Interview with Jeppe Mühlhausen, General Manager at Hotel Alexandra from Copenhagen

Lifestyle - Interview

by Melisa Kaya

Hotel Alexandra is like a museum that you can testify and even live the history of Danish mid-century design and Danish Modern. With its a large collection of world-famous Danish mid-century vintage furniture and uniquely decorated 61 rooms, Hotel Alexandra offers the opportunity to see and even touch the Danish design culture. I think no one can tell us about Hotel Alexandra better than Jeppe Mühlhausen who has been working at Hotel Alexandra for 27 years. In order to learn more about Hotel Alexandra and Danish Design Culture, I asked Jeppe Mühlhausen, General Manager at Hotel Alexandra.

Jeppe, before start talking about Hotel Alexandra, could you tell us about yourself?

I have been working at Hotel Alexandra for 27 years now, which is most of my adult life.

In my childhood, I would spend a lot of my free time with my grandfather, who was head of the exhibitions at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Danish Design classics was also a part of our home growing up. In other words, I have had the honour of being surrounded by art and design most of my life. I am I no doubt that this is part of the reason why I do what I do now and with great passion.

Hotel Alexandra Collectors Suite

Hotel Alexandra is looking like a Modern Danish Furniture Museum, so you have to feel like a museum director. How does it feel to manage a hotel that like a museum, and carry all of these artifacts conservation responsibility?

I believe that the greatest tribute we can pay the great Danish designers, is to use and keep using the furniture. The quality of the classics is so good that we rarely have to do anything to repair and maintain the shape of them.

Hotel Alexandra Panton Suite Living Room

Could you tell us about Hotel Alexandra and the overall concept?

Hotel Alexandra is a small boutique hotel in Copenhagen with a large collection of world-famous Danish mid-century vintage furniture. Our 61 rooms are all individually decorated. We have a great passion for creating memorable experiences for our guests and for sharing our knowledge and excitement for Danish mid-century design or Danish Modern.

Hotel Alexandra Panton Jens Risom De Luxe Room

What type of different rooms and suites do you offer to your guests? Could you tell us about your rooms and suites? What are their features?

Our standard rooms are themed in either 50s or 60s Danish vintage style. Our De Luxe rooms are with furniture and textile a tribute to some of the greatest Danish Designers mid-century Designers: Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Nanna Ditzel, Jens Risom, BørgeMogensen, Hans J. Wegner and Ole Wanscher. Then last but not least our Verner Panton Suite which is our most bold room, with an orange living room, pink entrance, blue bathroom and purple bedroom.

Hotel Alexandra Panton Lobby

Please tell us about your services and amenities. How could your guests spend time at Hotel Alexandra?

We have a lobby made for our guests to relax in. There is a library where you can immerse yourself in and learn more about Danish Design. In the night we offer our guests a complementary glass of wine to enjoy in the lobby, where you can put on your favourite LP on our vintage B&O Record Player.

Where is Hotel Alexandra located in? What can your guests do when they step out of the Hotel Alexandra and step into the streets of Copenhagen?

My colleagues and I have made an app with recommendations on what to do, based on that more and more guests are seeking to experience Copenhagen like locals. These recommendations are what we like to do in our spare time, and it is updated often to keep it relevant. The App is called “Hotel Alexandra Copenhagen”

Hotel Alexandra Double Room De Luxe Arne Jacobsen

What kind of additional services do you offer for business travelers?

All our rooms have a working desk, a coffee machine and good WiFi. We also have a great courtyard and bikes for rental.

How can travelers make their individual or business/group reservations? Do you have any advantage packs that you offer to your regular and long-term guests?

Sorry, no advantages but via there is cooperated travel bureau on direct by mail reservations@hotel-alexandra.dk or online www.hotel-alexandra.dk

Which is the top season for travelers who want to visit Copenhagen? What is the reason?

The summertime in Copenhagen is incredible. I believe that this is due to the rough and dark withers in Denmark and that we stay inside for 4 months. Every time the sun and warmth hit the city, everybody gathers outside in every available space, to be together, drink wine, dine and laugh. The beauty of Denmark and other Nordic countries is the very contrasting seasons. Copenhagen can feel like four different wonderful cities changing according to the seasons.

Hotel Alexandra

What are the most famous attractions near you?

We are located 5 minutes from Tivoli, the City Hall Square, The Central Station and the main shopping street.

Through our guest's reviews, we have learned that our location is one of the things they really appreciate about staying with us.

If you have only one weekend in Copenhagen as a first-time visitor, in this limited time, what are the best things to do?

The very first thing I would recommend you to do is to rent a bicycle for the whole weekend, which is the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to get around. Then I would also recommend you to eat at as many different places as possible, as Copenhagen is packed with magnificent eating places, at all price levels, styles, sizes, and shapes. To get the most authentic experience I would recommend first-time visitors to visit Nørrebro, Vesterbro, and Christianshavn. I would recommend everyone staying in Copenhagen, to download our app, for more specific recommendations. Visit Copenhagen also has a lot of good articles and tips on what to do in and around Copenhagen.

How do you describe Copenhagen in one sentence?

A perfectly liveable and wonderful city, with room for everybody and top five of the happiest people of the World.

Thank you Jeppe.

For more information, please visit website of Hotel Alexandra

This interview was conducted in a Question-and-Answer format. The answers were checked for grammar and punctuation and published without any additional editing. Tuesday, August 21, 2018. All photos are the property of their respective owners.