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A new northern star - the best new boutique hotel in the world is in Umeå
If you are looking for a truly interesting boutique hotel experience, forget metropolises, megacities and hotspots. Stora Hotellet Umeå (“Grand Hotel Umeå”), in the far north of Sweden, has been awarded the prize for Best Newcomer in the World in the prestigious World Boutique Hotel Awards.
The hotel was created by Stylt Trampoli, the Swedish design agency with a reputation for doing things their own way. To create the winning concept, they drew on the maritime heritage of the building and the town.
Two different worlds
Umeå used to be a significant port city with many wharves, and the hotel (which was built right by the quay in 1895) originally housed the Seaman’s Mission as well as the grandest hotel in town. In the hotel’s corridors and salons, captains and old salts fresh from circumnavigating the globe would rub shoulders with the town society - even, on occasion, with royalty.
That clash between the rough and the refined - sailcloth and velvet, seaspray and champagne - provided the inspiration for the hotel concept, which, as with all Stylt projects, guided the development of all aspects of the overall experience, from the interiors to the graphic design and the culinary direction of the hotel restaurant.
A hotel with a soul
“A beautiful old building with a fascinating past, a town with an interesting heritage, and a cast of intriguing individuals - all the ingredients of a hotel with a true connection to a place, and a real soul, were there,” says Stylt founder and creative director Erik Nissen Johansen. “And best of all, the owners understood the potential, and had the vision to let us create something that was not just great for Umeå but great for anywhere.” The two-year renovation was completed just in time for Umeå’s inauguration as the 2014 European Capital of Culture.
A ship filled with treasure
The jury’s review of the hotel said that “the interior of Stora Hotellet is rather unique, it feels like you step back in time and ... enter a royal ship at sea, filled with treasures and bizarre characters. The hotel is filled with hidden stories in each design object and the designer really mastered the balance between renewing yet retaining the original heritage.“ In addition, the reviewers were impressed with the character of the city, and with the extraordinary quality of service throughout the hotel.
Local love
The hotel has succeeded in engaging locals as well as visitors. On the opening weekend, over two thousand proud Umeå natives came to see the hotel and take guided tours, something practically unheard of at a hotel launch.
“Our ambition was to create a world-class hotel experience here in Umeå,“ says Markus Olsson, CEO of Fort Knox, the hotel’s owners. “Stora Hotellet was once the hub of everything that went on in Umeå, and now it is once more the best hotel in town, and, amazingly, in the world.”
Another nomination
The hotel's restaurant, Gotthard’s, is also nominated for the European Hotel Design Awards, which will be announced at the end of November.
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Stylt Trampoli is a multi-award-winning Swedish concept- and design agency with clients and projects all over the world. Our architects, art directors, designers, marketers and branding experts use storytelling to build projects where the brand, the business opportunity and the interiors are perfectly aligned, creating inspiring environments and memorable experiences for guests. Most of our clients are hotels and restaurants, with occasional forays into themed attractions, resorts, and destination development.
