review describes the property as widely considered the oldest hotel in Copenhagen — a claim that rests on the establishment’s 1755 lineage rather than on the building’s fabric. In its current, post-1875 form, the palace-like facade is roughly 150 years old.

The bottom line: count the age twice — 1755 for the institution, the 1870s for the building as it appears today.

What is the history of Hotel d’Angleterre in Copenhagen?

The story begins in 1755, when Jean Marchal and Maria Coppy opened a venue that the hotel’s official history calls “The Strong Man’s Garden.” The couple later moved the operation to Kongens Nytorv and added guest rooms, creating the core of what became Hotel d’Angleterre. The founder’s surname is still in daily use: the hotel’s restaurant, Marchal, carries the name today.

The Great Copenhagen Fire of 1795 pushed the business into a new chapter. The earlier building was destroyed, and the operation moved to the nearby Gramske Gård. In the following century, the hotel took the monumental form visible today, with the 1872–1875 extension led by Vilhelm Dahlerup and Georg E.W. Møller.

The recent chapter turned on a single decision: closing the hotel at the end of May 2011 for what the official site calls the most ambitious hotel restoration in Danish history. The interior was gutted and rebuilt; the hotel reopened on 1 May 2013. TravelAge West described the result as a “revitalized grand palace” with every room and suite overhauled. In 2024, the Royal Suites were refreshed again, this time in a quieter beige palette that maintains the historical grandeur, according to Afar’s review.

The summary: fire, expansion, and two major restorations have reshaped the building, while the institution has kept its name and its place at the centre of Copenhagen for more than 265 years.

Is it okay to speak English in Copenhagen?

Yes. English is the default foreign language in Copenhagen, and nearly all Danes speak it fluently. For a stay at Hotel d’Angleterre, that means check-in, restaurant service, and concierge requests move smoothly without translation. The historical symmetry is neat: the hotel took a French name in the 1700s to signal comfort for English-speaking travellers, and the on-site restaurant still carries the founder’s surname — a reminder that international hospitality has been the house specialty since 1755.

For travellers comparing the Copenhagen and Geneva properties, the language picture is the same in both cities: five-star hotels in either destination operate in English without friction. The more useful comparison is the setting — a central Copenhagen square versus a Geneva lakefront — and the two properties’ very different scales (90 versus roughly 45 rooms and suites).

The implication: language will not be a barrier; the property choice is the variable that deserves your attention.

What is the best luxury hotel in Copenhagen?

“Best” is subjective, but in Copenhagen the case for Hotel d’Angleterre is easy to document. The hotel holds Denmark’s 5-star superior classification, traces its founding to 1755, and its restaurant Marchal holds a Michelin star, according to Afar. Guests on TripAdvisor rate it approximately 4.7 out of 5 from more than 1,300 reviews (TripAdvisor).

“Grande dame of Copenhagen’s hotel scene.”

Fodor’s Travel, on Hotel d’Angleterre Copenhagen

Fodor’s adds a “Fodor’s Choice” rating to that verdict. Among the sources reviewed for this article, no other Copenhagen property combines a documented 1755 founding, a Fodor’s Choice rating, and a restaurant that Afar describes as Michelin-starred. For a traveller who defines “best” by verifiable heritage plus current five-star execution, that combination makes d’Angleterre the benchmark on Kongens Nytorv.

What this means: if you want the strongest documented pedigree in Copenhagen’s luxury segment, Hotel d’Angleterre is the reference point.

Hotel d’Angleterre Copenhagen: full specification

Pros and cons

Pros

• Documented heritage: the establishment dates from 1755, according to the official history.
• Editorial recognition: Fodor’s Choice, described as the “grande dame” of Copenhagen’s hotel scene.
• Dining: Marchal is described by Afar as a Michelin-starred restaurant named for the founder.
• Guest satisfaction: approximately 4.7/5 on TripAdvisor from more than 1,300 reviews.
• Compact scale: 30 rooms and 60 suites — smaller than typical chain luxury hotels, a format the hotel pairs with the “intuitive and tailored services” it has promoted since the 2013 relaunch.

Cons

• The interiors are contemporary, not original: the 2011–2013 restoration gutted and rebuilt the interior, so guests seeking untouched period décor will find a modern interpretation.
• Premium price tier: the 5-star superior positioning implies high rates; the Geneva sister property’s standard rooms have been reported at roughly €725–€1,150 per night, a useful reference for the brand’s level (TripAdvisor).
• Isolated maintenance notes: one review aggregation site mentions occasional plumbing issues at the Geneva property, a minor data point for comparison (mlkmemorial.org).

Price band: what to expect

Rate data for the Copenhagen property is not published uniformly across the sources reviewed for this article. The clearest published price signal comes from the Geneva sister: standard rooms there run roughly €725–€1,150 per night depending on season, according to TripAdvisor’s French-language listing. The Copenhagen property’s 5-star superior classification and its central Kongens Nytorv address place it in the same premium band.

The catch: the d’Angleterre name signals a premium price tier in both cities, with Geneva’s published €725–€1,150 range as the clearest reference point in the reviewed sources.

Location and getting there

Hotel d’Angleterre sits at Kongens Nytorv 34, on the broad square at the edge of Copenhagen’s historic centre. The hotel fronts the square opposite Charlottenborg and the Royal Danish Theatre, and Nyhavn’s canal entrance lies just off the square, according to the property’s Wikipedia entry. The address places guests in the middle of the old city, with the harbour front and royal district within easy reach on foot.

The trade-off: a central square location means convenience over quiet; the Geneva sister property, by contrast, offers a lakeside setting with views of Mont Blanc.

The other Hotel d’Angleterre: Geneva

The name also marks a second five-star hotel in Geneva, at 17 Quai du Mont-Blanc, directly on the shore of Lake Geneva. The building dates from 1872; a travel review site credits Swiss architect Anthony Krafft with its design (Bown’s Best). At roughly 45 rooms, it is about half the size of the Copenhagen property, which gives it a boutique character distinct from the palace-scale Copenhagen house.

Guest scores at the Geneva property are consistently high. Booking.com reports 9.0 out of 10 from roughly 285 reviews (Booking.com), Five Star Alliance reports 96 out of 100 from about 350 reviews (Five Star Alliance), and Skyscanner’s listing summarises traveller ratings at about 4.7 out of 5 (Skyscanner). TripAdvisor’s French-language listing ranks the hotel fourth among 112 Geneva hotels. Notable guests have included Lord Baden-Powell, Johnny Weissmuller, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

“One of the finest hotel experiences one can have anywhere.”

Grab a Mile (BoardingArea), on Hotel d’Angleterre Geneva

For a broader comparison, our Hotel Grande Bretagne Review: Athens’ Historic Luxury Hotel covers another European grand hotel with a long institutional history, and our Conrad Hotel luxury review sets out the standards that define a high-end five-star stay.

The verdict: Copenhagen wins on history and square-front grandeur; Geneva wins on lakefront setting and boutique scale.

Our recommendation

Sources

• Grab a Mile (BoardingArea) — Hotel d’Angleterre Geneva review

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