Hotel Ottilia | Copenhagen, Denmark
An Industrial Landmark Where Carlsberg’s Brewing Heritage Meets Contemporary Danish Design
Why DNA Hotels Loves It
● Two historic Carlsberg brewery buildings have been transformed into one of Copenhagen’s most distinctive design hotels while preserving their remarkable industrial character.
● The iconic façade of gilded brewery discs and circular windows makes Hotel Ottilia one of the city’s most recognisable architectural landmarks.
● Monumental interiors, rooftop dining, and thoughtful adaptive reuse create a hotel where history and contemporary design coexist beautifully.
Brewing History Reimagined
Hotel Ottilia stands at the heart of Copenhagen’s transformed Carlsberg City District. Occupying the former Maltmagasinet from 1881 and Lagerkælder 3 from 1969, the hotel celebrates one of Denmark’s most famous industrial sites. Named after Ottilia Jacobsen, wife of brewer Carl Jacobsen, the project carefully preserves the buildings’ original identity while introducing a contemporary hospitality experience designed by Arkitema Architects and Brøchner Hotels. The brewery remains visible. In every detail.
An Unmistakable Façade
Few hotels announce themselves quite like Hotel Ottilia. One façade is defined by 64 shimmering gilded discs that once sealed Carlsberg’s enormous beer tanks, while the opposite elevation is punctuated by dramatic circular windows that flood the guestrooms with natural light. New interventions have been introduced with remarkable restraint, allowing the historic architecture to remain the true focal point. Industrial heritage becomes sculpture. On an urban scale.
Monumental Spaces, Scandinavian Calm
The interiors retain the powerful character of the original brewery. Exposed concrete, steel structures, soaring ceilings, and preserved industrial machinery create dramatic public spaces softened by contemporary Danish furniture, warm lighting, and carefully selected materials. In the impressive Dipylon Hall, suspended malt hoppers hover above a reflective water basin, while a sculptural lighting installation rises through the building like a luminous industrial spine. The atmosphere feels monumental. Yet unexpectedly welcoming.
Rooms Framed by History
The hotel’s 155 guestrooms combine raw architecture with understated Scandinavian comfort. Rooms overlooking Bryggernes Plads feature the signature circular windows, complete with custom-built seating that transforms each opening into a quiet place to read or watch the city. Elsewhere, guestrooms tucked behind the famous golden discs offer equally distinctive interiors with muted colours, tactile materials, metal detailing, and thoughtful contemporary comforts. Every room acknowledges the building. Without becoming nostalgic.
A New Chapter for Carlsberg Byen
Hotel Ottilia has become one of the defining destinations within Copenhagen’s revitalised Carlsberg district. Guests gather at the rooftop restaurant Tramonto for panoramic city views, Italian-inspired cuisine, and sunset over the rooftops, while Brøchner’s signature Wine Hour and carefully curated gin bar encourage a relaxed social atmosphere. Beyond the hotel, historic brewery gates, contemporary architecture, cafés, galleries, and public squares continue the neighbourhood’s remarkable transformation. The city evolves. The history remains.
Why It Works
Hotel Ottilia succeeds because it embraces the scale and honesty of its industrial past rather than disguising it. Original brewery architecture, bold contemporary interventions, and refined Scandinavian interiors combine to create one of Copenhagen’s finest examples of adaptive reuse. It is a hotel where heritage is not preserved as memory alone, but transformed into an experience that feels entirely relevant today.
