Home Blog Looking Back at Our Favourite Icehotel Suites

Looking Back at Our Favourite Icehotel Suites

Sunday, 9th August 2020

Pam Forrest

swedish lapland icehotel29 art suite spruce woods ak

Located in the peaceful village of Jukkasjarvi in Swedish Lapland, the iconic Icehotel provides a unique stay for travellers. Every winter, the Icehotel opens its frozen doors to showcase brand new designs for its ice suites. From sharks and jellyfish, VW camper vans and Victorian libraries to the ever-popular ICEBAR and charming Ice church, guests are treated to a true winter wonderland experience as they sleep in a hotel made of ice. We take a look back at some of our favourite Art Suites from the original ice hotel over three decades.

ICEHOTEL #30

Winter 2019/20 saw the 30th anniversary of the Icehotel. This incarnation of the hotel marked three decades since Icehotel founder Yngve Bergqvist started a journey that would lead to the world’s first hotel made entirely out of snow and ice and during that time over one million guests from all continents of the world have visited.

This build under the guidance of the hotel’s new Creative Director, Luca Roncoroni, featured 15 art suites designed by 33 artists from 16 different countries making it the largest group ever. From checking a frozen West End theatre production to a subterranean ice room with giant ice ants, a frozen feline lair to the Greek island of Santorini depicted in ice, 2019/20 offered an incredible range of rooms.

  • A Night at the Theatre by Jonathan Paul and Marnie Green
  • White Santorini by Hamee Han and Jaeyual Lee
  • Subterranean by Daniel Rosenbaum and Jörgen Westin
  • Kaleidoscope by Natsuki and Shingo Saito
  • Feline Lair by Brian Alvin McArthur and Dawn Marie Detarando
  • Golden Ice by Nicolas Triboulot and Jean-Marie Guitera
  • Clear Water by AnnaSofia Maag and Niklas Byman
  • Bone Room by Robert Harding

ICEHOTEL #29

December 2018 witnessed the opening of the 29th incarnation of the iconic Icehotel in Swedish Lapland. The art suites created an experience for those curious at heart as the reoccurring inspiration for these artists was nature. Surrounded by raw beauty, guests could walk through a spectacular ice forest or to incredible skies. You could even dive deep and marvel at an underwater world filled with corals and fish.

“The suite is inspired by the climate changes and the over-fishing that affects our oceans. I also thought the idea of using frozen water from a river in northern Sweden to create an ocean with shells, fish, and corals is exciting. – Jonathan Paul Green, read the full interview with the designer here »

  • The Living Ocean Suite by Jonathan Paul and Marnie Green
  • Icewoman by Linda Vagnelind 
  • Haven by Jonas Johansson, Jordia Claramunt & Lukas Petko
  • Blossom by Wouter Biegelaar & Viktor Tsarski
  • Flock by Lisa Lindqvist & Ulrika Tallving
  • Lollipop by Mathieu Brison & Luc Voisin
  • Differential Expansion by Antonio & Juan Carlos Camara
  • The Tao Of Cat by Sonia Chow & Huschang Pourian
  • Oak by Tjåsa Gusfors
  • Dancing Auroras by Emilie Steele & Sebastian Dell’Uva

ICEHOTEL #28

The 2017/18 season brought many surprises with a few designs taking inspiration from classic films. You could have been snuggled in the arms of a gigantic King Kong or drifting into dreamland under the watchful eye of a snow queen. With suites inspired by giant snails, desert wilderness, a frozen jungle and icy cloudscapes, nature was once again a reoccurring theme.

Icehotel #28 saw the introduction of the Chef’s Table dining experience at the ICEHOTEL restaurant. Featuring a 12-course tasting menu by an award-winning head chef.

  • King Kong by Lkhagvadorj Dorjsuren
  • Queen of the North by Emilie Steele & Sebastian Dell’Uva
  • Daily Travelers” by Alem Teklu & Anne Karin Krogevoll
  • Cumulus by Annakatrin Kraus & Hans Aescht
  • Monstera by Nina Kauppi & Johan Kauppi
  • Follow the White Rabbit by Anna Sofia Mååg & Niklas Byman
  • A Rich Seam by Howard & Hugh Miller
  • Hang in There by Marjolein Vonk & Maurizio Perron
  • LIVOQ by Fabien Champeval & Friederike Schroth
  • Space Room by Adrian Bois & Pablo Lopez
  • Ground Rules by Carl Wellander & Ulrika Tallving
  • Radiance by Natsuki Saito & Shingo Saito
  • The White Desert by Timsam Harding & Fabián Jacquet Casado

ICEHOTEL #27 and 365

During this season, Icehotel 365 opened up its doors for the first time. Bringing a permanent ice experience, 365 has nine deluxe suites, each with their warm bathroom and sauna, as well as eleven art suites.

In 2016/17, the hotel offered more creativity than ever in its history. It showcased incredible themes such as the Japanese art of flower arranging and the passion of sleeping inside a dream.  It also featured a house of cards made from ice and snow, a palace inspired by Casablanca, and a cherry tree made to last the winter. These are a few of the ingenious sculptures that defied the elements at the 27th ICEHOTEL.

ICEHOTEL #26

Imagine a three-meter African elephant carved out of snow. What about a 1970s inspired Love Capsule? Even an imperial Russian-inspired theatre set, Labyrinth Saga. Those were some of the creations created for the 2015/16 edition of the ICEHOTEL. This year also introduced extra exciting activities:

  • Swedish sauna ritual experience including ice plunge and thermal starlit bath
  • Northern lights wake-up calls straight to guests’ smartphone
  • Arctic wilderness survival beginners’ course – this includes building a shelter and making fire

  • Elephant in the Room by AnnaSofia Mååg
  • Cesare’s Wake by Petros Dermatas and Ellie Souti
  • Eye Suite by Nicolas Triboulot and Cédric Alizard
  • The Flying Buttress by AnnaKatrin Kraus and Hans Aescht
  • Fractus by Anja Kilian and Wolfgang A Lüchow
  • Live your time by Jose Carlos Cabello Millán and Javier Alvaro Colomino Matassa
  • Love Capsule by Luc Voisin and Mathieu Brison
  • Show Me What You Got by Tjåsa Gusfors and David Andrén
  • Under the Arctic Skin by Rob Harding and Timsam Harding

The Best of the Rest

Since opening, the hotel has featured over 400 different designs! We’ve singled a few of our favourites that have captured our imagination over the years.

During the 150th anniversary year of the London Underground, British film director Marcus Dillistone built his “Mind the Gap” Art Suite depicting a Tube platform in ice. Discover what it takes to bring an idea to life in part 1 of his diary Another one of our favourites was the “Abject Beauty” suite. The creators have worked with complex sculptures to create a sense of the unpredictable. With their abstract world, they hope to change people’s ideas of what they consider ‘beautiful’.

“We wanted to create a world within the world. A world full of patterns and shapes that fill the room and create a captivating scene.” 

  • The Mushroom Suite by Viktor Tsarski and Liliya Pobornikova (ICEHOTEL #19)
  • Blue Marine by Andrew Winch & William Blomstrand (ICEHOTEL #23
  • Mind the gap by Marcus Dillistone & Magdalena Åkerströ (ICEHOTEL #24) 
  • Abject Beauty by Lotta Lampa & Julia Gamborg Nielsen, Sweden (ICEHOTEL #25)

Visiting the Icehotel

We offer an extensive collection of Icehotel holidays, including irresistible multi-centre combinations. Between December and early April you can visit the seasonal winter hotel or choose to visit at any time of year staying in Icehotel365.