Rates: From $800, including breakfast
The Afar take
On a crisp October afternoon in the Black Forest, I’m taking part in a sound-bathing session in a meadow near Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa. As I lie under a fluffy duvet and watch golden leaves fall against a blue sky, the leader’s voice disappears beneath the babbling stream and the call of jays overhead. I can’t hear her instructions, so I stop trying and let the landscape take over—an apt introduction to a hotel where nature and tranquility are front and center.
Brenners began in the early 1800s as Stephaniebad and evolved into a full spa resort after the Oetker family acquired it in the 1940s. Fresh from a two-year renovation started in 2023, the hotel—the original Oetker Collection property and a cornerstone of Baden-Baden’s spa culture—now glows with a renewed design that preserves its Beaux-Arts character.
The redesign by Countess Bergit Douglas of MM Design (also behind Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc) brings individuality to each of the 105 guest rooms while preserving the restored marble floors, tapestries, antique desks, and Black Forest woodwork. But the experience extends far beyond architecture. A roster of nature-centric excursions—mountaintop yoga, forest hikes, vineyard picnics, biking, skiing—beckons guests to explore the outdoors. Managing director Stephan Boesch calls the project “a renaissance,” aiming to honor Brenners’s heritage while reshaping it for travelers seeking meaningful stays connected to nature, culture, and well-being.
Who’s Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa for?
Travelers seeking a restorative Black Forest retreat, including spa devotees, food lovers, wellness buffs, clinic visitors, golfers, and outdoor enthusiasts. Brenners has the feel of a private country club and draws loyal repeat visitors with its discretion and timeless hospitality. Anyone looking for a buzzy or youthful scene may find it old-school. Multigenerational families, especially those with older parents, will also be comfortable here.
The location: Baden-Baden, Germany
Baden-Baden is a UNESCO World Heritage–listed spa town.
Courtesy of Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa
Brenners sits on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed spa town of Baden-Baden, directly beside the leafy Lichtentaler Allee park just across the narrow Oos River. The location offers instant access to the city’s green heart.
Within walking distance are the Richard Meier–designed Frieder Burda Museum, the 19th-century Friedrichsbad thermal baths, and the city’s jacket-required Casino Baden-Baden, with its chandeliered salons. Seasonal events, like December’s Christmas market, animate the streets, while the hotel’s excursion menu includes guided museum visits, horse races at nearby Iffezheim, skiing in season, and extensive hiking and biking options.
Brenners—a cornerstone of Baden-Baden’s spa culture—now glows with a renewed design that preserves its Beaux-Arts character.
The surrounding Black Forest is equally rewarding, with its heritage cuckoo clock workshops, medieval churches, fairy-tale hiking paths, rustic hunters’ huts serving local dishes, and lively markets brimming with pumpkin seed bread, pretzels, beer, smoky ham, landjäger (sausage), and, of course, the region’s famed Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, or Black Forest cake. (I happily found an excellent slice awaiting me in my room as a welcome amenity.)
The rooms
Guest rooms at Brenners preserve the hotel’s historic roots.
Claire Cocano
Rooms are notably spacious and finished with high-quality materials from heritage design houses like Colefax and Fowler, Pierre Frey, and de Gournay. Across the 105 individually designed rooms, palettes range from sun-washed corals to forest greens. My third-floor, 750-square-foot Prestige Junior Suite offered a wallpapered sleeping alcove, exceptionally comfortable bedding, and a marble bathroom stocked with Augustinus Bader products.
A sitting area with baby-blue sofas gave me space to spread out, and a small balcony overlooking the Lichtentaler Allee became a highlight. I loved flinging open the glass French doors for stosslüften, the German ritual of airing out a room, and listening to the Oos River while watching people strolling through the park. The fifth floor includes connected rooms and suites designed for families.
The food and drink
Fritz & Felix, the hotel’s main restaurant and bar, serves grilled meats, fish, game, and chicken, along with creative vegetarian dishes like smoked, charcoal-grilled carrots. The bar program is extensive, with biodynamic and orange wines, rare mezcals and schnapps, and thoughtful mocktails. Bar snacks skew upmarket: Beef tartare comes topped with egg yolk, miso cream, capers, and Belper Knolle cheese.
Staff and service
The warm, attentive staff at Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa are a reason to return.
Courtesy of Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa
Oetker Hotels (Le Bristol Paris, The Lanesborough London, and L’Apogée Courchevel, to name a few) are known for exemplary service—some of the best I’ve experienced in Europe. Brenners, its original property, sets the tone. I welcomed the quiet, Teutonic order: I was warmly addressed by name and made to feel at ease in a country that has a reputation for sometimes being cold and direct.
Small moments stand out. At breakfast, the host let me choose my seat and swiftly took my coffee order. Servers brought refills without prompting. When I needed a cuff links for a black-tie event, reception loaned me a pair from the gift shop. When I returned to my room to find housekeeping mid-clean, they stepped out with an easy “We’ll come back later,” no questions asked.
Accessibility
Brenners offers strong accessibility for a historic property. Two rooms have step-free entry and accessible layouts, with low-level keycard access points, wheelchair-height outlets, and level bathrooms with no lip into the shower. Grab bars, shower seats, and emergency pull cords are available in these rooms.
The spa provides accessible parking, level entry or ramp access, and a lift beside the main steps. Reception has seating, a low check-in desk, and an induction loop, with an accessible restroom near the bar and restaurant. Public spaces were well illuminated, with quiet zones available.
Spa and wellness
The spa at Brenners is a sprawling 25,000 square feet.
Courtesy of Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa
Wellness is central to Brenners. The scale of the spa is striking: Spread over five floors, it contains three saunas, thermal pools, steam rooms, a cold plunge, and ice grottoes. The adjacent medical clinic offers everything from cryotherapy and vitamin IV drips to personalized health programs. Dr. Harry F. König, who leads the medical program, is known for his The Kings Way method, a supervised regimen combining nutrition, physical training, and diagnostics. My consultation with him was brief, but the insights were lasting.
Afar was a guest of Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa. Our coverage is independent; the hotel did not review or approve this story.
