What to expect: Escalators take guests past oversized design vases framed against a bright red wall, into the minimalist-style lobby where well-heeled young artists and musicians mingle with tourists and business guests. The lobby is also home to the restaurant and bar, and is lit through a high glass wall with doors that open onto the courtyard in summer, from where guests can enjoy views of the district’s red-tiled rooftops.

Amenity highlights: At weekends, Bar Rouge comes to life with resident DJs playing lounge and jazz music through large white speakers until 2 AM. Guests can recline on sofas with a choice of over 30 cocktails, or take to the dancefloor with hotel guests and locals. Underneath Bar Rouge, Café Blanc is a tranquil space to enjoy a coffee and browse the morning papers before heading to the fitness room, which opens onto a terrace where guests can work out in summer.

Insider tip: In the narrow streets around the University (part of which is housed in Copenhagen’s oldest building directly opposite the hotel), guests will find a variety of fashionable second-hand stores, antiquarian bookshops, and handicraft and antique shops. Adjoining the hotel, Scandinavian furniture store R.O.O.M sells a wide range of trendy minimalist, modernist and futuristic designs for the home.

What to expect: Uniformed doormen flank the entrance to the Marriott’s grand wood, glass and marble lobby, which has a large lounge area, high ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the canal. Business guests and tourists browse the souvenir and jewellery shops adjacent to the reception desk. A wide, marble staircase leads up to the restaurant and bar on the first floor.

Amenity highlights: Guests can work out in the fitness centre on the lower-ground floor, which comprises a wood-floored fitness room with mirrored walls, and a range of modern equipment including step machines, treadmills, free weights, and exercise bikes. For relaxation there is a sauna, a steam room and a solarium, and massage treatments are also available.

Insider tip: On the opposite side of the canal at Islands Brygge lies Havnebadet. This extensive harbour bathing complex is open in summer and has five pools and a large grassy sunbathing area. After a dip, visitors can take a walk along the 17th-century ramparts in east Christianshavn to the ‘Free State of Christiania’, a unique experimental residential area 1.5 kilometres from Havnebadet.