The brand Curio Collection by Hilton has just restored all its prestige to an emblematic hotel in Cologne, the one housed in the the huge water tower rising to almost 30 metres in the heart of the Rhineland city. The building dates back to the 1870s, was damaged during the Second World War and remained in ruins for a long time before the designer Andrée Putman took on the challenge of creating a luxury hotel within its round brick walls in the early 90s. A unique hotel, frequented in its day by visiting stars, but which had seen many ups and downs in recent years, including the abandonment of its Michelin-starred restaurant due to lack of profitability and a sudden change of operator in 2018, before its closure in March 2020.
To become part of Hilton's collection of high-end independent hotels, the property has undergone several months of renovation. It is now owned by Aroundtown, a listed property company, and operated by the CDH Group, the Wasserturm Hotel Cologne has retained its design essence. Its interiors have been redesigned by the Goddard Littlefair studio, with the building's historic stonework elegantly combined with more contemporary touches.
Situated on the Kaygasse, five minutes from the Rhine and the cathedral and ten minutes from the KölnMesse exhibition centre, the hotel is characterised by its 11-metre-high hall, around which revolves a welcoming lobby extended outside by a private garden surrounding the hotel. The Wasserturm also has access to a garden for meeting participants, with seven meeting and event rooms for a 500 square metre meetings area. A lift across the 11 storeys of the water tower serves the 88 industrial chic bedroomsThere's also the hotel's spa and gym, and finally the Bar Botanik at the top. For cocktails with a view.
