A palace, a way of welcoming
A nineteenth-century palace, restored in honest materials and furnished with restraint: the house, its habits and the people who bring it to life.
Restored to be lived in, not displayed
The Palais has no need to announce itself. From the street one sees a pale, composed façade, wrought-iron balconies, a copper roof long since turned green and lime trees shading the avenue. The building is neoclassical and calm in its proportions: tall windows, restrained cornices, a doorway that welcomes rather than impresses.
The restoration let the materials speak. White plasterwork on the ceilings, herringbone parquet, walnut and brass in the reception rooms, ivory silk at the windows, royal-blue velvet in the salons and a few touches of champagne gold. The Raute, the white and blue diamonds of Bavaria, recurs discreetly, from the leather panels of the bar to the fabrics: one notices it if one looks.
Today the Palais is a house of 55 rooms and suites, small enough to welcome every guest in person. The concierge books the table and the seat at the opera, the butler looks after luggage and clothes to be pressed, and at any hour there is someone to ask. No gesture is theatrical; every one is exact.
Four habits of the house
Restraint
A narrow palette and few objects, placed with care. The eye finds rest and, a moment later, a detail to discover.
Discretion
Service arrives before the request and withdraws unnoticed: the bed is already turned down, the umbrella is ready before the rain begins.
Season and place
Menus follow the Bavarian calendar and change when the harvest does. The producers are close at hand, and the wines come from Franconia as well.
Listening
The favourite pillow, the table by the window, the hour of breakfast: a preference mentioned once is noted and waiting on the next visit.
In the Lehel, between the old town and the Isar
The Lehel stretches from the old town to the Isar: nineteenth-century houses, quiet streets, galleries and small shops. Maximilianstraße is almost on the doorstep; beyond it lie the river, with its meadows and bridges, and the Englischer Garten, where mornings are for running. A car is needed only for excursions beyond Munich.
A practical commitment, without slogans
Restoring a palace is already a choice about resources: where a material could be repaired, it was repaired rather than replaced. Consumption is now reduced in simple ways: LED lighting, climate control room by room, and linen changed on request during stays of more than one night.
In the rooms there is no single-use plastic: water comes in glass bottles and toiletries in refillable containers. Kitchen and bar prefer seasonal ingredients from Bavarian producers: shorter journeys, less waste. These are modest commitments, which the Palais would rather keep every day than announce.
The people of the Palais
Concierge and butlers, kitchen brigade and sommeliers, barmen, spa therapists, housekeepers and the people who prepare every room: the Palais lives on people who know one another and pass information along. That is why, on arrival, someone already knows who is expected and what they will need.