Britannia Hotel

Description:

• Stay at the Grand Olav if you want a dramatic decor, at the Royal Garden if you want the latest in modern and the most facilities, but at the Britannia if you want old-world tradition. The grande dame of Trondheim hotels, built in 1897, with many subsequent renovations keeping the place up to high standards, this white-stucco structure is graced with a majestic slate-covered dome and tower evocative of the grand Victorian monuments of England. Conservative, stable, and dependable, but lacking a cutting-edge sense of glamour, the Britannia offers a physical plant that, frankly, would be more appealing if some badly conceived modernizations hadn't been made in the 1960s. The ornate Palm Garden, with its Art Nouveau winter garden, fountain, and piano, captures the grand spirit. The renovated guest rooms have wooden floors, and the most tranquil units front the courtyard but are also the smallest rooms. They are called "the economy rooms." In contrast, some of the double rooms are large enough to accommodate two additional guests. The 11 regal suites come in various sizes and decor, half of them duplexes. A unique feature that sets the Britannia apart from its competitors is a series of "Artists' Rooms," decorated with works from nationally famous artists. If you like boas and gilt-plated "ice," you can check into the Flettfrid Andresen Room (no. 724) -- it's the campiest room in Norway.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010