Give us a brief overview of d’Angleterre…
d’Angleterre is an icon and a historic landmark in Copenhagen and Denmark and it is rated as one of the best hotels in Northern Europe. Celebrated for its elegance, luxury and style, hotel d’Angleterre embodies the perfect balance between the stately Victorian architecture of the historic building and the graceful simplicity of contemporary Nordic design. We offer the city’s finest accommodation in our 92 rooms and suites overlooking Copenhagen’s largest square, Kongens Nytorv, amazing dining at our Michelin-starred restaurant Marchal, the lavish and vibrant Balthazar Champagne Bar and the prize-winning Amazing Space spa, and of course our second-to-none service and attention from our dedicated staff.
For 266 years d’Angleterre has served the elite and still going strong. What’s the secret to creating this timeless service?
For one I believe that the great dedication and passion for service of our founders has been passed down through generations at the hotel – from housekeeper to housekeeper, doorman to doorman, concierge to concierge, and so on. The long, rich history and legendary service standards of the hotel mean, of course, that every member of the staff must be the best version of themselves – and we are here to help them become just that.
We put a lot of effort into training our staff. To us, service is an academic discipline; and we make sure that every staff member is well-educated, with ongoing training sessions lead by the best resources within the industry. Besides getting a lot of knowledge within the field of service and hospitality, the extensive training also gives our staff a great deal of self-confidence, allowing them to be themselves and show their own personality in the interaction with our guests. The result is very warm and personal service and attention – and I will even say “care”. Care and warm attention never go out of style, so laying the groundwork for our staff to shine and blossom in their roles is, without a doubt, the key to providing timeless service.
Tell us how you make sure to have the right offers at the hotel for your guests at all times…
The way our guests travel changes constantly, and that has always been true. To me, it is always key to be ahead of the curve – to know what the guests want even before they know it themselves. Of course, some things are universal across time for travellers, such as outstanding and attentive service; a gorgeous and central location; beautiful and well-maintained rooms and suites; and first-class dining offers. But the experiences the guests expect during their stay change all the time, and to meet those expectations, you need to be ahead and constantly on your toes.
In general, today’s traveller expects a very personalized hotel experience in all aspects of the stay – from exercise routines to bath preferences. But also, when it comes to activities outside the hotel, today’s travellers expect the hotel to provide truly out-of-the-ordinary experiences. And by that, I don’t mean just arranging a horse-drawn carriage ride through the city or a customized picnic basket to enjoy by the waterfront; I mean experiences that you can only get through personal connections in the local community. That could be a personal meeting with a designer of a big design brand or a tour of one of the royal castles that are normally closed to the public. And of course, in the time of the pandemic, our guests are now much more concerned about the safety and the quality of local healthcare – an area in which Denmark is second to none.
Food is key when deciding the travel destination. In your experience, what are today’s traveller’s food preferences?
Being a frontrunner on the gastronomic scene locally, as well as globally, is paramount for d’Angleterre. At our Michelin-starred restaurant Marchal, we work hard to meet the high expectations of our guests. We are balancing a world-class restaurant’s high standards of what fine dining means, with the food preferences of today’s traveller.
Our guests’ food preferences are certainly affected by shifting trends; we are increasingly seeing guest requests for local produce, vegetarian and vegan food, and food produced with low CO2 emissions. To meet those requests Marchal has – among other initiatives – its own kitchen garden outside of Copenhagen where our chefs collect the local, ecological and homegrown produce for the menus, and we continuously search for new ways to ensure the best and most climate-friendly food solutions.
What are your 3 best pieces of advice to stay relevant?
- Always put the guest in the centre of everything you do
- Be ahead of trends and new expectations, but stay true to your legacy and identity
- Let your staff shine
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To find out more about d’Angleterre and to book, visit its website and follow its Instagram and Facebook pages.