Inside the brand new royal suite at Sweden’s ice hotel

Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN

It’s undoubtedly one of the coolest hotels in the world, and Sweden’s ICEHOTEL has just launched its 32nd incarnation with a touch of royal magic.

The world’s first hotel built out of snow and ice has unveiled a brand new suite designed by Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte, or Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, and his business partner Oscar Kylberg.

Named “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the deluxe suite features floral elements and plants, a first for the iconic hotel, which is located 200 kilometers north of the Arctic circle in Jukkasjärvi.

Frozen moment

The walls of the suite are adorned with ice blocks filled with colorful flowers and fauna, while a stunning ice chandelier light with flowers inside hangs from the ceiling.

Bernadotte and Kylberg say they aimed to create a moment that captured the mood of the Midsummer celebration of the summer solstice, one of the most celebrated holidays in Sweden.

“Well, what better way to show the true character of the ice than to encapsulate the most delicate and beautiful Swedish midsummer flowers in an arctic environment? For us Swedes, midsummer, and especially midsummer’s night, is filled with myth and legend.” the pair said in a statement.

“The Scandinavian nature that surrounds us flowers and ice plays a huge part in our cultural upbringing and has a bearing on who we are as Nordic people as Scandinavians.

“Hopefully, our vision with the suite ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ will invite you also to be a part of us.”

Royal addition

Bernadotte, the son of Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, founded design agency Bernadotte & Kylberg with his friend, designer Kylberg, in 2012.

While they’ve previously collaborated with brands like Hästens and Georg Jensen, this is the first time they have worked on a project consisting entirely of ice and snow.

The pair are among the 32 artists selected to create the latest version of the 2,870 square-meter seasonal hotel, which consists of 12 art suites, 24 ice rooms and one ceremonial hall this time around.

ICEHOTEL was founded by Yngve Bergqvist back in 1989 and has been built and rebuilt every winter since then.

In 2016, ICEHOTEL 365, a permanent site within the hotel fitted with solar-powered cooling technology was launched. Open all year-round, it features a bar, an art gallery and several suites.

Arctic environment

According to the official website for the hotel, the temperature inside hovers at “a constant of minus 5 to 7 minus degrees Celsius.”

Those who book in are given “expedition-style sleeping bags” and are given a survival course to help adapt to their frozen surroundings.

Overnight guests are given access to their rooms at 6 p.m., but the hotel’s heated service building is staffed and open 24 hours, so they have the option to return to warm surroundings if they need to.

A number of new ice hotels have emerged in the years since ICEHOTEL first opened its doors, Canada’s Hôtel de Glace, which is situated outside Quebec City, and Romania’s Hotel of Ice, based in the heart of the Fagaras Mountains in the Romanian Carpathians.

ICEHOTEL opened for its winter season on December 10 and will run through to April 15, 2022.

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