Scandic Palace Hotel - Copenhagen, Denmark 

"Pleased to stay at the Palace (Copenhagen):"
Posted: Mon, Nov 23 2009
I have stayed at the Palace hotel on a number of occassions over the past 5 years. The hotel itself is an old building with dated decor but very comfortable. I understand there is modernisation program underway. For me the two most important aspects of a hotel stay is comfort and service and without doubt I give the Palace hotel a five star rating. I always get a good nights sleep and the hotel staff are very convivial, helpful, effecient and polite.

Won't be 5 star even after refit.
Posted: Tue, Jul 22 2008
I stayed for one night. Got a very good rate. As has been said before, the renovated rooms are nice but they are tiny. Do not stay in the small rooms, if you are more than one. I kept bumping my leg against the bed because the desk chair was so close to it. They have squeezed in every amenity under the sun into these small rooms. However having to iron in the cupboard is a little bit silly! Guess the 5 star clientele will just use the laundry. Again as previously stated no aircon in the rooms. The room got surprisingly hot so the sooner it is in the better. Didn't try breakfast so can't comment, and the bar is not open currently. The location is great and I slept well. Even when renovated I don't think it can be called 5 star. No fitness facility, pool etc currently, and I doubt this is coming in. Basically it will be a 4 star hotel.

Nice room, no a/c during renovation, unrenovated areas in need of improvements
Posted: Thu, Jul 17 2008
I got a good deal on this hotel through Priceline, but then I realized it was undergoing renovations and didn't have any air conditioning. It turned out to still be a great deal for a room in downtown Copenhagen, but there were some minor things that could have been improved upon. For one, internet access is available, but costly. Because of the renovations, we had to walk the long way around the entire floor to access our room. It was hot, as the A/C wasn't functioning. The common areas aren't upgraded yet. The positives included a very nice room, lovely bedding, clean design, etc. The bathroom is private enough, but I also agree that some functional options could be included (like a shelf in the shower). The shower was very nice though...rain shower, with great pressure, temperature control, etc. I would like to stay at this place again once the renovations are complete.

Will be nice when its finished
Posted: Wed, Jul 16 2008
This hotel should be really closed down for a couple of months until the work is completed. It's currently a grand old lady in a sorry state. First the good: Renovated rooms are very nice; materials and amenities are well chosen and although there are some ergonomic "challenges" this is mainly due to the tiny size of the rooms (no amount of glass and granite will make them any bigger that when the hotel was built). Even in Hong Kong, this would be considered a small room. Staff were friendly and tried their very best to be helpful under what were obviously difficult conditions. I witnessed several people complaining about poor service/conditions, but every request I made resulted in someone at my door in less than 5 minutes (which for Denmark is outstanding). They weren't always able to accommodate my requests, but they always tried. Then the bad: The renovation seems to be taking place at random, so the hotel experience is very mixed. The lobby is very plain. It has fresh paint and carpet, but looks like it is waiting for pictures and signage to be hung. There are some network cables hanging from the ceiling and it has the general feeling of “almost finished”, something like a new house the day before the builders leave. The elevators look like they haven’t been touched since the 1920’s, with threadbare carpet and dirty footprints from the workers. As you walk down the hallways you alternate through refurbished zones with new carpet, fresh paint, etc, then old zones which are tired, dirty and worn out. To reach my room I had to drag my luggage through a construction zone complete with tripping hazards and an inch of dust on every surface. I tried to order room service and was told by an embarrassed clerk that they currently had a "different" menu, which was promptly brought to my room. The new menu was obviously from a local Australian themed restaurant (with the prices doubled) which I guess means they are doing work in the Kitchen now... One restaurant is open for breakfast only, the other is closed and under construction. The hotel is surrounded by restaurants, so this really isn't an issue. There is no air conditioning. They state this on their website, and they were very quick to bring me a fan (although it was covered in construction dust), which did help. You should note however that the streets are very noisy with loud drunks outside all night, so sleeping with the windows open isn't really an option. During my stay I was lucky enough to witness the air conditioning units being lifted onto the roof of the hotel (at 5AM; they parked the crane outside my window), so I'm guessing the air will be working soon... To summarize, it's a work in progress, and I'm not sure the public need to be part of that journey. Its not up to Meridien standards now, but I think it will be when its done. On the plus side, the room rates are currently something of a bargain by Copenhagen standards, so it may be good to stay here while its affordable.

Will the renovations ever be completed? Get a new bathroom designer!
Posted: Tue, Jul 08 2008
Stayed at the Palace two nights. Also stayed there exactly a year ago. Comments have not changed! Lovely renovated room. Whoever is designing the bathrooms is not into ergonomics! After shaving, brushing teeth or whatever one bangs one's head against the mirror. The sink is very small, beautiful, but NOT ergonomic. The frosted glass partition between the room and the bathroom makes little sense. Unless you are really friendly one must shut the lights in the bathroom to have any privacy. Makes NO sense. At this time I question if the renovations will EVER be finished. The people are wonderful, but my Turkish is none-existent, which puts a damper on communicating! The elimination of the sidewalk caf? is a bummer. Bring it back! A great location, but-----