Hotel Borg, Reykjavik, Iceland: A Beautiful Art Deco City Stay
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Review: Hotel Borg, Reykjavik, Iceland: A Beautiful Art Deco City Stay
Hotel Borg by Keahotels, Pósthússtræti 11, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland. Standard double room with breakfast ISK32,090 per night (US$230, GBP178, EUR196). However, discounts applied including a 15% discount and upgrade with Booking.com.
Written by Liam Collens // Find other reviews here.
Hotel Borg is a sophisticated, cool, modern Art Deco hotel in Reykjavik. The hotel exudes elegance in a way that you just do not see any more.
The Highs
The Lows
The Highs
The Lows
Hotel Borg: A Refuge for Weary Travellers
19 hours travelling from Dubai to Reykjavik wearing a mask with a six-hour layover in Amsterdam meant I was looking forward to Hotel Borg. I wanted to retire what was left of my human shell into the king-sized bed that comes with Hotel Borg’s standard double. The bed feels all the more glorious after months of lockdown in Dubai where travel plans faded to an apparition. I am reminded at this moment that Nordic hotels provide two single duvets instead of one king-sized duvet.
This moment of reprieve defines both my stays at Hotel Borg. Yes, plot twist, I stayed at the Hotel Borg twice during my 10 days in Iceland. The Keahotels group maintain a number of properties throughout the city but Keahotels wisely consolidated all bookings into the Hotel Borg. Iceland is open for tourism and business, but, hotels and restaurants bearing ‘closed because of COVID’ is telling of the times.
Hotel Borg is a sophisticated, cool, modern Art Deco hotel in Central Reykjavik. The brassy wallpaper soar above monochrome floors and walls wearing oversized black and white photos of a time gone by. The reception is elegant in a way that you just do not see any more. Statues and high-gloss furniture pop adding character to the front reception. Check-in is flawless and this weary body heads to the room.
This moment of reprieve defines both my stays at Hotel Borg. Yes, plot twist, I stayed at the Hotel Borg twice during my 10 days in Iceland. The Keahotels group maintain a number of properties throughout the city but Keahotels wisely consolidated all bookings into the Hotel Borg. Iceland is open for tourism and business, but, hotels and restaurants bearing ‘closed because of COVID’ is telling of the times.
Hotel Borg is a sophisticated, cool, modern Art Deco hotel in Central Reykjavik. The brassy wallpaper soar above monochrome floors and walls wearing oversized black and white photos of a time gone by. The reception is elegant in a way that you just do not see any more. Statues and high-gloss furniture pop adding character to the front reception. Check-in is flawless and this weary body heads to the room.
Hotel Borg by Keahotels: Standard Double Room and Superior Double Rooms
The standard double is a generous European-size standard hotel room. Years of Middle Eastern and East Asian luxury stays are brought right back into perspective. I realize how large those hotels rooms really are; I am reminded of how ‘cosy’ European hotels really are.
A contemporary vision of art deco continues to the Hotel Borg packs a lot into a standard double room with wardrobes, two luggage stands (very rare) and mod-cons like Nespresso machines, flat-panel TVs, minibars and an ironing board with iron in the room. I can count on one hand the number of hotels in the last 12 months that provided the iron in the room; none were in the UAE.
The standard room’s generous sized bathroom stands out with eye-popping white tile, rain shower, polished heated towel racks and Molton Brown toiletries. Small touches like whiskey glasses with his and her sinks and waffle towels robes are impressive for a standard room.
The superior double provide the same features while providing guests a 27 square metre room to the standard double’s 23 square metre space. There was no price difference at the time of my booking and, over a month later at the date of this review, the price parity to the standard double remains.
Please note that the photos featuring the bedroom were not taken by EatGoSee. Credit belongs to the hotel.
A contemporary vision of art deco continues to the Hotel Borg packs a lot into a standard double room with wardrobes, two luggage stands (very rare) and mod-cons like Nespresso machines, flat-panel TVs, minibars and an ironing board with iron in the room. I can count on one hand the number of hotels in the last 12 months that provided the iron in the room; none were in the UAE.
The standard room’s generous sized bathroom stands out with eye-popping white tile, rain shower, polished heated towel racks and Molton Brown toiletries. Small touches like whiskey glasses with his and her sinks and waffle towels robes are impressive for a standard room.
The superior double provide the same features while providing guests a 27 square metre room to the standard double’s 23 square metre space. There was no price difference at the time of my booking and, over a month later at the date of this review, the price parity to the standard double remains.
Please note that the photos featuring the bedroom were not taken by EatGoSee. Credit belongs to the hotel.
The art deco theme continues in this vast space drenched in natural sunlight - perfect during a time of social distancing. High-back booths, warm glossy wooden floors and enough hand sanitiser to run a small hospital.
Hotel Borg by Keahotels: Dining, breakfast and restaurants
Hotel Borg offers rooms with and without breakfast. In the selfless pursuit of travel blogging, naturally, I stumped up for the breakfast. The quoted rates above include breakfast but you can save ISK4000 per night for opting for the room only option (US$29, GBP22, EUR25).
Breakfast is served in the relic of a Jamie’s Italian attached to the hotel. The art deco theme continues in this vast space drenched in natural sunlight – perfect during a time of social distancing. High-back booths, warm glossy wooden floors and enough hand sanitiser to run a small hospital.
I like eating local food, especially for breakfast. It is an insight into the local culture and speaks to my long-held view that hotels have a duty to provide guests with an insight into local food. The range of cured fish and meats, local cheeses, skyr and a smorgasbord of fresh bread is ample for most guests (yes I know smorgasbord is not an Icelandic word). Hot breakfast items including porridge, eggs and shatteringly-crisp bacon (to Mrs EatGoSee’s liking) are available.
Hotel Borg does not offer a lunch nor a dinner service; this may be a void that Jamie’s Italian filled. Still, Hotel Borg is positioned less than a kilometre of 150+ restaurants in cosmopolitan. Reykjavik offers an astonishing number of local eats from Pakistani to cosy Italian, contemporary Michelin guide restaurants and an eye-watering number of bars. And Icelanders are going out to eat. You will want to book well in advance especially for dinner and most certainly on weekends.
Hotel Borg is situated moments away from Reyjavik’s marina walk and uphill towards Hallgrimskirkja providing you with a bounty of good to great eats.
Hotel Borg is a wallet-draining 30-45 minute journey by taxi from Keflavik International Airport and the famous Blue Lagoon. There is no on-site parking at the hotel but paid parking is available in the hotel’s immediate area.
The quiet location straddles Reykjavik’s Austurvöllur (Parliament Square) making for a quiet location close enough to the city’s attractions. The immediate area around the hotel is mostly tranquil, a little corporate, a little sophisticated. It does not give much insight into the bohemian or trendy city that exists only one or two streets away. A charming walk away from Hotel Borg will land you in one of Reykjavik’s multiple attractions within the Western side of the city.
Hotel Borg’s location means it is flexible enough to serve both business and casual, leisure guests. Business guests aiming to work closer to the city’s business parks may prefer to stay in other hotels to mitigate the commuting costs but it would be.
I would gladly return to this area of Reykjavik again as a good base to travel within the city but, also, to exit the city by road easily.
The staff. The effortless, authentic sincere staff. From the online booking to the moment I boarded the taxi they booked for me to the airport. There were moments during my time at Hotel Borg – and outside of Hotel Borg – where the staff made the difference to my time in Reykjavik and Iceland as a whole. The humour and charm of the staff become the character of Hotel Borg.
Booking restaurants, translating documents, suggesting sites and parking spots are expected from luxury hotel staff in my experience. There is a genuine rapport with the Hotel Borg staff that is seldom replicated in other hotels.
Hotel Borg offers more than just engaging staff. The downstairs gym is choicefully stocked with mostly cardio machines but also a helpful dumbbell collection and enough space to do lunges, burpees or other floor work. The Spa offers the usual fayre from facials to massages and waxes from – again – charming staff especially one Irish lady all with wine and sparkling available.
Hotel Borg was a very comfortable stay. Reykjavik offers multiple hotel options; some are cheaper, more contemporary, located closer to a specific part of town. Hotel Borg manages to be an all-rounder with charm and its own elegance.
I encourage the hotel staff in three directions to improve the value proposition for Hotel Borg guests.
Firstly, the limited breakfast only option is limiting and I encourage the hotel to start a dinner service for guests. Better yet, there is an opportunity for Hotel Borg to really focus on an excellent, destination restaurant that would complement its art deco vibe. This leads to the second recommendation.
I stayed at the superb Britania Art Deco Boutique hotel in Lisbon. This remains the best art deco hotel I ever experienced without equal. The Britania’s differentiating magic is the transformative lifestyle and culture it creates for its guests. There is a late afternoon tea with local cakes popular during the period with port and ginja (a Lisbon sour cherry brandy). All of this is complimentary for guests during happy hour. There is a stylish art deco barbers area providing men’s grooming. These finishing touches would take Hotel Borg from good to great.
Lastly, a clear partnership with local restaurants or local businesses with authentic local experiences would be valuable for visiting tourists. Hotel Borg projects an image of discerning and selective so if they are able to partner with local companies that support the local city and region while providing something to guests that they are unlikely to find themselves, this would be an added value touch.
Sadly, Hotel Borg is not pet friendly.
There are stair-free options into the hotel and between floors by elevator. The hotel notes that it is wheelchair accessible but I cannot confirm if the room door and bathroom entrance widths are appropriate. You may want to check with the hotel at booking.
Breakfast is served in the relic of a Jamie’s Italian attached to the hotel. The art deco theme continues in this vast space drenched in natural sunlight – perfect during a time of social distancing. High-back booths, warm glossy wooden floors and enough hand sanitiser to run a small hospital.
I like eating local food, especially for breakfast. It is an insight into the local culture and speaks to my long-held view that hotels have a duty to provide guests with an insight into local food. The range of cured fish and meats, local cheeses, skyr and a smorgasbord of fresh bread is ample for most guests (yes I know smorgasbord is not an Icelandic word). Hot breakfast items including porridge, eggs and shatteringly-crisp bacon (to Mrs EatGoSee’s liking) are available.
Hotel Borg does not offer a lunch nor a dinner service; this may be a void that Jamie’s Italian filled. Still, Hotel Borg is positioned less than a kilometre of 150+ restaurants in cosmopolitan. Reykjavik offers an astonishing number of local eats from Pakistani to cosy Italian, contemporary Michelin guide restaurants and an eye-watering number of bars. And Icelanders are going out to eat. You will want to book well in advance especially for dinner and most certainly on weekends.
Hotel Borg is situated moments away from Reyjavik’s marina walk and uphill towards Hallgrimskirkja providing you with a bounty of good to great eats.
Hotel Borg by Keahotels: Situated in Downtown Reykjavik
Hotel Borg is a wallet-draining 30-45 minute journey by taxi from Keflavik International Airport and the famous Blue Lagoon. There is no on-site parking at the hotel but paid parking is available in the hotel’s immediate area.
The quiet location straddles Reykjavik’s Austurvöllur (Parliament Square) making for a quiet location close enough to the city’s attractions. The immediate area around the hotel is mostly tranquil, a little corporate, a little sophisticated. It does not give much insight into the bohemian or trendy city that exists only one or two streets away. A charming walk away from Hotel Borg will land you in one of Reykjavik’s multiple attractions within the Western side of the city.
Hotel Borg’s location means it is flexible enough to serve both business and casual, leisure guests. Business guests aiming to work closer to the city’s business parks may prefer to stay in other hotels to mitigate the commuting costs but it would be.
I would gladly return to this area of Reykjavik again as a good base to travel within the city but, also, to exit the city by road easily.
Hotel Borg by Keahotels: It’s Best Feature?
The staff. The effortless, authentic sincere staff. From the online booking to the moment I boarded the taxi they booked for me to the airport. There were moments during my time at Hotel Borg – and outside of Hotel Borg – where the staff made the difference to my time in Reykjavik and Iceland as a whole. The humour and charm of the staff become the character of Hotel Borg.
Booking restaurants, translating documents, suggesting sites and parking spots are expected from luxury hotel staff in my experience. There is a genuine rapport with the Hotel Borg staff that is seldom replicated in other hotels.
Hotel Borg offers more than just engaging staff. The downstairs gym is choicefully stocked with mostly cardio machines but also a helpful dumbbell collection and enough space to do lunges, burpees or other floor work. The Spa offers the usual fayre from facials to massages and waxes from – again – charming staff especially one Irish lady all with wine and sparkling available.
Overall Hotel Borg by Keahotels
Hotel Borg was a very comfortable stay. Reykjavik offers multiple hotel options; some are cheaper, more contemporary, located closer to a specific part of town. Hotel Borg manages to be an all-rounder with charm and its own elegance.
I encourage the hotel staff in three directions to improve the value proposition for Hotel Borg guests.
Firstly, the limited breakfast only option is limiting and I encourage the hotel to start a dinner service for guests. Better yet, there is an opportunity for Hotel Borg to really focus on an excellent, destination restaurant that would complement its art deco vibe. This leads to the second recommendation.
I stayed at the superb Britania Art Deco Boutique hotel in Lisbon. This remains the best art deco hotel I ever experienced without equal. The Britania’s differentiating magic is the transformative lifestyle and culture it creates for its guests. There is a late afternoon tea with local cakes popular during the period with port and ginja (a Lisbon sour cherry brandy). All of this is complimentary for guests during happy hour. There is a stylish art deco barbers area providing men’s grooming. These finishing touches would take Hotel Borg from good to great.
Lastly, a clear partnership with local restaurants or local businesses with authentic local experiences would be valuable for visiting tourists. Hotel Borg projects an image of discerning and selective so if they are able to partner with local companies that support the local city and region while providing something to guests that they are unlikely to find themselves, this would be an added value touch.
Is the Hotel Borg pet friendly?
Sadly, Hotel Borg is not pet friendly.
Is the Hotel Borg disability-friendly?
There are stair-free options into the hotel and between floors by elevator. The hotel notes that it is wheelchair accessible but I cannot confirm if the room door and bathroom entrance widths are appropriate. You may want to check with the hotel at booking.
There were moments during my time at Hotel Borg - and outside of Hotel Borg - where the staff made the difference to my time in Reykjavik and Iceland as a whole.
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