Marvelous in Munich: A review of the Rosewood Munich
Editor's Note
What do you get when you combine an aristocratic palace, a baroque bank building and one of the best design firms in the hotel business? If you guessed the Rosewood Munich, you're right.
Opened in October 2023, the hotel has breathed new life into the Palais Neuhaus-Preysing (which originally dates to the early 1700s) and the late-19th-century Bavarian State Bank headquarters thanks to the work of Tara Bernerd & Partners, whose other projects have included the Conrad Los Angeles and the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale. It's the first new luxury hotel to open in the southern Germany metropolis in over a decade.
We popped by during a recent last-minute May getaway for a firsthand look, and here were our impressions of the Rosewood Munich.
Rosewood Munich location
The Rosewood Munich sits in the city's historic core on Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse, which is lined with other grand edifices and just a short walk from the central Marienplatz, as well as landmarks like the Munich Residence museum, the Frauenkirche cathedral, the Bavarian State Opera, the food stall-filled Viktualienmarkt and the English Garden.
Enthusiastic walkers can also get to various museums, including the art-focused Alte Pinakothek and Lenbachhaus, in 20 to 30 minutes at a brisk gait. In fact, if you like exploring cities on foot, you might not even need to take public transport or use a car service.
Munich Airport (MUC), meanwhile, takes about 40 minutes by car, and you can expect to pay $80 to $120 for a taxi or Uber. Alternatively, if you're traveling light, you can catch the S-Bahn train between the airport and Marienplatz and walk from there. The ride takes about 45 minutes and costs 16.30 euros ($19).
If you're arriving in Munich by train, you can take the U-Bahn from the city's Central or East stations for about $4.50 or hail a taxi or car for about $15. The ride, either way, will be about 10 to 15 minutes.
Rosewood Munich booking details
The Rosewood Munich has a total of 73 rooms, 54 suites and five "houses," which are sprawling specialty suites. The 2,690-square-foot Konig Maximilian I. House has sloping ceilings, a dual-sided fireplace and expansive living and dining areas, while the 1,830-square-foot Prinzessin Augusta House has a large private balcony overlooking the city skyline.
Rates at the Rosewood Munich currently start at $934 per night for a room in the entry-level deluxe category, which offers around 387 square feet of space. The 570-square-foot premier suite I was booked in currently starts at $1,633 per night.
This particular Rosewood hotel does not participate in the Capital One Premier Collection or Chase's The Edit. However, if you have The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you can make a booking through American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts on amextravel.com and receive perks like availability-based upgrades, up to a $100 credit to use on-property during your stay for things like drinks or meals, complimentary daily breakfast for two and guaranteed late checkout.
If you book through our partner, Skylark, you can also enjoy elitelike benefits and on-property credits.
Standout features
- You'll enjoy a fantastic location right in the historic city center.
- Fabulous cocktails and live music at Bar Montez, as well as refined Bavarian-Alpine cuisine at Brasserie Cuvilliés, make the hotel a dining destination in its own right.
- The Asaya Spa has a beautiful indoor pool and offers treatments that use high-end product lines like Dr. Barbara Sturm and Evidens de Beaute.
Drawbacks
- Be prepared for tourist throngs throughout the surrounding streets at most times of the day or night.
- Due to the historical nature of the buildings, wheelchair users might need to navigate various halls and elevators to access some parts of the hotel.
- With nightly rates starting at nearly $1,000, this hotel is going to be a major splurge for most travelers.
The vibe at the Rosewood Munich
So many hotels these days are described as palatial, but the Rosewood Munich actually has the credentials to back that claim up since one of the historical buildings that now houses the hotel was once the princely Palais Neuhaus-Preysin (though the current version was reconstructed after World War II).
Chances are, one of the nattily dressed doormen will take your bags so you can admire the baroque crown molding and ceiling frescoes as you make your way up the baronial marble staircase to the loungelike reception area on the mezzanine level. But be sure to look left to spot the gold leaf-coated Gustav Klimt painting peeking out at you from the landing.
As the check-in formalities are taken care of, you'll be invited to relax in one of the blue velvet armchairs, reminiscent of Bavaria's spring skies, and grab yourself a coffee (and some freshly baked cookies). The point, as many of the staff will tell you, is to make yourself at home.
The room
My premier suite was located at the end of one of the hotel's circuitous hallways up on the fifth, and top, floor.
The suite had two distinct sections: the living room just inside the front door and the bedroom through another doorway beyond that.
Separated from the entrance by a set of simple multilevel shelves with large-format books and pieces of applied art, like vases and small sculptures, the living room felt spacious but cozy.
It held a sofa and a chair surrounding two coffee tables, one of wood and one of marble, plus a wall-mounted flat-screen TV. Thanks to a color palette dominated by taupe and gray but with accents of light blue and mustard yellow, the aesthetic felt like a blend of art deco and pared-down 1970s chic. I especially liked the pop of orange from Dutch painter Thomas Trum's print, which was inspired by posters from the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The minibar was a beautiful work of cabinetry and contained goodies like premixed cocktails from Bar Montez and various salty and sweet snacks, plus a Nespresso coffee machine and Rosenthal porcelain cups.
The king-size bed dressed in 600-thread-count white Rivolta Carmignani linens with silver stitching dominated the bedroom's floorspace, but it was two colorful prints of figures in traditional Bavarian costumes by German artist Olaf Hajek that caught my eye and lent the space a touch of whimsy. To either side were simple nightstands with a standing lamp on one and a sconce light above the other, while buttons to control the lights and curtains were embedded in the gray fabric headboard.
I had a small balcony with a table and a set of metal chairs that I could access through French doors from either the bedroom or living room and which looked out over one of the hotel's central courtyards.
Running alongside the bedroom was an enormous closet area with space for several large pieces of luggage, as well as a compact vanity with a lit mirror where you could primp (and use the provided Dyson hair dryer).
Through a set of sliding doors, the bathroom was tiled in glossy gray-white marble and had a vanity with two sinks; a gleaming, freestanding, ellipse-shaped bathtub; and an enormous walk-in shower with overhead and wall-mounted showerheads, as well as a small ledge where you could sit while you lathered up with the rosemary-scented Votary bath products. It was unseasonably cold during my May stay, so I appreciated the heated flooring as well.
Food and drink at the Rosewood Munich
Named after the famed 18th-century architect, François de Cuvilliés, who designed the Munich Residence's rococo Cuvilliés Theater nearby, Brasserie Cuvilliés is the hotel's all-day eatery occupying much of its ground floor. There are rococo elements here, too — namely playful ceramic pieces dotting shelves around the space and on the ledges between tables sculpted by Munich-based artist Angelica Maria Stiegler.
At breakfast, guests can graze along the buffet of pastries, cold cuts and fresh fruit before ordering included a la carte items like toast heaped with smashed avocado, and a pair of traditional Bavarian white sausages floating in parsley broth and served with house-baked pretzels, obatzda cheese spread and sweet mustard (set menus range from $32 to $60 per person).
At lunch and dinner, chef Matthias Brenner turns out more refined fare inspired by traditional Bavarian cuisine and seasonal Alpine ingredients. Among the specialties are a delicate but meaty "brawn," sort of like thinly sliced corned beef made from Tegernsee wagyu beef, on a wafer-thin crostini with radishes and potato puree plus fresh herbs ($29); cured mountain salmon trout with apple and carrot gelee and a dollop of caviar ($30); and ultratender braised pork cheek with pizokel dumplings, savoy cabbage and marjoram ($33).
For dessert, the Virunga chocolate cake with mousse, roasted plums, red shiso leaves and cherry ice cream ($18.50) is decadent but tangy.
Guests can also enjoy an abridged all-day menu and afternoon tea in the light-filled indoor-outdoor Wintergarten and Palaishof adjacent to Brasserie Cuvilliés when the weather is fine.
And in the evenings, the action is at Bar Montez, a sultry cocktail bar named after the mistress of King Ludwig I and inspired by the city's 1920s jazz heyday.
The lounge gets downright convivial when the live music starts and guests begin filtering in for bar snacks like cheeseburger sliders ($28), currywurst ($16) and a selection of local cheeses and charcuterie ($28) to accompany specialty cocktails like the potent Peach & Smoke with Bowmore 15-year scotch whisky, peach liqueur, verjus, sweet vermouth and bitters ($22).
Amenities and service at the Rosewood Munich
The hotel is home to an outpost of Rosewood's branded Asaya Spa, which focuses on integrative wellness.
The 16,000-square-foot complex includes the spa, which offers treatments incorporating high-end international skin care brands like Evidens de Beaute and Dr. Barbara Sturm, as well as "lost remedies," including the aromatherapy-based Aufguss body brushing and others that draw inspiration from Bavaria's forests and monasteries.
The on-site gym has a plethora of new Technogym cardio and weight machines and offers personal training sessions.
The dramatically lit pool, meanwhile, feels like a classic German spa with slender arched alcoves, hydrotherapy beds and plenty of cushioned lounges and daybeds with abstract ceramic lighting sconces.
As for other amenities, the hotel can arrange cultural activities such as a private tour of the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory and excursions with BMW.
When it comes to the service, it is as polished but genuinely warm as you'd expect at a Rosewood property. Case in point: I ventured out for an afternoon walking tour and did not know rain was in the forecast, but one of the doormen trotted out after me to ensure I had an umbrella in hand.
Accessibility at the Rosewood Munich
Although the hotel occupies two historical structures, it has been brought up to current accessibility requirements. There is a no-step entrance, and while many guests might take the stairs up to the reception area, there is an elevator to do so as well. All the guest room floors are accessible by elevator, as are the restaurant, the bar and the spa.
The hotel has three accessible rooms with features like grab bars by the toilet and in the shower, and floor plans that allow for maneuvering a wheelchair.
As always, be sure to contact the hotel directly to book accommodations that meet your specific needs.
Checking out
Even nearly two years after its opening, the Rosewood Munich represents an exciting new phase for luxury hotels in the city. Of course, there are other tried-and-true classics for business and leisure travelers nearby, but the hotel's excellent location, elegant decor and engaging dining and drinking venues mean that it pulls a mix of visitors and locals alike that give it a certain cosmopolitan flavor. If your budget stretches to it, make this your home base for your next Bavarian getaway.
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