The 31st edition of ICEHOTEL, an ephemeral art exhibition made entirely of snow and ice from Torne River — is open in the North of Sweden. New rooms include 12 unique art suites as well as six new art suites in ‘ICEHOTEL 365’ — a specially designed ice art hall open year-round. A ceremony hall for celebrations has also been included as part of this year’s iteration. The hotel opened on December 11, 2020, and for those unable to travel at the moment, there is a chance to step into the pristine world via an interactive AR experience on the mobile phone.
“The pandemic forced us to think differently, but the result is a stunning homage to Sweden. The 31st edition of Icehotel will be a memorable one! The 35 artists created concepts that will mesmerise our guests, giving them a much needed escape from the reality of this year,” says Creative Director of Icehotel, Luca Roncoroni.
Step into a frozen forest in the Ceremony Hall “Skogen”, a world full of toys in the suite “Toybox”, or enter what’s probably the coldest sauna in the world in the art suite “Sauna”. If the temperature doesn’t meet expectations there, cold can quickly be replaced by a hot sauna experience in a private relaxation room for everyone who stays the night in one of the deluxe suites in Icehotel 365.
New this year is that all the art suites are equipped with a QR code that can be scanned to hear an audio guide that tells the story about each art project.
In addition to the art experience, the guests can also look forward to some action with arctic outdoor experiences such as snowmobile adventure under the northern lights and dogsledding, or enjoy award-winning cuisine at Icehotel Restaurant, sip wintry drinks at Icebar by Icehotel or become artists themselves while doing ice sculpting. Icehotel are complying with all the recommendations during Covid-19 to create a safe and secure experience for both guests and staff.
Icehotel has for the last 30 years been a meeting place for people from all over the world, but this year things are different since many are restricted from travelling. For those who are unable to travel in person, Icehotel has created an Augmented Reality. Experience on Instagram – a digital journey to Icehotel’s world of ice and snow – from your living room.
“We know that many people are longing to travel, and we wanted to make the Icehotel experience accessible for those who may not be able to visit us right now,” says Malin Franck, CEO at Icehotel. “So, we came up with the idea to create a virtual trip with the help of AR technology.”
12 art suites are now open for their first visitors, with the ceremony hall complete and ready for small ceremonies during the winter. Another six art suites in Icehotel 31 will be ready and presented on 21 December. Icehotel 31 can be experienced from December 11 to April 11, 2021, then the winter-open part of Icehotel melts down to the Torne River again. The permanent part of the hotel then remains and offers ice and snow experiences all year round.
