Before Rogue One and The Theory of Everything, Felicity Jones stopped at The Charles Hotel for the Munich photocall of Powder Girl, the German release of Chalet Girl, in March 2011. The cameras came for the cast; today's guests have the Old Botanical Garden, softly curved architecture and a generous indoor pool to enjoy. Opened in 2007, this Rocco Forte hotel brings a calmer kind of glamour to the city, with Italian dining at Florio and greenery just beyond the windows.
Elizabeth Taylor brought a touch of Hollywood to Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski: former head chef Dieter Biesler remembered her ordering hand-cut steak tartare for her cat during the 1972 Munich Olympics. The hotel had already been welcoming guests since 1858, and its Maximilianstrasse address still puts you close to the opera and the Old Town. Come for the grand-hotel atmosphere, linger beneath the lobby's stained-glass dome, and leave time for a swim in the heated indoor pool.
Bayerischer Hof has the scale of a city landmark but the glamour of a private club, with rooftop swimming, celebrated restaurants and rooms in the heart of Munich. Michael Jackson returned several times, including an extended stay that helped make the hotel a place of pilgrimage for his fans.
Harry Kane made Mandarin Oriental, Munich his base after joining Bayern in 2023, staying until December and thanking the team with a signed shirt when he checked out. This five-star Old Town address pairs polished interiors with a location close to Marienplatz and Maximilianstrasse. Japanese-Peruvian cooking at Matsuhisa and cocktails at Ory give you reasons to linger after a day in the city. The appeal is a little like Kane's long check-in: a grand hotel comfortable enough to settle into.
At Hotel München Palace, a garden gives a clear focus to the experience on the serene upper banks of the River Isar. The mood is polished, calm and grounded in Munich.
The proposition at Sofitel Munich Bayerpost is a clear one: a five-star hotel in Munich and a composed place to return to after a day in the destination.
