Rosewood Munich – banking-hall grandeur reinvented in the Altstadt

Rosewood Munich occupies two joined landmark buildings on Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße, in the old town between the Frauenkirche and the Residenz. It is the first hotel in Germany for the venerable luxury brand, and it is a modern hotel in a heritage building — or a pair of them, to be precise: within the walls of the old State Bank of Bavaria headquarters and the grand old Palais Neuhaus-Preysing are 132 rooms and suites, decorated in a timeless contemporary-classic style. The grand opening took place on 20 October 2023, the result of a restoration ten years in the making, and it marked the city's first new luxury hotel in sixteen years. The MICHELIN Guide awards it Two Keys, a recognition of a house where Rococo stuccowork, poliment-gilded surfaces and a preserved banking-hall staircase sit beside interiors by London-based Tara Bernerd & Partners.

01The house

The two buildings carry separate histories under one roof. One was the headquarters of the State Bank of Bavaria; the other, the Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, was once an aristocratic residence and still opens onto the street through its own magnificent entrance, now used for the hotel's event spaces. Munich architectural office Hilmer Sattler Architekten Ahlers Albrecht took charge of the architectural design, while Tara Bernerd & Partners curated the interiors of the rooms, suites, houses, lobby lounge, Palaishof and Asaya Spa, marrying the Baroque and Rococo original with contemporary sophistication.

Much of the restoration effort went into what guests see first: the lobby retains a vast staircase, a vaulted ceiling and preserved frescoes from the building's banking days. Two courtyards anchor the property — the Palaishof, a social hub in the old Munich courtyard tradition, and the Wintergarten, which extends off reception behind wood panelling and greenery. Local artistic talent runs through the public spaces, from illustrator Olaf Hajek to wood-carved pieces by Rosanna Merklin and photographic interpretations of the city by Michael Mann.

02Rooms and suites

The 132 keys break down into 73 rooms, 59 suites and five signature houses, each styled more like a residence than a hotel room, with custom furnishings, marble bathrooms and views over the city skyline or the inner courtyard. The houses bear the names of members of Bavaria's royal family and come with bespoke crockery custom-crafted by the Royal Palace of Nymphenburg's porcelain manufactory.

Insider tip

Odeonsplatz U-Bahn is a four-minute walk; Marienplatz and the Residenz are both close by.

Each house has its own character: the König Maximilian House, the largest of the five, is built around a vaulted ceiling and a central fireplace linking living and dining areas, while the Prinzessin Ferdinande House has a suspended glass bridge connecting its living spaces above the street. The Prinzregent Luitpold Three-Bedroom House goes furthest, with a private outdoor terrace looking directly onto the courtyard below.

03Where to eat

Brasserie Cuvilliés takes its name from François de Cuvilliés, the Rococo court architect, and serves Alpine-Bavarian brasserie fare with an open kitchen visible from the dining room. Evening dishes have included bouillabaisse and chicken from Landshut, while lunch brings a Cuvilliés Burger or quark pizokel, with Wiener schnitzel a permanent fixture on the menu. Menus change with the seasons and regional harvests, down to cocktails made with locally sourced ingredients, and a private dining room beside the main restaurant seats up to 14 guests for closed gatherings.

The restaurant's visual centrepiece, Qu'ils mangent de la Brioche, was made exclusively for the hotel by Munich ceramic artist Angelika Maria Stiegler, bringing a Rococo note into an otherwise contemporary room. For something lighter, Wintergarten serves afternoon tea under the direction of Executive Pastry Chef Shinas Shahida, whose pastries change with the season, while Palaishof and the Schanigarten terrace extend dining outdoors when the weather allows.

04The bar

Bar Montez pays tribute to Lola Montez, the nineteenth-century performer who was mistress to King Ludwig I of Bavaria — a fitting namesake for a room built around inventive cocktails, snacks and live jazz every night of the week. The space is anchored by a stained-glass mosaic by the historic Munich glass workshop Mayer'sche Hofkunstanstalt, and opens from 6pm to 1am Sunday to Thursday and until 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, with a 90-minute seating policy on weekend nights.

A further layer is arriving in October 2026: 100B, a martini speakeasy tucked inside Bar Montez itself, discreet enough that most guests will need to be shown where the door is.

05Spa and wellbeing

Rosewood Munich is home to Germany's first Asaya Spa, a 1,300-square-metre wellness concept spread across two floors. It holds an indoor pool, two saunas, a herbal steam room, six treatment rooms and a Social House suite designed for couples, with its own private sauna, steam bath and bathtub for shared spa time.

Treatments draw on Bavarian monastic folk remedies as well as partnerships with Dr Barbara Sturm, OTO, Ground Wellbeing and EviDenS de Beauté, alongside a 24-hour Technogym fitness centre for guests who prefer to keep moving rather than lie still.

06The neighbourhood

The address places guests within a few minutes of the Frauenkirche, Munich's cathedral landmark, and just steps from Marienplatz, where the Rathaus-Glockenspiel still chimes over the old town. The nearest U-Bahn station, Odeonsplatz, is roughly 400 metres away, about a four-minute walk, and the Residenz, the Feldherrnhalle and the shops of Theatinerstraße are all within easy reach on foot — useful in a city repeatedly named the most walkable in the world.

07Making the most of a stay

Beyond the rooms, Rosewood Munich functions as a small cultural address in its own right: six event spaces occupy the Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, including a 234-square-metre Grand Ballroom and a historic junior ballroom, both popular for weddings and private dinners set against preserved period detail. Groups of four to six travelling together are best served by one of the houses, which function as full apartments with hotel service rather than conventional suites.

For an evening that uses the hotel's own rhythm, dinner at Brasserie Cuvilliés followed by a late set at Bar Montez is the house's own suggested route — Alpine cooking first, then cocktails and jazz until the small hours.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.