Hotel Borg by Keahotels

Completed in 1930, Hotel Borg was built on the fortune of Jóhannes Jósefsson, a wrestling champion who made his money as a circus performer in America and brought the idea of a proper hotel home to Reykjavík. It became Iceland's first luxury hotel, and the title has stuck for nearly a century. The building faces Austurvöllur Square, with the Parliament House and Reykjavík Cathedral within a short walk, and the Art Deco bones remain intact through 99 rooms and suites. Veneered parquet floors run underfoot throughout. Rooms hold king beds, Nespresso machines and Molton Brown bath products; bathroom floors are heated. The Suite looks over the square itself, and the two-floor Tower Suite tops the building at 70 m², with a bedroom below and a living room above framing a wide view of the city. It can be joined to adjoining Deluxe rooms to form a two- or three-bedroom set. Borg Spa, included with direct bookings, adds hot tubs, steam baths and treatment rooms. A restaurant and bar sit off the lobby. Downtown Reykjavík unfolds outside the door: Hallgrímskirkja, the Tjörnin pond, and the city's shops and cafés are all in walking range. Guests who linger by the square's edge can watch the daily traffic of Reykjavík cross it, much as visitors have for generations.