Visiting Copenhagen nearly a decade ago, I learned that finding a high-end hotel was about as difficult as securing a reservation at Noma.
Those looking for luxury checked into D’Angletterre, a grand hotel on the edge of the Kongens Nytorv neighborhood that has a Michelin-starred restaurant and an underground spa. Although the building has been around since the late 1700s (and was rebuilt after a major fire), it felt like an anomaly in a city that favors minimalism: a lavish, over-the-top palace with spacious, chandelier-filled suites.
But in the past two years, more high-end travelers have descended upon Scandinavia. They seek hard-to-book tables at hot restaurants, high-end shopping, and cooler weather during the summer months. Accordingly, the hotel offerings are getting more interesting all the time.
Brøchner Hotels, the family-owned hospitality brand, transformed the three-star Hotel Hans into a four-star operation to accommodate an influx of travelers from the United States and the United Kingdom. And they aren’t keen to squeeze into a standard room, so the hotel’s fifth floor was transformed into suites with private rooftop terraces.
In August, the sustainably minded 1 Hotels chain opened their first property in the Nordics in the center of Copenhagen. Decked out with natural linens and reclaimed wood, its fleet of bikes is now streaming through the streets.
Just north of the city, in the well-to-do seaside neighborhood of Hellerup, the Park Lane opened in a bright, white building with black-and-white awnings and slick, Scandinavian-style suites. In Klitmøller, on a rugged northern coastline dotted with cozy inns, design brand Vipp (known for its sleek trash cans and soap dispensers) opened a slick guesthouse whose windows frame the weathered grasslands. Kasper Friis Egelund, the entrepreneurial co-owner and C.E.O. of the company, initially built the property as a vacation home for his family. “There’s a real interest in this [area]—you eat well and nature is second to none,” says Egelund, adding that a nearby restaurant was recently awarded a Michelin star. “It’s a good alternative to southern Europe.”
The Scandi fervor extends far beyond Denmark. In Sweden, the family-owned property Sibbjäns opened in a restored 19th-century farmhouse on the Gotland coast. It’s set on a regenerative farm, and the sandy-toned rooms have oval bathtubs and beamed ceilings.
In the country’s capital, Stockholm Stadshotell has taken over a historic building to create a sleek hotel that is now part of the Relais & Châteaux collection.
Iceland is also getting in on the action. Newcomers include ÖÖD Hekla Horizon, a group of mirrored houses that look over the moon-like landscape, as well as Harmony Seljalandsfoss, where guests stay in glass-walled rooms designed for stargazing.
Helsinki has not traditionally been known for its opulent offerings, but Hotel Maria is a very welcome addition. The five-star hotel is set in a restored 1885 building filled with dramatic chandeliers and marble bathrooms.
Even properties that aren’t new on the scene are experiencing a surge in popularity. “People [now] need to book a year or six months out,” says Gareth Brauteseth, head of business development at 62° Nord, a luxury-travel company that also operates several lodges, including Hotel Union Øye, in the Sunnmøre region. Although 62° Nord’s Norwegian properties and fjord-focused itineraries have never struggled with bookings, travelers rarely needed to lock in reservations more than a few months in advance.
According to Brauteseth, Scandinavia’s popularity is about more than just unspoiled nature and a cooler climate—it’s driven by the desire for a more relaxed vacation. “In Norway,” he says, “you can be a billionaire, and your best friend can be a fisherman.”
Mary Holland is a New York–based writer who contributes to the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Monocle
