Digital check-in, late breakfast, superfast Wifi and a studio above the clouds with breathtaking views of the Harz National Park. Sounds interesting? Then let’s go to the Hearts Hotel, in Braunlage, in the very centre of Germany. funkyGERMANY checked it out.
When you think of the Harz Mountains, terms like “trendy” or “design” are not necessarily the first words that pop in your head. That’s what Meik Lindberg and Ralph Hesse thought, too. But now they’re creating quite a stir in the area, not far from the famous “Brocken” mountain, with their newly designed lifestyle hotel.
We are not hoteliers, we come from the digital industry.
Yet with the Hearts Hotel, these two have created a place to feel good, relax and simply enjoy. A place where they themselves would love to be guests.
If someone comes to us looking for a standard hotel with a certain number of stars, mini-bars and air conditioning, and prefers to sit alone in a corner in the morning, well I’m afraid they’ll be in the wrong place here!
Meik Lindberg and Ralph Hesse
Still Plenty of Peace and Quiet
Having the Harz National Park, at 622 metres above sea level, right on your doorstep creates the perfect setting for a break in the seclusion of nature. And that goes for any time of the year. In summer, a tour of the region’s forest lakes can be booked. The trekking map can downloaded to your mobile phone by the hotel’s helpful staff. They’ll even lend you a rucksack with everything you need for perfect swimming stop at one of the lakes.
And every Thursday at 4 p.m., a two-hour tour on top-of-the-range e-bikes takes you through the Harz National Park, past amazing views of the Upper Harz Mountains and into the forest. After working up an appetite, the tour is followed by a rustic hog-roast dinner.
At the Hearts Hotel, the Only Stars are in the Night Sky
But that doesn’t mean guests have to do without great service. Each of the 55 rooms, including six suites, is individually designed. From budget rooms to executive suites with freestanding bathtubs, every room has been furnished in its own style. Industrial design meets a feel-good vibe. Thanks to the good taste and energy of interior decorator, carpenter and creative freethinker, Tatjana Westphal. The whole hotel is garnished with one-off objects found in antiques markets and designer furniture with its own story to tell.
Old wood and steel create a cosy coolness. It gets hot in the large sauna in the hotel’s spa area, where guests can enjoy the classic Harz aroma of a mountain pine infusion. The hotel’s barrel sauna and Johns Hochsitz Bar, right next to check-in, offer wonderful views of the national park. Guests can meet here for cool drinks and snacks at the open fireplace. Event dinners take place every Thursday at Leos’s restaurant, which are offered under different themes depending on the season. How about a traditional dish of kale and local “Brägenwurst” sausage? Or does roast goose, candlelight and a view of the peaks of the Harz mountains sound more tempting?
In the middle of Germany, the heart of the Harz region now beats young and fresh, modern and elegant at Hearts Hotel.
Information:
VW Bulli Lounge – campervan parking space 25 Euro
Double rooms from 79 Euro, studio above the clouds from 149 Euro including breakfast and use of the sauna.
