31 Mar 2014
Sweden's Icehotel invites guests to design and build bespoke suites
BY Helen Andrews
Northern Sweden’s isolated Icehotel is inviting its guests to design and build their own ice suites, with successful suggestions being maintained for the designer's exclusive use throughout the season.
Now in its 24th season, the Jukkasjärvi-based hotel, which attracts 50,000 guests before evaporating each summer, will debut its new "Haute Couture Suite" service.
Each year, hundreds of artists worldwide apply to design the hotel’s individual suites, with just a handful of their proposals accepted for construction each winter.
But now, the honour is open to imaginative members of the public – provided they can afford the £140,000 ($233,000, €169,000) price tag.
The custom-made property will be available only to the customer – to accommodate family, friends and business associates throughout the season – but the public will be entitled to visit the interiors during the day.
Guests will submit their plans to the hotel’s design team, who will decide on the feasibility of their construction.
After a consultation with each guest, to make each suite as distinctive as possible, the customer will be able to join the construction team as the project develops.
Each spring 5,000 tonnes of ice, harvested from the Torne River, is kept in cold storage until November; when the weather has cooled and the ice can be used as building blocks.
The infrastructure of the Icehotel changes each year, but there are typically 60 bedrooms, 15 of which are usually suites.
The bespoke suites will be constructed in addition to the standard selection and the hotel has not decided on a maximum number of suites that can be built.
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