Hotel Eggers

In 1894, when Emil Eggers inaugurated his stately, newly renovated hotel in Drottningtorget, it was regarded as a marvel of modernity. Electric lighting, lifts, a telephone in every room, and all of twelve bathrooms where guests could do their ablutions. With a fancy restaurant, an American bar and various lounges and banquet halls, Eggers Hôtel made a big splash in the city’s nightlife. Parts of the original decor are intact: lots of velvet, silly little wall lanterns and creaking floors. Today the rooms are fewer, and all have their own bathroom, but they’re just as quirky, some with crystal chandeliers and oriental rugs, others more humble in style, but always with some medallion wallpaper, velvet cushion or silk drape somewhere. This extravagance does not extend to the bathrooms, even if claw foot tubs can be found in the more luxurious rooms. Sometimes the whole place can feel a bit worn, but that’s all part of the Eggers’ charm; if you prefer austere designer hotels, look elsewhere. Staff are friendly and obliging, and as you eat your -breakfast in the Belle Époque-inspired dining room it’s really quite easy to imagine yourself as a travelling salesman enjoying a bit of a treat after a good run of business. Extra points for having a house ghost – Emil Eggers’ wife, Ebba, is said to roam the corridors.