Review: the Koenigshof Munich hotel, a real gem in Marriott’s Luxury Collection

This is our review of Marriott’s new Koenigshof hotel in Munich, part of the Luxury Collection.

As the capital of Bavaria, Munich attracts a lot of business travel and its size, history and sights also make it a perfect weekend break destination. I hadn’t been to Munich for 22 years and I was keen to return.

There is no shortage of five-star hotels in Munich but I was visiting one of the latest additions to the scene – Koenigshof. It is a stunning hotel and clearly one of Marriott’s top European properties.

The story of Koenigshof

There has been a luxury hotel on this site since the mid 19th century. The original baroque structure was bombed in WWII and rebuilt in 1955 in the architectural style of the time, although I am told that the interiors kept their regal appearance.

Following a change in ownership it was decided to demolish the old hotel and start again. A radical modern building designed by Spanish architects Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos opened in 2024.

Marriott provided my two night stay for review purposes. HfP paid for my travel costs and a dinner.

The hotel website is here.

Where is Koenigshof?

Koenigshof is on Karlsplatz, more commonly known as Stachus. From the airport you can take a taxi or the S-Bahn to Karlsplatz. The S8 line is faster than the S1 and takes roughly one hour. One of the exits is right in front of the hotel. From here the city centre can be easily explored on foot.

The hotel building itself is a cube. If it looks too avant-garde in a standalone photograph, it actually blends well with the Karlsplatz neo-baroque and post-war architecture due to its sandstone exterior. The atrium intriguingly cracks the front facade in two and gives possibilities for balconies and terraces. Whilst I’m not an engineer, apparently the slightly staggered structure has the additional benefit of allowing large pillar-free spaces inside.

The hotel is a detached building. A small front pavement and a drive separate it from the large Karlsplatz underground station and the busy square itself.

The entrance has an absolute wow factor with the welcome desk and atrium (picture further down in the article). What really strikes you is the brass everywhere. The gold and green colour combination recurs in all public spaces throughout the hotel.

An exceptional friendly front desk manager took my luggage and showed me the way to the lobby which is actually on the third floor.

I was offered a glass of champagne – it’s that sort of place, with rates to match as I will show later – whilst we dealt with the formalities. All of the staff were very friendly and competent.

The concierge is worth a special mention. On my second day I participated in a complimentary (every Wednesday) walk called ‘Destination Discovery – Viktualienmarkt’ given by the concierge which included a tour of the old town. It was a fascinating hour and set me up with a list of things to explore more closely on my own.

Panorama Suite at Koenigshof

I was given a Panorama Suite on the seventh floor at the corner facing Karlsplatz. Don’t worry – I insisted on getting a tour of other room types too.

I actually don’t prefer suites when travelling on my own as you can feel slightly lost and they are often underfurnished. This was not the case here – this suite is cosy and as welcoming as being at home and the beautiful furniture filled the space perfectly.

Every room in the hotel is decorated with fresh flowers before guests arrive. The artworks have small bar codes which you can scan to read up on the background. A number of coffee table books and magazines were laid out.

My bedroom was directly in the corner with multiple blinds, sheers and curtains to keep any ray of light out. The windows are secondary glazed and keep traffic noise at bay.

Below was my view on to Karlsplatz. In the middle is the Karlstor, a remnant of the old city wall and one of the former entrances to the town. In the background are the two landmark towers of Frauenkirche, which by law remain the tallest building in the centre.

My bathroom was very large and minimalist with beautifully large sandstone tiles and limestone framed sinks. It has distinct Japanese vibes and the photo doesn’t do it justice. Under the sink I found a hairdryer with multiple attachments and a hair straightener.

The shower was pure luxury, and had a shower head jet design I hadn’t seen before:

…. and clever mood lighting. The toiletries are from Byredo’s Le Chemin, crafted exclusively for Luxury Collection.

I also had two Japanese toilets in separate rooms.

Unexpectedly, the thick secondary glazed windows in the bathroom can be opened via a narrow side panel if you want to let fresh air in, which is unusual in modern buildings.

The limestone encased bathtub was tucked in a corner:

Other rooms at Koenigshof

I also had a chance to look at other, lower priced, room categories.

This is the Terrace Suite. It is effectively an open plan junior suite with seating at one end of the large bedroom:

What really impressed was the large private balcony facing Karlsplatz:

I also saw a Deluxe Room. Whilst being smaller the interior is very similar to the suites I saw:

The room wasn’t made up for guests yet so there were no flowers.

The bathroom had one sink and a shower and follows the same Japanese design.

Spa and pool at Koenigshof

The hotel has a private spa with pool, sauna and experience shower on the top (ninth) floor.

It is an odd set up because you book the entire spa complex for your own exclusive use.

Whilst access is free for panorama and presidential suite guests, the fee for other guests is €520 for three hours. You also need to pre-book your visit.

The gym

The gym is in the basement (boo) which is not ideal, but it is a very large space and very well equipped.

Food and drink at Koenigshof

The Gold and The Green

Whilst the hotel only has one restaurant, there is another place to get a bite.

On the third floor, next to the lobby, are two lounges. Here is the cafe which also has an outside terrace:

The lovely patisserie is provided by a local bakery.

The Green lounge next to the cafe is double height and feels very sumptious. The dark green colour scheme is a reference to the Bavarian forest (Bayerischer Wald) with wallpaper and blinds showing forest scenes. Most notable is the magnificent ceiling light in the shape of acorn propellers!

If you are in the hotel during the afternoon, you can indulge in a free cake and tea ceremony in The Green. I enjoyed it so much that I returned on my second day for another go!

The cake is a lighter version of the traditional and very delicious Prinzregententorte – not big but an indulgent bite. The tea is the hotel’s own Bavarian herb combination served in beautiful china.

The GRETA OTO restaurant and bar

The bar and restaurant are on the ninth, top, floor with magnificent views over Munich.

The GRETA OTO (a Central American glasswing butterfly, apparently) restaurant offers Latin American cuisine. I was told that, with so many good German and international restaurants in Munich, it wanted to do something different.

The space itself is stunning and feels very intimate despite being large. Through the window you can see the impressive cuppola roof of the Justizpalast (Palace of Justice) next door.

The restaurant currently offers breakfast and dinner but lunch is due to be added in March. The room is partly partitioned with wood structures and is decorated with forest/jungle wallpaper. Green shades are the dominating colours here too.

This corner has the best view:

Next to the restaurant/bar is a large roof terrace. It is also accessible from one of the event spaces.

The restaurant looked very popular when I arrived. I decided to eat dinner in the bar which was also busy.

I started off with a papaya based mocktail. This wasn’t on the menu but I asked for a mocktail and was given a few recommendations to chose from.

The bar has a separate menu with bar bites but guests can also choose from the appetizers on the main restaurant menu. I had deep fried bacalao fish cakes with pineapple salad and pepper drops (€19):

My second small dish was GRETA OTO yellowtail tartar, avocado-cilantro-cream with spicy fruit salad (€24). It was delicious.

Breakfast

Breakfast, served in the top floor restaurant, consists of a buffet and an extensive a la carte menu. The buffet is laid out in the separate room adjacent to the restaurant. Completely tiled in green it is another Bavarian touch with added cow bells on the shelves!

The offering here consists of bread, cereal, fruits, yoghurts, smoothies, dips, spreads and vegetables – all in small bowls and seemingly refilled as soon as they run out.

The extensive colds cuts are typically German including local sausages:

On my first day I ordered an egg white omelette with tomato concassé and marinated herb salad which was very tasty.

The next morning I had pancakes which came with Canadian maple syrup, preserved apricots, fresh raspberries and Chantilly cream. They were soft and fluffy and moist, slightly crisp on the underside and utterly delicious. Note the gold cutlery in keeping with the interior scheme.

If you are in the hotel at 10.30am on a Friday, there is another complimentary event available – Weißwurstfrühstück.

Don’t worry if you miss it, as Weißwurst is also part of the breakfast a-la-carte menu.

The table is laid out in the kitchen where the chef explains everything you want to know about Weißwurst! I now know that Weißwurstfrühstück is an art form and consists of white sausage, bretzel and beer! A good bretzel needs to have a certain crunch to it – the ones we usually eat are too soft for the connoisseur!

Our breakfast was accompanied by Augustiner Weißbier. The second beer is an Augustiner Hell which is alcohol-free.

Augustiner Brewery is partly owned by the family that owns the hotel and is one of the oldest breweries in Munich, dating from 1328. The Augustiner Stammhaus, a restaurant and beer hall, is just five minutes from the hotel serving traditional Bavarian food and, of course, lots of beer!

This is the star of the show – the Weißwurst. The white color comes from the white meat used to make it. It needs to be fluffy and is eaten with a coarse sweet mustard. I am a big fan but have never convinced my family ….

Koenigshof by night

More than most hotels, I felt the character and atmosphere of Koenigshof changed rapidly from day to night.

Whilst cosy, inviting and welcoming during the day it turns magical by night. From the outside the atrium becomes more visible:

At the bottom of the atrium is a commissioned sculpture by Hubertus Hamm, and at night a projector changes the color combinations every few seconds.

The entire atrium is brass which shimmers golden by day and at night looks very classy.

Conclusion

I had a fabulous time in the rebuilt Koenigshof 2.0.

The challenge for the owning family was to create something new and unique whilst respecting the history of the hotels which were previously on the site. In my view it succeeds, combining a 21st century design with Bavarian traditions and a historic sense of place.

It is smaller than it looks from the outside with just 106 rooms and suites, giving a boutique hotel feel where everything is tailor-made to provide an enjoyable experience.

Being part of the ‘Luxury Collection’ gives the hotel more scope to do its own thing rather than being tied to the brand standards of Marriott’s The Ritz Carlton or The St Regis brands, and coming through the doors from bustling Karlsplatz is like entering a different world.

If I had to find fault, it is that the hotel has only one restaurant and a small bar, both of which are busy with outside visitors as well as hotel guests. You are spoilt for choice for food in Munich, however, and the hotel is well located.

In terms of costs, Koenigshof is up there with Munich’s other illustrious five star hotels. Weekend rates start at around €500 per night, or around 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Get a better deal with our booking partner

If you are booking for cash, you will get a better deal if you use our luxury hotel booking partner Emyr Thomas. He is a Marriott ‘preferred partner’ agent and bookings through him come with:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Complimentary breakfast for two daily
• $100 equivalent Food & Beverage credit once per stay
• Early check-in / late check-out, subject to availability 

You pay the Best Flexible Rate shown online and pay on departure as usual. You can contact Emyr by using the form on this page of HfP.

The hotel website is here if you want to book or find out more.

A special thanks to Rabea and her team for looking after me so well.

PS: How did I spent my time in Munich?

The old town tour with the concierge gave me inspiration for my second day. First, I briefly popped into the impressive Haus der Kunst. This art gallery is flanked to one side by Eisbachwelle where surfers were braving the absolutely freezing January waters. This is quite a spectacle. On the other side is legendary nightclub P1.

I bought some ground coffee at Dallmayr Delikatessenhaus, a brand burnt into my mind from iconic TV adverts as a child. I also visited an art nouveau exhibition at Kunsthalle Muenchen.

What I really enjoyed was my visit to the Lenbachhaus museum, which hosts the largest collection of artworks by The Blue Rider group of avant-garde artists around Wassily Kandinsky. The cafe there is pretty good too!

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