Louis Hotel

"The Munich-based restaurateur and hotelier Rudi Kull, with architect and co-owner Albert Weinzierl, recently pulled off a coup: He opened the first luxury design hotel directly on the Viktualienmarkt, the bustling age-old market in Munich’s historic heart. And like Cortiina, Kull’s first hotel and an insider favorite, the Louis Hotel is designed with a chic modern alpine appeal: floors and tables of oiled local wood, doors with woven rattan detailing, and a big natural stone fireplace in the lobby. The 72 white-walled, wood-floored rooms feel both fresh and timeless, with smart little details: The TV and minibar are hidden away in a fabric-covered armoire that resembles an old-fashioned trunk; some of the bathrooms have closable windows that look into the bedroom and beyond to the sky; and a narrow wooden table works as a desk as well as an urban picnic table. Emiko, the hotel’s modern Japanese restaurant, is getting as much buzz as the hotel and is a popular local haunt."