More Than Just a Hotel: prizeotel Bonn-City Opens in a Landmarken Building on the Rhine
In early March, the prizeotel Bonn-City opened its doors, welcoming guests right on the Rhine. The three-star hotel, which features an on-site restaurant, was developed and built by Landmarken AG based on a design by the renowned architectural firm kadawittfeldarchitektur. What makes it special: The concept goes far beyond simply providing overnight accommodations. The hotel was designed as a cultural center and meeting place for Bonn residents and visitors alike, hosting regular cultural events.
This also far exceeds the requirements of the competition that the City of Bonn had announced for the property in 2017. “From the very beginning, we wanted more than just to build a hotel as required. Our goal was to create a place that would become part of the city’s culture,” says project manager Frederike Krinn, who heads the Rhein-Main unit at Landmarken. “We’re very proud to have brought this vision to life exactly as we envisioned it. I think it’s the most beautiful and inspiring hotel in the city.”
In fact, the budget design chain prizeotel—whose hallmark is the extraordinary interior design by New York star designer Karim Rashid—developed a unique three-star concept specifically for Bonn. “We couldn’t ask for a better location in this beautiful city. It’s right in the heart of downtown, within walking distance of the train station, with the cultural Old Town just around the corner and the Rhine right on our doorstep. We are proud and grateful to be able to operate this Landmarken,” says prizeotel Managing Director Connor Ryterski. Karim Rashid has even incorporated the theme of music into the interior design. Located right next to the Beethovenhalle, the building thus pays tribute to Bonn’s most famous son. In addition, prizeotel is fully embracing the Landmarken concept by offering regular music and cultural events, for example in the foyer with its grandstand-style staircase, or on the outdoor terrace that opens onto the Rhine and becomes an open-air stage in the summer.
The hotel has also created a connection between street level and the Rhine that did not previously exist in Bonn. “Bringing the city to the Rhine” was the motto, realized through the terraced design of the outdoor spaces created by RMP Stephan Lenzen and through cleverly planned walkways in and around the building. The polygonal shape of the building is by no means arbitrary: the building’s edge follows the course of the old city wall. On the south side, the facade slopes away from the existing residential buildings, which also made it possible to preserve an existing tree. Thanks to the facade’s recessed arrangement toward the Rhine bank, the view of the neighboring Beethovenhalle from the riverbank and the Kennedy Bridge remains unobstructed.
The hotel offers 214 beds, along with dining facilities and a rooftop bar, spread across approximately 9,600 square meters of gross floor area. The air-raid shelter that stood on the property was integrated into the architectural concept rather than being completely demolished. The former shelter floor now serves as the underground parking garage, while a new level within the shelter provides additional space for the hotel and dining areas. This sustainable solution not only reduced the volume of building materials and construction waste but also minimized the disruption to residents caused by the demolition.
“With its cultural offerings, the prizeotel adds another building block to the ‘music mile’ formed by the opera house and the Beethovenhalle,” says Frederike Krinn. “Our ecological and value-adding concept—which won the competition by a wide margin—already provided answers back then to the ESG criteria that are so highly regarded today.”
