Nordic Hotels & Resorts announced that it is bringing one of Oslo’s most iconic buildings back to life as Sommerro–a new luxury hotel set to open its doors in September 2022. With panoramic views of the Norwegian capital, Sommerro is housed in the former headquarters of Oslo Lysverker, the city’s original electrical company, and will be a modern tribute to Norwegian cultural heritage, revolutionizing the city’s hospitality landscape with a strong focus on eco-conscious experiences. A community in its own right, the 231-room art deco hotel, complete with 56 branded residences, will boast four restaurants and three bars, meeting and event spaces with capacity for up to 150 people, a 200-seat gilded theatre, a gym and wellness space, and the city’s first year-round rooftop pool, sauna, and terrace.
Architectural Design, Accommodations, and Artwork
Drawing heavily from the building’s magnificent architectural details, Sommerro will pay homage to a fusion of neoclassical contemporary aesthetics with original elements that have been meticulously restored and developed by local firm LPO Architects in collaboration with New York- and London-based studio GrecoDeco. Notable art deco details include oak parquet flooring, bespoke furnishings upholstered with 1930s Norwegian motifs, and slick bathrooms with custom tiles. Original artwork by celebrated Norwegian artist Per Krohg is featured throughout the hotel, with unique pieces including a giant wall fresco and a ceiling mural that nods to the building’s heritage highlighting life after the wonders of electricity.
Social Spaces
The crown jewel of Sommerro’s social spaces is its year-round rooftop terrace, home to the contemporary Tak Oslo restaurant. The rooftop terrace’s pool deck will be an exclusive retreat for hotel guests, where light bites will be served in the summer and, during the colder months, in-sauna treatments can be enjoyed. The hotel will also offer Lysverker Scene, an alluring 200-seat gilded theatre that will host intimate events open to the public. Vestkantbadet, one of the few public baths left in all of Norway, has been brought back to its former glory and expanded into an 8,000-square-foot underground wellness paradise – the largest of any city hotel across the Nordic countries. Open to hotel guests and the public, the wellness space will include a series of treatment rooms, restored Roman baths, a gym with an infrared sauna, and cold plunge pool offering a traditional Nordic thermotherapy experience, all with soothing, eco-friendly spa products.
New Nordic Cuisine
Set to become one of Oslo’s most coveted culinary destinations, Sommerro will feature four restaurants, including outposts from local favorites Barramon, a Spanish tapas and wine bar, and Plah, one of the city’s most popular restaurants that features elevated cuisine by Norway’s “Best Thai Chef” Terje Ommundsen. Ekspedisjonshallen, an all-day dining spot located in the former hall where the public once paid their electricity bills, will come to life with regular DJ performances accompanied with brasserie-style cuisine, and the hotel’s central sunken floor will be converted into a lively bar overlooked by the vast Per Krohg wall mural. Adjacent to Ekspedisjonshallen will be To Søstre – an elegant home for mimosa-fueled afternoon teas served on decadent cake trolleys and accompanied by regular classical concerts. The sky is the limit on the hotel’s seventh floor at Tak Oslo, a Nordic-Japanese restaurant by award-winning Swedish chef Frida Ronge, where guests can experience hyper-local, seasonal dishes using sustainable Norwegian produce and seafood. All menus available at the hotel include a mix of healthy, organic, and local treats.
Meeting and Event Spaces
The hotel will invite groups of 12 to 150 people to gather within its dynamic range of meeting and event spaces, which include Sommerrostuene, a collection of four laidback and playful rooms; Salongen, a relaxed interchangeable room; Storstua, a break-out area serving grab and go lunches; Biblioteket, a snug book-filled library layered with whimsical Nordic touches; and Kinoen, an intimate screening room. On the Heritage floor, eight historical rooms outfitted with top technology and adorned with original ceiling murals from Per Krohg, will also be available to rent.
As the newest independent venture by Nordic Hotels & Resorts, Sommerro will uphold and enhance the group’s commitment to eco-sustainability through a variety of meaningful on-property practices and amenities, from what dishes are served at each restaurant to the materials used to design and construct the guestrooms and property as a whole. A year-round destination with sweeping views over the Norwegian capital, visitors of Sommerro can explore the local neighborhood of Frogner that features a plethora of museums, art galleries, antique stores, niche boutiques, and restaurants. On the hotel’s doorstep lies the iconic Frogner Park, Oslo’s biggest inner city green space, and the Vigeland Sculpture Park, home to more than 200 sculptures by renowned Norwegian sculptor, Gustav Vigeland.
“Our vision is to re-define Oslo’s hospitality landscape by creating a new kind of hotel built on Frogner’s classic and creative neighborhood spirit,” said Jarle Moen, Managing Director of Sommerro. “Made by the local community, Sommerro will be an open house for all where visitors and locals can work, sleep, eat, play and recharge. Together, we are creating an inspiring space where kindred souls and culture-makers can gather in cozy corners or pop by for a range of experiences from intimate gatherings and work meetings to late-night movie screenings and wine tastings in our library.”
