Quotient TravelPlanner's Blog

Ice hotels are temporary structures which are built each winter, made up predominantly of snow and ice. From the walls to the fixtures to the fittings, just about everything is made up of ice. Ice sculptures are often used to decorate the hotel.  More than just functional living spaces, ice hotels have taken on a life of their own and are very much works of art, with new themes chosen each year. Ice hotels constantly challenge themselves with each new incarnation to come up with better and more innovative designs.

Ice hotels can be found in Sweden, Canada, Norway, Romania and Finland. Each of them features ice beds, which guests sleep on, using a sleeping bag on top of reindeer skin. Many also feature ice bars, in which, even the glasses are constructed out of ice. Other unique ice features include ice chapels, ice galleries and ice sculpting classes.

The first ice hotel opened in Sweden in 1990, the story goes that during an art exhibition held in an ice building, there was insufficient lodging, and some guests to the exhibition were invited to spend a night in the ice building, and that’s how the idea of an ice hotel came about.

 In Finland, you will find Lainio Snow Village, which is an entire village made up of snow and ice, covering an area of approximately 20,000 square metres. In addition to having 30 rooms where you can spend the night, the village features Europe’s biggest ice dome and an à la carte restaurant with ice carved tables and an ice bar.