Small Danish Hotels is the largest hotel chain in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, consisting of approximately 80 privately owned inns, hotels, castles and manor houses scattered throughout Denmark. The chain is a member of the Global Alliance of Private Hotels.

History

Roadside inns (Danish: ''kro'') have been an integral part of the Danish countryside for centuries. The oldest ''kro'' still in operation is Bromølle Kro near lake

Tissø Tissø is the 4th largest freshwater lake in Denmark, at 12.3 km2. It is located on the western part of Zealand, in the municipality of Kalundborg municipality, Kalundborg. There are several small towns and villages near the lake, of which ...

on western

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

, from 1198. In 1396, Queen Margrethe I decreed that the highways should have a royally licensed inn spaced at four Danish miles (about ), equivalent to a

day's journey A day's journey in pre-modern literature, including the Bible and ancient geographers and ethnographers such as Herodotus, is a measurement of distance. In the Bible, it is not as precisely defined as other Biblical measurements of distance; the ...

on horseback or carriage.Aarhus University
Margrete 1.s forordning 1396
danmarkshistorien.dk In 1981, the innkeepers in

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

decided to work together to attract more guests. Later, innkeepers in

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

and

joined in the cooperative, which was named the "''Sammenslutningen Dansk Kroferie''" (Danish Inn Association). Many of the inns in the association were (and still are) royally licensed, maintaining the traditions of the past. Gradually, the association grew with the addition of hotels, castles and manor houses, and in 2000, changed its name to Danish Inns & Hotels. In 2012, they once again changed names to Small Danish Hotels. In 2015, the association represents 90 hotels, inns and other accommodations, with a total of 4500 rooms.

Key dates

* 1981 — ''Sammenslutningen Dansk Kroferie'' (Association of Danish Inns) * 2000 — Danish Inns & Hotels * 2012 — Small Danish Hotels

References

{{reflist

External links

Press information
Small Danish Hotels. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
About us
Small Danish Hotels. Retrieved 18 October 2017. Hospitality companies of Denmark Danish companies established in 1981 Companies based in Horsens Municipality