Everybody comes to the Grand. Which is what they once said about a little cafe in Casablanca, but in the case of the Grand Hotel Stockholm, "everybody" includes not only Ingrid Bergman but Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Madonna and every Nobel laureate since 1901.
Since opening in 1874, the Grand has served as Stockholm's luxury commissary for the illustrious and the noble. Sarah Bernhardt once arrived with a 22-person entourage.
Today, locals flock to the hotel for the Michelin-starred cuisine of chef Mathias Dahlgren, whose Rutabaga restaurant focuses solely on vegetarian options.
The Grand is the sort of hotel where nearly everyone feels like a VIP, which is an atmosphere fostered by the hotel's founder, Regis Cadier.
Cadier was a French chef to the Russian ambassador during an era when the aristocrats were on the run from the Russian Revolution, and Cadier's hallmark hospitality has remained in evidence throughout the nearly 150-year history of this very grand hotel. The King of Sweden inspected the premises upon its opening, and the hotel's Hall of Mirrors, modeled on the one in Versailles, hosted every Nobel banquet through 1929. And yet, the Grand makes it clear that its golden-crowned entrance is open to all bon vivants who relish the timeless luxury of a classic, five-star hotel.
Since 2014 the Swedish government has worked to make Sweden the world's leading nation in the pursuit of LGBT equality.
"For us, it's all about being the perfect host, no matter who you are or where you're from," said Maya Johansson, marketing manager for the Grand Hotel Stockholm. "We don't differentiate people; for us everyone is equal."
Few properties are as blessed by location as the Grand, which holds pride of place in Stockholm on a beautiful waterfront setting overlooking the Royal Palace.
During Stockholm's annual Pride celebration (set for July 31 through Aug. 6 this year), rainbow flags wave proudly along the bridge between the Grand and the Royal Palace. The largest Pride celebration in Scandinavia, Stockholm Pride's parade attracts nearly a million participants along a 2.6-mile route that leads to Pride Park.
The Veranda restaurant was once the hotel’s summer veranda and now serves a break-fast buffet with more than 120 choices.
Waterfront views of Stockholm Pride are available from the Cadier Bar, the Grand's sumptuous lounge where guests linger over afternoon tea and evening cocktails, as well as the Veranda, the seaside restaurant that was once the hotel's summer veranda. Renowned for its traditional Swedish smorgasbord, the Veranda also serves a breakfast buffet with more than 120 culinary choices. Dahlgren's two restaurants are located in the adjoining Bolinderska Palace, which was acquired by the Grand Hotel in 1889 to house Cadier in a 13-room apartment.
Speaking of expansive abodes, the Grand's Princess Lilian Suite is a breathtaking art deco aerie of nearly 4,000 square feet, complete with a grand piano and a 12-person screening room, as well as a private spa and library and, should you desire, a personal butler. Superior rooms at the Grand are well-proportioned and furnished in a Gustavian palette of pale blues, rose and celadon, with crystal chandeliers and silk wallcoverings. The luxurious marble bathrooms, with rainfall showerheads and separate soaking tubs, feature toiletries from Acqua di Parma.
As the co-host with Gothenburg for EuroPride 2018, Stockholm will become a veritable rainbow city for the three-week duration of the international cultural festival, which will run from July 27 to Aug. 19. (Get thee to a fitness club now.)
All guests at the Grand enjoy complimentary access to Nordic Spa & Fitness, the hotel's sanctum sanctorum of hydrotherapy and well-being that has been a member of Leading Spas of the World since opening in 2011. Based on Swedish bathing houses from the 13th century, the Nordic-Roman spa highlights Nordic bathing rituals, including sauna, cold water-bucket showers, steam and cold water plunge pools as well as a luxuriously heated lap pool and whirlpool, all infused with the scent of Swedish pine and birch. The relaxing atmosphere is as therapeutic as the waters and complemented by a courteous staff that stocks the spa with fresh fruit and herbal teas and lingonberry smoothies.
For those who practice yoga, the Grand's fitness club offers panoramic views of the waterfront as well as a fitness bar that serves healthy lunches. In addition, some of Sweden's top personal trainers work closely with the hotel's chiropractor to ascertain a guest's fitness level.
The Superior rooms are furnished in a palette of pale rose, blues and celadon.
Should you wish to pay your respects to the Swedish Royal Court, the Royal Palace offers tours of the Royal Apartments. Further afield, Drottningholm is a Unesco World Heritage site, notable for its 17th-century castle and its extraordinary Chinese Pavilion, both of which are accessible via a classic steamship cruise across Lake Malaren.
Or you can just return to the breakfast buffet and imagine Garbo eating at the Veranda, which she did for years before taking to her rooms. No matter where you wander at the Grand, it's likely that you'll feel as welcomed as every other luminary who has claimed the hotel as home.
Nightly rates begin at $685. See www.grandhotel.se/en.