De Bergenske – a family of hotels and restaurants
De Bergenske is not an ordinary chain of hotels and restaurants; it is owned and managed by a family genuinely local to Bergen – a family with a love for the city and a long-term vision. A century has passed since our oldest hotel, Augustin, welcomed its first guests in 1919, and we have big plans for the next 100 years.
The Smørås family, who owns De Bergenske, consider it their most important task to create good experiences in their home town, both for visitors and for locals. Profit is a secondary consideration – it is a necessity in order to continue, but it is never the reason.
What, then, is a good experience? As a minimum it has to meet, and preferably exceed, expectations. Locals expect the city of Bergen to make them proud. Large chains with almost identical hotels all over the world tend not to foster local pride. This is what sets De Bergenske apart from the rest – the five hotels are different from each other as well as from everything else. They provide Bergen with a unique, authentic expression that the locals can identify with – and enjoy.
In addition to hotel rooms, De Bergenske comprises some of the city’s best function facilities ranging from grandeur and elegance at Grand Bergen to industrial heritage at Kalfaret Brygghus. It also offers a choice of dining experiences, such as BARE Restaurant – voted Bergen’s best – and Bare Vestland – both of which are located in the same building as Bergen Børs Hotel.
Both the locals and today’s guests have sky-high expectations, and De Bergenske would not want it any other way. The hotels, function rooms, and restaurants are all equipped with modern facilities – without being cast in the same mould. Because it is possible to install a digital lock on a heritage door, and you can serve trendy drinks on 100-year-old bar counters.
It is possible to offer function rooms, restaurants, and five unique hotels in the heart of Bergen that look after their guests as well as the locals and at the same time preserve the city’s heritage and aesthetics.
It is possible – but it requires a family.