Why the traditional Hamburger Atlantic is on the up again

Together with the investment-savvy owner, Peters made the right strategic decisions at the time and implemented them excellently in operational terms. The Hotel Atlantic, on the other hand, fell into a deep slumber. Even under the Kempinski brand, the former top class could no longer be achieved. As a middle-class hotel, the house was just waiting to be kissed awake.

The turning point came with a new major investor. In 2014 Bernard Große Broermann, founder of Asklepios Kliniken and Broermann Health & Heritage Hotels GmbH, bought the house. With his hotels like the Villa Rothschild in the Taunus or the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, he had already proven his class.

So it was only a matter of time before the right director was found who would initiate the decisive steps. They found him in André Vedovelli. Vedovelli has experience in top international hotels and has been responsible for the Grand Elysée Hotel in Hamburg for the past few years.

Where previously the focus was on cost savings, termination of employees and closure of the catering trade, the opposite is now the case. The joy of investing is back. The lobby is already in pristine condition, the bar is excellent, the rooms are undergoing a refurbishment and most importantly, the restaurant has finally been revived.

A legend on the menu has always been the “Atlantic Lobster Chowder”. Of course, the new head chef Alexander Mayer has put them back on the menu. After all, tradition is important and belongs to an old grand hotel. At the same time, Mayer is also oriented towards the future and creates expressive dishes that are particularly convincing with their wonderful sauces.

My conclusion: The Atlantic in Hamburg will definitely soon be one of the very best hotels in Germany. It is already listed in the ranking of the 101 best hotels in Germany, and the trend is upwards. Even if Hamburg is already the city with the best hotels in my opinion, the resurgent Atlantic will do the city and everyone involved good.

Rath’s Voyage Rating (current rating in bold)

1. Explicit Travel Warning
2. Better than under the bridge
3. So-so, not oh, là, là
4. Complaining at a high level
5. If only it were always like this
6. Great cinema

insider tips

Jogging route: The Hotel Atlantic is located directly on the Alster, which you can walk around – one of the most beautiful city jogging routes in Germany.

Culture: Although the Elbphilharmonie is no longer new, it is still always worth a visit, whether for a concert or just because.

Atlantic Travemünde: Like an enclave of calm

With a good feeling for the Atlantic, I head north into another Atlantic. The only thing the Grandhotel Atlantic in Travemünde has in common with the Atlantic in Hamburg is the name. It belongs to the Atlantic Hotel Group, as does Hotel Wilhelmshaven, the Grandhotel Bremen, which I like very much, and the luxury resort Severins Sylt, one of the three best German hotels in the “101 Best”.

21 houses will soon belong to this very quiet and at the same time wise acting hotel group, which is certainly one of the best in the four-star segment. The latest addition will soon be a house in Heidelberg, a new building. I’m very excited about the development.

But back to Travemünde: In all the hustle and bustle on the Baltic Sea beach, the Atlantic seems like an enclave of calm. A beautiful, large sunbathing lawn was laid out between the hotel and the beach. Directly in front of it, on the really wide stretch of beach, the beach chairs are spaced far apart. So everyone can maintain their privacy. I enjoy this unexpected peace and the view of the Baltic Sea, the ships passing by and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on the other side.

The beautiful spa area also has an indoor pool. But what really impresses me is the gastronomy. It starts with the extensive breakfast buffet, which is open until 11:30 a.m. This service is part of the hotel group’s philosophy: In the sister hotel on Sylt, you can even have breakfast until 12 noon.

The host Kay Plesse is everywhere. He is an old-school hotelier and runs the hotel with a noticeable love of detail. You can feel how well the old walls are maintained and the claim to get a little bit better every day. No wonder that the Grandhotel Atlantic Travemünde is one of the 101 best hotels in Germany.

I’m sure that you will hear a lot more from the Atlantic Hotel Group, even if, in contrast to some of the barkers, they act much more quietly. The focus here is more on quality than on public image. I find that very beneficial.

Rath’s Voyage Rating (current rating in bold)

1. Explicit Travel Warning
2. Better than under the bridge
3. So-so, not oh, là, là
4. Complaining at a high level
5. If only it were always like this
6. Great cinema

insider tips

Side trip: Travemünde is a district of Lübeck, even if the center of the old Hanseatic city is a good 15 kilometers away. A city tour of Lübeck is definitely worthwhile.

About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of the Travelgrand.ch travel platform, Carsten K. Rath is a professional globetrotter. He travels to all the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account.