Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Hamburg)

Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten on Neuer Jungfernstieg
General information
Location	Hamburg
Address	Neuer Jungfernstieg 9–14
Opening	1905 (1905)
Owner	Dohle GmbH & Co KG
Management	Fairmont Raffles Hotels
Affiliation	The Leading Hotels of the World
Technical details
Floor count	5
Other information
Number of rooms	156
Number of restaurants	7
Number of bars	2
Website
www.fairmont.com/vier-jahreszeiten-hamburg

The Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten is a luxury hotel located on the Neuer Jungfernstieg in Hamburg, Germany. The Grand hotel is recognized as one of the top hotels in the world. The hotel has received numerous national and international awards, and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World alliance.

History

During an auction on February 24, 1897, hotelier Friedrich Haerlin bought the small and inconspicuous Hotel zu den Vier Jahreszeiten, located on the west side of the Inner Alster, an artificial lake in Hamburg. The building had just 12 rooms and a restaurant until Haerlin transformed it into a luxury hotel, naming it the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten.

In 1905, an extension of the hotel was opened, bringing the total rooms to 57. Haerlin renamed the property Grandhotel Vier Jahreszeiten. In 1911, additional property was acquired adjacent to the hotel, creating a total of 50 bathrooms and 140 bedrooms, all of which had a private telephone line installed. By 1934, the hotel had reached its current size, and no additional property has been purchased or added since then.

In 1915, during World War I, the "Haus Neuer Jungfernstieg Nr. 14" was seized by the High Command of Coastal Defence. The hotel was poorly maintained during the military's occupation.

Haerlin’s three sons were assigned to fight at the front. Two of his sons, Otto and Wilhelm, died in Flanders, while his third son, Fritz, survived the war. During the German Revolution of 1918 – 1919, the revolutionary Supreme Marine Council took over the hotel until March 1919. During the revolution, mutinous sailors shelled the Alster Pavillion, which sits on the adjacent shore of the Inner Alster. Its close proximity caused damage to the hotel. The poorly maintained and damaged hotel had to be completely renovated, which Haerlin accomplished with the help of his wife Thekla, and his son Fritz.

In 1919, they opened Restaurant Haerlin, followed by the Art Deco styled Jahreszeiten Grill in 1925. Both restaurants remain open today.

Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten as seen across the Binnenalster

In 1928, all of the guest rooms were upgraded, and a fifth floor observation balcony was built. In addition, the entire building received a new copper span roof, which today boasts a fine green patina. In 1932 the founder’s son Fritz took over the hotel at Neuer Jungfernstieg. During the 1930s, like his father, Fritz invested in distinctive restaurants and bars and opened the Biedermeier-style Café Condi and the Jahreszeiten Keller, since 1998 known as Doc Cheng's.

During World War II, the hotel was only slightly damaged by bomb attacks. After the end of the war, the hotel served as headquarters of the British 7th Armoured Division until 1952. On April 4, 1952, the hotel reopened once again.

In 1966 the hotel became a member of The Leading Hotels of the World alliance. In 1968, Gert Pranter took the lead as hotel director, tripling the hotel's turnover between 1975 and 1989.

Beginning in 2007, and completed in 2010, the hotel was renovated at a cost of 25 million euros. Numerous refurbishments and improvements were made, including copper roof restoration, 156 bathrooms modernized, heating and cooling updates, and much more. In addition to being renovated, all 156 guest rooms were updated with 21st century technology, including iPod docking stations, personal tablet PCs, high-definition televisions, and DVD players.

Changes in Ownership

In 1989, the Haerlin heirs decided to sell the business. In December of that year, Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten was sold to Japanese hotelier Hiroyoshi Aoki for approximately 210 million Deutsche Marks, bringing 92 years of Haerlin family ownership to a close.

Aoki sold the property to Raffles Hotels & Resorts on July 31, 1997. On October 1, 1997, Ingo C. Peters was appointed the new director of the hotel. On April 30, 2007, the hotel was the first property to belong to the Canadian hotel group Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

In February 2013, the family-owned retail chain Dohle Group acquired the hotel for 35 million euros. The daily management remains with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.