In 1899, the National Theatre opened, and in December 1900, Hotel Continental/Theatercaféen opened opposite the theatre in central Oslo. It didn't take long before it was said in the vernacular: "First came the theater, then came the inn". The hotel was owned by a brewery and was run with varying degrees of success by four different tenants. In 1909, Caroline and Christian Boman Hansen took over the lease, and after only three years of operation, they had the opportunity to buy Hotel Continental from the brewery.

Christian Boman Hansen died in 1915, and Caroline continued to run the hotel without her husband. Their son Arne had emigrated to America to educate himself. He earned a degree in hotel management, a Bachelor of Science and a degree in economics from Harvard Business School. Arne had married the American girl Grace and they had their daughter Ellen in 1921.

When the waiters in Theatercaféen organized themselves into a "rebellion", Caroline called Arne home for support and help. Arne returned to Norway in 1927 with his family and became his mother's partner. It was probably not an easy decision for Arne to return. He was leaving a good position in a country he had grown to love.

Arne realized that the only way for Hotel Continental to survive was to expand. He quickly bought the two neighboring properties for NOK. 1,450,000, after which the company owned the entire quarter. The new building was finally completed in 1932, with 76 new hotel rooms - all with private bathrooms.

In the new building, the lobby bar Dagligstuen was also furnished, as well as a function room. At the same time, they moved the hotel's main entrance from the corner by Theatercaféen to where it is today. In the meantime, the stock market crash and poor liquidity had cast a dark shadow over the expansion plans. It was Mrs. Boman Hansen's solid reputation and confidence in the 70-year-old lady that finally got the banks to step in and allow the building to be completed.

When Arne died unexpectedly in April 1953, his daughter Ellen took over the business. She had worked at the hotel since 1945 and had taken her hotel qualifications at Hotel Continental. But despite her familiarity with the building, it was in shock and grief that she had to take over from her father overnight.

Her first project was to complete Arne's dream. He had long wanted to build a large American cafeteria on the last part of the Continental Quarter. On May 17, 1953, the Pavilion became a reality; a cafeteria with room for 250 guests, and a success from day one. In 1955, Ellen married Caspar Brochmann, and together they had their daughter Elisabeth in 1957.

Over the years, the third generation owner, Ellen Brochmann, left her mark on the hotel through several renovations and modernizations. In 1960, the Pavilion was demolished to make way for a new 8-storey building with 88 new hotel rooms, the restaurants Pavillion and Tivoligrillen, as well as a banquet hall for 300 people.

The complete Hotel Continental was completed 60 years after it was started. It had been built in three stages and now covered the entire quarter. For her commitment to the hotel and restaurant industry, Ellen Brochmann was made a Knight 1st Class in the Order of St. Olav in 1988. She is the only woman with a background in the hotel industry to be awarded this decoration.

In 1985, Ellen and Caspar Brochmann's daughter, Elisabeth Caroline Brochmann, took over and became hotel manager. She had graduated with a degree in economics from the business school in Switzerland, and it was only at the beginning of her studies that Elisabeth decided to take over from her mother. Elisabeth also gained extensive experience through internships in London, Hamburg and Lyon.

Elisabeth has shown a willingness and ability to renew and maintain the hotel. During her tenure, Hotel Continental has created the LIPP nightclub (1991), built a conference center (1995) and reopened the Annen Etage in new guise (1998). From 2006 to 2018, Elisabeth has overseen extensive renovation of the hotel rooms, Theatercaféen, event facilities, reception and lobby bar.

During 2018, 59 hotel rooms and suites as well as the reception were completely renovated. In addition, we opened BAR BOMAN in February 2018 - a brand new lobby bar and lounge. The icing on the cake was The Continental Suite which was completed in April 2019 - an exclusive suite over two floors of 240 square meters. This is the largest renovation in Continental's history. As a conclusion to an extensive project, Continental opened CASBAR in January 2020 - a new bar and pizzeria in Olav Vs gate.

All 151 hotel rooms and suites have now been completely renovated in a classic modern style and the entire hotel is now an exclusive world-class five-star hotel. The family tradition lives on with the fourth generation owner, Elisabeth Caroline Brochmann.

Images borrowed from: Digitaltmuseum.no