Hotel Atlantic Hamburg, Autograph Collection

Our take

Grand dame of the Alster, the Atlantic has been Hamburg's most serious address since 1909 — white-façade, lake-facing, unapologetically old-world. This is where you come when you want the city to feel like an occasion. The Alster views from the right rooms are worth the rate alone. Bring someone you want to impress, or come alone and feel like you own the place. Boutique-hunters and minimalists will find it too ceremonial — and they'd be right to look elsewhere.