Nordic Hotels & Resorts has announced the grand opening of its newest luxury hotel, Sommerro, located in the heart of Frogner in Oslo’s West End. The urban retreat is set within the former headquarters of Oslo Lysverker, the city’s original electrical company. The 231-key Art Deco hotel is complete with 56 branded residences, seven restaurants and bars, meeting and event spaces with capacity for up to 150 people, a 100-seat gilded theater, a wellness space with a fully equipped gym, and a year-round rooftop pool, sauna and terrace.
The hotel’s thoughtfully designed social spaces and six guestroom categories, from snug Loft rooms to lavish Junior and Heritage suites, are embellished with Art Deco details and lush textiles, including oak parquet flooring, custom-designed furnishings upholstered with 1930s Norwegian motifs, hand-knotted rugs and bathrooms with custom tiles.
Curated by museum director and art critic Sune Nordgren, the hotel is adorned with an extensive art collection by emerging local artists. The contemporary collection is complimented with a host of original artworks from the 1930s’ Norwegian artist Per Krohg. Art enthusiasts can enjoy hosted show-rounds of Per Krohg’s collection by local museum curators. The hotel can also arrange private guided art tours in the nearby newly opened National Museum.
In addition, resident jazz musician and composer Maren Selvaag has curated the hotel’s pop-up music and cultural events inspired by the flourishing music scene of the 1930s, which kick off with performances by British magician Jon Ensor. Other regular highlights include performances from the Sommerro Soul Band and a series of “Brunch & Film Classics,” with iconic movies screened in Kinoen, a cinema inspired by Tancred Ibsen, the filmmaker who introduced Norway to its first feature film with sound in 1931.
Sommerro houses seven restaurants and bars, including a rooftop restaurant, and outposts from local favorites Barramon, a Spanish tapas and wine bar, and Plah, showcasing cuisine by Terje Ommundsen. Ekspedisjonshallen is an all-day dining spot located in the former hall where the public once paid their electricity bills; it includes a cocktail bar on an original sunken floor that serves drinks inspired by the Roaring Twenties. Adjacent to Ekspedisjonshallen is To Søstre, which serves afternoon teas on decadent cake trolleys, and accompanied by regular classical concerts with a self-playing Steinway Grand Piano. Tak Oslo is a Nordic-Japanese rooftop restaurant by Swedish chef Frida Ronge featuring hyper-local, seasonal dishes using sustainable Norwegian produce and seafood.
Good to know: Sommerro is powered by 100 percent renewable energy. It also provides bikes for guests to rent, offers EV parking with free charging, encourages suppliers to use zero-emission transport and has banned all plastic water bottles within the hotel.
Pretty cool: Opening in November, Vestkantbadet, one of Norway’s last remaining public baths from 1932, has been restored and revamped as a 15,000-square-foot subterranean urban wellness retreat. It will feature a series of treatment rooms, original restored Roman baths, infrared sauna, gym and cold plunge pool offering a Nordic thermotherapy experience.
During the second stage of its launch, Sommerro will open Villa Inkognito in March 2023. Housed in a former private residence that dates to 1870, this 11-suite retreat is adjacent to the hotel with a private entrance. It will offer the option to be rented in its entirety. The villa will feature opulent living rooms, an open kitchen, an intimate bar, a fitness room in the basement and an outdoor area. Guests can enjoy access to all of the amenities and services offered at Sommerro. Villa Inkognito bookings are now open.
The hotel is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend Collection.
For more details, visit www.sommerrohouse.com.
Related Stories
Off The Map Travel Takes Adventurers Close to the North Pole
Italy’s Preidlhof Introduces New Spa Offerings