Friedrich Haerlin bought a small building with just 11 rooms and 3 bathrooms on the west side of the Inner Alster at an auction on 24 February 1897.

Two, Otto and Wilhelm, died at the front in Flanders while his third son, Fritz, survived the war.

In 1919 the hotel opened the Haerlin Restaurant, followed by the Art Deco styled Jahreszeiten Grill in 1925.

During the 1930s, Fritz invested in distinctive restaurants and bars and opened the Biedermeier-style Café Condi and the Jahreszeiten Keller (since 1998 known as Doc Cheng's).

During World War II, the hotel was only slightly damaged by Allied air raids.

In February 2013, the family-owned retail chain Dohle acquired the hotel for 35 million euros.