Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski.
Munich is not exactly short on things to do. The problem, if you have ever arrived with 48 hours and an overconfident itinerary, is deciding which version of the city you are actually supposed to see. The beer halls? The palaces? The Eisbach? The BMW museum? Kempinski thinks that choosing is overrated.
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski has introduced a hospitality framework called ‘E.R.A.s,’ short for ‘Experience Real Access,’ directly transforming its grand property on Maximilianstraße into a gateway for Bavarian culture. The initiative looks back to 1872 when Berthold and Helene Kempinski launched a tiny Berlin wine bar to pioneer the art of the aperitif, later hiring Leo Kronau in 1926 as the industry’s first experience designer for the massive Haus Vaterland entertainment complex.
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski.
A century later, the concept comes with a Resident Curator, Bastian Zimmermann, a Munich-based dramaturge, curator and editor whose role is to make the concierge desk considerably more interesting. Instead of simply pointing you towards a palace, restaurant or museum, the idea is to introduce you to the people behind them – or, in Kempinski’s language, offer the kind of access that cannot simply be found by refreshing a booking page. “For decades, luxury has meant the same room service in different postcodes,” says Barbara Muckermann, Kempinski Group CEO. “We are expanding the role of the Hotel by turning it inside out: the Hotel is no longer a refuge from the city, but the gateway into it.”
Guests can choose from three immersive narratives designed to reveal the hidden history of the city. The Royalty Era is, unsurprisingly, not for anyone hoping to have a calm afternoon. Guests can take to the skies over Bavaria’s royal landscape alongside historians Markus and Vanessa Richter, whose relationship with the Wittelsbach dynasty goes considerably deeper than a well-organised Wikipedia rabbit hole. Included in the schedule are aerial views of royal estates and private encounters with the stories behind Ludwig II and Neuschwanstein, alongside experiences at Nymphenburg that bring history, dining and performance together.
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, the Craftsmanship schedule and World Cup champion and Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthäus.
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, Beer selection.
Alternatively, the Craftsmanship schedule connects visitors with the artisans of the Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, working under chief executive Anders Thomas to decorate customised porcelain pieces. Elite beer sommelier Dr Sauer hosts a separate tasting inside the hotel’s historic Jagdzimmer, presenting all six of Munich’s major regional beers side by side, while BMW Classic leader Helmut Käs leads personal walkthroughs of the automotive workshops where the manufacturer originated in 1916.
Then there is the Regenerative Era, for those who prefer their luxury experience with an elevated heart rate. Certified guide Mario Ströhlein coordinates breathing preparations inside the hotel before leading a cold plunge into the fast-flowing currents of the Eisbach canal. Football fans can join World Cup champion and Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthäus for his early morning running routine through the paths of the English Garden.
Aurelia van Lyden, Kempinski Group’s Vice President of Experiences, describes the Resident Curator as someone whose career and local relationships allow them to connect guests with the people who shape a destination. The focus, she says, is on “personal connections that open doors to the city itself.”
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski.
The programme marks a clever evolution of what the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten has always represented. The property has stood on Maximilianstraße since 1858, in the heart of Munich and within walking distance of many of its best-known cultural landmarks.
The Munich E.R.A.s are available to hotel guests now, with the concept set to expand across the wider Kempinski portfolio, including the Augustine Hotel in Prague. Discover more here.
photography. courtesy of Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski
words. Gennaro Costanzo
