Göttingen – Home to many scholars and philosophers over the course of its history, the city of Göttingen now has a new location for freethinkers – the FREIgeist hotel. The underlying passion for design is evident throughout the entire building. Parquet floors from HARO provide the framework for an ensemble of eye-catchingly designed rooms.

Conveniently located between the railway station and the historical city centre, the hotel is directly adjacent to the Forum Wissen, the University of Göttingen’s interactive museum, scheduled for opening in 2020. Georg Rosentreter, managing director of FREIgeist & Friends, makes a habit of siting the group’s hotels near to unusual museums: the FREIgeist hotel in Einbeck has similar close links with the adjacent PS.Speicher, a museum showcasing the history of vehicular transport.

Located at Göttingen’s “Groner Tor”, the exterior façade of the newly-opened designer hotel has full-length windows that give passers-by tantalising glimpses of the lobby’s multi-coloured armchairs and graffiti artwork. Making this space all the more striking is a floor area that contrasts polished concrete with sections of parquet flooring. When choosing the floor covering, the hotel group once again opted for HARO parquet, echoing its earlier decision for the FREIgeist hotel in Einbeck. The installers laid over 3,300 m² of HARO Plank 1-Strip Oak brushed bioTec in the lobby, restaurant and bar, sports facilities and guest rooms.

The operators of the FREIgeist hotel have made it their number one priority to create spaces in which guests are free to work, reflect and relax in the way they choose. Facilities range from conference rooms (some offering a home-like atmosphere) to a central lobby cum open-plan kitchen where guests can meet up and mingle. 

Design fans will find something to excite them in every corner of the building. Whether it’s the Moroccan stone tiles, the copper lamps or the international objects d’art that decorate the walls, everything has been impeccably arranged to conjure up that extra-special atmosphere for discerning guests. The INTUU Restaurant and the HERBARIUM Bar are not only eagerly frequented by hotel guests, they have become welcome new highlights on Göttingen’s gastronomic scene. The modern Japanese-South American Nikkei cuisine and the prize-winning bar concept are genuine attractions for locals and world travellers alike.

Nordic design and creative thinking

The 5-storey building boasts 118 individually-styled guest rooms. When furnishing these rooms, the operators commissioned a team of designers to come up with retro look wardrobes and ash wood bathroom units. The clear structures and high-quality furniture in Nordic design have been given a cosy backdrop of HARO oak parquet flooring, creating an atmosphere of well-being for guests. Opting for a uniform look, the architects decided to lay Plank 1-Strip Oak brushed with bioTec finish in all the rooms. Combining a striking visual appeal with low effort for maintenance, the natural oil/wax finish of this HARO parquet flooring also makes it suitable for the highly frequented areas in the lobby and restaurant. All these details contribute to an atmosphere where the spirit of freethinking guests can soar to new heights.