Surrounded by the lush greenery of the Old Botanical Garden, The Charles Hotel is located in a quiet area of Munich. Inside, Art Deco is combined with ornate botanical elements, vibrant colours are paired with muted tones, creating a playful yet cosy atmosphere.
The location
Located between Karlsplatz and Königsplatz, and next to the Old Botanical Garden, lies The Charles Hotel. Just a short distance away are the main railway station and the English Garden, Europe’s largest city park. From here, it takes about 40 minutes to reach the international airport.
Backstory
Opened in 2007, The Charles Hotel is a great addition to the Rocco Forte Hotels collection with its classic, stylish rooms. The hotel was named after Sir Rocco Forte’s father, a renowned hotelier called Lord Charles Forte.
For General Manager Ulrich Schwer, every city has its own rhythm, which guides him in adapting the hotel’s identity to its surroundings. He wants to offer his guests an authentic experience that reflects the spirit of the city and its inhabitants.
Schwer can look back on a career in Germany’s most prestigious hotels. He has already been named one of Germany’s 50 best hoteliers. Through his previous work at the Hotel de Rome, he learned how to use storytelling as a compelling part of a hotel’s identity.
Architecture & interior
Made of natural Crème Cintra stone, the building winds organically through Munich’s green spaces. It was designed by Munich architect Christoph Sattler from the Hilmer, Sattler & Albrecht firm, who also designed other well-known buildings such as Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.
Inside The Charles Hotel, guests are greeted by Art Deco elements, colourful accents and paintings.
The building pays homage to the grand hotels of the Mediterranean region from the same period. Its rooms and furniture are characterised by the classic, timeless design of the 1930s.
At The Charles Hotel, it is not only the view outside that offers plenty of nature, but also the botanical accents inside: bouquets of flowers, botanical illustrations and wallpapers adorn the interior.
The Monforte Royal Suite, named after Lord Forte’s birthplace, is located on the top floor of the hotel. Together with the Forte Suite, it offers guests plenty of room, three bedrooms and a roof terrace.
From the hotel rooms, one can enjoy views of historic Munich and the Old Botanical Garden, which stretches out like a green oasis next to the building.
London-based interior designer Magdalena Onisko, part of the design team of Olga Polizzi, followed her intuition when selecting the perfect artwork for each room. Through travel, curiosity and instinct, she found botanical illustrations and original artwork at art and antiques fairs in London.
During a trip to Munich, Onisko came across an old edition of Simplicissimus, printed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With an often sarcastic sense of humour, the magazine featured hand-drawn graphics, which she displayed in custom-made frames in the rooms.
They form an eclectic mix of different styles and techniques, from black-and-white prints to watercolours and oil paintings. Her goal was to continue the natural environment dominated by the old botanical garden with fragments of nature inside the hotel.
Culinary
When stepping into the Florio restaurant, one is not only impressed by the classic Italian dishes, but also by the warm, sun-drenched interior with olive trees.
Timeless and characterised by botanical elements adorning the backs of chairs or framed on walls, the restaurant continues the hotel’s concept. The floor-to-ceiling windows flood the interior with light and offer a view of the terrace. The green outdoor area with marble tables and cosy seating areas is ideal for refreshing cocktails during ‘aperitivo hour’.
When it comes to food, Florio emphasises seasonal ingredients and straightforward classic Italian dishes created by Fulvio Pierangelini.
The menu, featuring antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci, highlights the ingredients of each dish and keeps additives to a minimum. From the morning breakfast buffet to the lunch menu and dinner, the restaurant takes its guests on a short Italian holiday.
In order to do justice to Florio’s concept, now the third in the group alongside Palermo and Rome, it was redesigned accordingly and changed with many botanical elements such as the six striking olive trees in large terracotta pots in the interior.
At Florio Bar large leaves of bird-of-paradise flowers stretch above the heads of guests. Small table lamps bathe the room in a pleasant, calm yellow light.
Refreshing cocktails can be enjoyed on cosy round corner benches and in an Italian-inspired interior, accompanied by small dishes carefully selected by chefs Alberto Brandolin and Fulvio Pierangelini.
French 75 or Flower Fizz? What shall it be? Whether it’s a signature cocktail or champagne, guests don’t have to choose at the Circle Bar. The Circle Bar lives up to its name in terms of interior design: the curved space, partly inspired by Mauro Staccioli’s iconic sculpture ‘The Ring’, also offers guests a selection of literary classics to browse through.
Surrounded by Paolo Moschino’s Art Deco, guests can peruse the exquisite champagne list, which celebrates what is arguably the world’s most famous wine region. Alongside classic and newly discovered wines, miso octopus skewers with chimichurri or artichokes with tartar sauce also find their way onto the table.
Wellness & relaxation
The Charles Hotel has the longest pool of its kind in Munich, perfect for swimming laps. A Finnish sauna, steam bath and hot and cold foot baths complete the spacious wellness area.
This is the place to be to experience a different kind of meditation. Here, guests literally float. Wrapped in a soft blanket and lying on an air mattress, they glide on the water during the Floating Sound Bath Experience. Sawsan Bellaj, sound therapist and founder of Aphrodite Sound Bath, fills the room with the sounds of crystal singing bowls, Himalayan bowls, chimes and gongs.
Signature treatments feature rich Sicilian oils and skincare products from Irene Forte Skincare, as well as exclusive products made from plants grown at the Sicilian resort.
The floor-to-ceiling windows in the adjoining fitness room offer views of the pool. Guests have access to a selection of interactive cardio equipment, as well as the latest Technogym training equipment and weights.
Surrounding area
Today, the old garden, designed in 1812 by landscape architect Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell, serves as a park where many Munich residents spend their lunch breaks.
Only the entrance gate in the eastern part of the Old Botanical Garden, located next to the hotel, has been preserved in its original form. Portuguese architect Emanuel Herigoyen built the early classicist gate, which still guides visitors to the Old Botanical Garden today.
During the Nazi era, it was redesigned according to plans by Paul Ludwig Troost into a city park with a Neptune fountain and a coffee house with a beer garden. The fountain and the art pavilion were destroyed during bombing raids.
The latter is now located in a small wooded area next to the Neptune Fountain, which has also been restored. Here, local and international artists exhibit their contemporary and critical art.
Activities
Munich is known far beyond the borders of Bavaria and Germany for its Oktoberfest, but for culture lovers, the Pinakothek der Moderne offers a rich selection of exhibitions on art, graphic design, architecture and design.
A two-hour guided tour allows visitors to explore the Olympic Stadium. Designed by German architects Behnisch & Partner, the stadium with its spider web-inspired roof was built for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Secured with climbing harnesses, curious visitors can climb across the roof and enjoy the view of the adjacent park. Once at the top, visitors can glide back down to the ground on a zip line or abseil down from a height of 40 metres.
Details
Rooms
Forte Suites
- Lord Forte Suite (92 m²)
- Forte Suite (92 m²)
- Forte Two-Bedroom Suite (142 m²)
- Monforte Royal Suite (200 m²)
Suites
- Classic Suite (67 m²)
- Signature Park View Suite (73 m²)
- Signature Panoramic View Suite (73 m²)
Junior Suites
- Junior Suite (48 m²)
- Deluxe Junior Suite Park View (50 m²)
Family Suites & Rooms
- Family room with two bedrooms (80 m²)
- Family Junior Suite (90 m²)
- Signature Park View Two-Bedroom Suite (113 m²)
- Signature Panoramic View Two-Bedroom Suite (113 m²)
- Three-Bedroom Classic Suite (147 m²)
Culinary
Restaurant Florio
Opening hours: Daily, lunch 12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., dinner 6:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Circle Bar
Opening hours: Open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Wellness & relaxation
- Floating Sound Bath
- Treatments & massages
- Wellness area with Finish sauna, indoor pool, steam bath, warm & cold foot baths
- Gym with training equipment and weights from Technogym and interactive cardio equipment
