A luxury boutique stay at Bank Hotel in Stockholm

If you wonder where to stay in Stockholm, the quirky Bank Hotel, part of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World would be the ideal place if you are looking for unfussy luxury, excellent in-house dining options and the ideal location to explore the city’s main attractions.

Built in 1910 as a bold, modern interpretation of a renaissance palace home to the Södra Sverige Banking company, you will likely need a second look to realize that you are standing in front of one of Stockholm’s trendiest new boutique hotels.

The huge double bronze door today remains the most prominent sign of the buildings original function. Once inside, the carefully redesigned interiors display an understated elegance, effortlessly combining historic elements with contemporary features and modern art.

 

The Location

Nestled right between King’s Garden and Berzelii Park, only steps away from Nybroviken in the Östermalm district, the Bank hotel is in walking distance of many of Stockholm’s main attractions whilst two of Stockholm’s main shopping streets, Hamngatan and Birger Jarlsgatan are just around the corner.

 

Art exhibitions at the Bank Hotel

The hotel has a collaboration with local art gallery CF Hill and there are changing exhibitions located in the former vault.

It’s well worth stepping down there both for the art as well as to soak in the atmosphere of the historic bank vault.

 

The rooms

There are four different room categories, including standard doubles, standard superior, deluxe rooms and suites.

Our standard superior room located on the second floor was fairly spacious with a large enough comfy bed, a small seating area and a large desk.

All rooms are differently styled, including pieces of art that provide an additional lovely touch.

The bathroom too was fairly spacious and had a large walk-in rain shower, which I always regards as a benefit and prefer over a bathtub.

 

Dining at Bank Hotel

Keeping true to the hotels banking origins, the main restaurant is named Bonnie’s in remembrance of the infamous American bank robber couple Bonnie and Clyde.

The beautiful room, once the main bank hall, has kept lots of its historic features like the stucco decor, the stunning velvet vaults and chairs, and the black-and-white marble floor. One of the most stunning elements are the large crystal chandeliers.

Food is inspired by a combination of Swedish and Mediterranean cuisine and I particularly enjoyed the seafood.

The combination of focaccia bread with a parmesan cream-cheese mix was really tasty and unique.

The red shrimp were a real highlight and the whole sea bass was prepared to perfection too.

I never had whipped cream served with a crème brulee but really loved the combination.

Papillon bar is truly gorgeous, featuring mahogany-lined walls and a huge mahogany counter cleverly picks up the style of an early 20th century grand directors office. It’s a great place to settle down with a drink after a day out exploring or when the weather is not too inviting to get out.

There is a huge cocktail menu with changing signature cocktails according to the season and also a large selection of non-alcoholic cocktails.

A recent addition, Le Hibou rooftop bar is your perfect place on a nice day, which for Stockholm means no rain and not freezing cold, to enjoy panoramic views over Stockholm. Like at Papillon the cocktail menu is impressive, complimented by a large choice of non-alcoholic cocktails.

In the morning, a breakfast buffet is served at Bonnie’s including a good selection of freshly baked breads and pastries (including the famous Swedish ‘kanelbullar’ cinnamon rolls), cold cuts, cheese and fresh fruit.

The fresh juice selection was particularly impressive with a range of different freshly pressed juices and smoothies.

On the negative side, I was quite irritated by the hot breakfast which you can order from the kitchen. Given the excellent food served at the restaurant for lunch and dinner, I could not believe my scrambled eggs were convenience. A hotel on the level of Bank Hotel surely should serve freshly prepared eggs! The omelette was nothing better, also convenience and the ham was simply but on top as a whole slice, again not what I call a proper omelette.

 

Overall, I had a lovely stay at Bank Hotel and unless breakfast is one of your main criteria valuing a hotel, I can only recommend staying at this place during your Stockholm visit.