‘ICEHOTEL 365’ In Sweden Opens And Is World’s First Permanent Ice Hotel

The world’s first ice hotel made its debut in 1989, and now there is one ice hotel in Sweden, ICEHOTEL 365, which will be open every day of the year. The 22,604 square foot ice hotel is located in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden which is 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

ICEHOTEL 365 features 20 rooms, nine of which are luxury suites with saunas and bathrooms, and 11 which will be art suites. The ICEHOTEL 365 website notes that all rooms will be “sculptured by selected artists.” There is also an art gallery and an ice bar in the hotel, as Forbes has reported.

This ice hotel also boasts the largest permanent art exhibit that is north of Stockholm. Arne Bergh, who is the creative adviser to the hotel, explained that using ice in terms of art helped to lessen the fears of artists when it came to testing new ideas.

“Ice has an interesting effect on creativity. Since it’s not a permanent material, people aren’t afraid of testing ideas they otherwise wouldn’t dare to test. It’ll be exciting, a project that challenges the impermanent, at the same time as it places this in contrast to the permanent.”

The idea for the hotel was conceived based on many people saying that they would enjoy staying in an ice hotel at some other time of the year besides Winter, such as Summer or Autumn. The founder of ICEHOTEL 365, Yngve Bergqvist, spoke of his ice hotel and said, “We want to create a sustainable product.”

“We’ll simply be better positioned to meet market demand for both the midnight sun and the northern lights, so we can attract visitors to summer and winter activities north of the Arctic Circle.”

Aside from boasting spectacular views of the northern lights and midnight sun, the ice hotel also boasts “a place to discover silence, glistening snow-clad forests, reindeer, cloudberries and kettle coffee.”

Quite a lot of effort was put into building this year-round ice hotel. It took five months with over a hundred people working to build the ICEHOTEL 365. The builders began with steel construction and a cooling system that was inserted into the building, and they used 30,000 liters of water from the Torne River and turned it into ice and snow, which covers the hotel walls, ceiling, ground and all of the rooms.

#architecture #interiordesign #deco ICEHOTEL 365 is open. Have a look inside the magical ice world! https://t.co/ukIrYJkH2H pic.twitter.com/pFayKpJTtf

— Best Interior Design (@BestIntDesingn) December 26, 2016

Because climate control is a huge factor at the ICEHOTEL 365, there are steel pipes which have been ground into the permafrost, 16 feet below ground, which help to control the temperature of the ice hotel and keep it at 23 degrees Fahrenheit. This has so far been the most ideal way to preserve the hotel, along with the ice and snow sculptures

If you are wondering how you should be dressing if you ever decide to visit an ice hotel, Josef Lindberg of the ICEHOTEL 365 said that at night you need only wear a base layer of clothing.

“During the night we recommend them to only wear a base layer. As the hotel provides thermal sleeping bags (heated by your own body temperature) that have been tested to -40 degrees, you should avoid wearing too many layers—Just thermal underwear, socks, long johns and long sleeve top, plus a hat are recommended.”

Lindberg also mentioned that the ICEHOTEL 365 has a separate building with 70 warm rooms if guests would prefer less of an ice hotel experience and more of a winter chalet experience.

Photo Tour: ICEHOTEL 365 | Sweden’s Coolest Resort Taps Solar Power to Operate Year Round https://t.co/GMru6vXihC

— SnowBrains (@SnowBrains) December 29, 2016

Of course, just like any hotel you would want there to be a good restaurant experience, and the Icehotel Restaurant has a team that is led by Michelin-trained head chef Alexander Meier. The menu features local ingredients that have been sourced from the area’s forests, mountains, marshes and rivers. Desserts include items such as chocolate & arctic brambles, served on ice, as you would expect at an ice hotel.

Are you happy that there is now an ice hotel that is open every day of the year, regardless of the season, like the ICEHOTEL 365?

[Featured Image by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]