Our hotel, looking back to centuries of history, is situated in the heart of Heidelberg's old town, close to the Alte Brücke crossing the Neckar river. This bridge served as main entrance road to the city for visitors from north of the river, making it the ideal spot for an inn. As names often changed during the middle ages, it is not possible to tell when the first pub or inn opened here.

It is only in 1607 that a tax roll, called the Stegenbuch, collects information that still survives today. In 1588, two inns can be found where our hotel is situated today: Zum Schwert (The Sword), soon after renamed Zum Schwarzen Adler (The Black Eagle), and next to it Zum Bären (The Bear). Close by were a bakery, a butcher and, at least for some time, a brewery. While in early times the landlords lived in the house themselves, some could later afford living in other parts of the old town.

Some time during the 18th century one or both inns may have closed, but in 1787 a new house is built, replacing its two predecessors. It was opened as Goldener Hecht (The Golden Pike); in 1836, the name was changed to the current Holländer Hof (The Holland Inn) by its owner Louis Spitz, most likely as it had become the preferred place for traders and travelers from the Netherlands. In 1888, the hotel was sold to an association called Herberge zur Heimat. They continued the hotel and added a hostel for hikers, pilgrims students based on Christian rules, at that time called a Hospiz. An additional storey and the well-known rooftop terrace with its beautiful views over Heidelberg and the Neckar valley were added in 1904. Shortly after, the Holländer Hof was one of Heidelberg's first hotels to have a telephone.

Following World War II, from April 1945 to January 1955, the house was used as accommodations for American soldiers. After its return to use as a hotel, it was continued as a Hospiz until 1981, when it was reopened as a hotel following renovation.