World’s first permanent ice hotel opens in Sweden

It’s the original pop-up: Northern Sweden’s ICEHOTEL was the world’s first hotel made of snow and ice when it opened back in 1989.

Now, after 27 years of being built and rebuilt each winter, northern Sweden’s ICEHOTEL 365 will be the first frozen accommodation to stay open year-round.

New solar-powered cooling technology will allow part of the legendary hotel, including a bar, art gallery and 10 luxury suites, to host guests in search of midnight sun as well as northern lights.

Located 200 kilometers north of the Arctic circle in Jukkasjärvi, ICEHOTEL has been built to a fresh blueprint each year, using 5,000 tons of ice taken from the nearby River Torne in the spring and cold-stored over the summer.

Sections of the hotel will continue to melt and be rebuilt as usual – meaning there will still be fresh new icy artworks for guests to enjoy each year.

ICEHOTEL; Marknadsvägen 63, 981 91 Jukkasjärvi, Sweden; +46 980 668 00

The original pop-up —

Sweden's ICEHOTEL, which has been built and rebuilt every year since 1989, is now open year-round. The Victorian Apartment (pictured) is designed by Luca Roncoroni.

ICEHOTEL 365 —

New solar-powered cooling technology will allow part of the hotel, including a bar, gallery and 10 luxury suites, to host guests right through the summer months.

Chandelier —

The hotel has all the fixtures and fittings you'd expect in a luxury hotel -- just they're made out of frozen H2O.

Snice —

The building material used for the hotel is called "snice" (a snow and ice mixture). Construction involves enough of it to make 700 million snowballs. The pictured suite was designed by Luc Voisin and Mathieu Brison.

Around 580 artists artists have created works for the hotel since it was founded in 1989. This art suite features "Dancers in the Dark," designed by Tjåsa Gusfors and Patrick Dallard.

The ambient temperature might be -5 C, but there are thick capes, high-quality sleeping bags and luxury fur throws to keep guests cosy. This room, titled "Don't Get Lost," was designed by Tommy Alatalo.

Kiss —

This deluxe suite features the artwork "Kiss," designed by Kestutis and Vytautas Musteikis.

Spa —

Not everything in the hotel is made of ice. There is a spa and sauna to relax in away from the elements.

Ice art hall —

The entrance to the Ice Art Hall. ICEHOTEL 365 is built on the site of a former refrigeration plant.

Aurora borealis —

To ensure guests don't miss the Northern Lights, there's a special auroral alarm.

Cold ice, warm hearts —

The hotel has its own chapel, which hosts around 100 weddings each year. That's a lot of happy snow queens.

Icebar —

About 27,000 cocktails are consumed each season in the Icebar, which now has branches worldwide.

The great outdoors —

Winter activities on offer include dog sledding, while in summer guests can go hiking under the midnight sun.

ICEHOTEL 365

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