The Excelsior Hotel Ernst is a historic hotel established in 1863 in Innenstadt, Cologne, Germany, adjacent to Cologne Cathedral.
History
The Hotel Ernst opened on 16 May 1863.[1] It was built by Carl Ernst, who sold the hotel to Friedrich Kracht in 1871. In 1875, Kracht died and his wife and son, Carl Kracht, assumed operation of the hotel. The hotel became a favorite haunt of Cologne's elite, and in 1884, Carl Kracht was honored by the city with an appointment as Prince of the Cologne Carnival.
In 1889, Carl Kracht married Emma Pauline Baur of the Swiss Hoteliers family Baur, who owned both the famous Hotel Baur au Lac and the Savoy Baur en Ville. Carl Kracht and his family lived in Zurich and he managed the Hotel Baur au Lac. After his wedding, he appointed a general manager to take care of the Hotel Ernst's operations.[2]
From 1908 to 1910 the hotel was entirely rebuilt. It reopened as the Excelsior Hotel Ernst with unparalleled luxury for the time: 60 of the 200 bedrooms had a private bathroom. In 1918, after World War I, the British Army moved into the hotel and used it as their headquarters during the occupation of the Rhineland.