Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN

It’s undoubtedly one of the coolest hotels in the world, and Sweden’s ICEHOTEL has just launched its 32nd incarnation with a touch of royal magic.

The world’s first hotel built from snow and ice has unveiled a brand new suite designed by Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte, or Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, and his business partner Oscar Kylberg.

Dubbed “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, the luxury suite features floral and plant elements, a first for the iconic hotel, located 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle in Jukkasjärvi.

frozen moment

The walls of the suite are adorned with blocks of ice filled with colorful flowers and fauna, while a stunning ice chandelier with flowers inside hangs from the ceiling.

Bernadotte and Kylberg say they aimed to create a moment that captures the mood of celebrating the summer solstice, one of Sweden’s most celebrated holidays.

“Well, what better way to show the true character of ice cream than to encapsulate the most delicate and beautiful Swedish flowers of midsummer in an arctic environment? For us Swedes, the midsummer summer, and especially summer night, is filled with myths and legends, the couple said in a statement.

“The Scandinavian nature that surrounds us with flowers and ice plays a huge role in our cultural upbringing and affects who we are as Nordic people as Scandinavians.

“I hope our vision with the sequel ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ will also invite you to be part of us.”

royal addition

Bernadotte, the son of Swedish King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, founded the design agency Bernadotte & Kylberg with his friend, designer Kylberg, in 2012.

While they’ve collaborated with brands like Hästens and Georg Jensen before, this is the first time they’ve worked on a project made entirely of ice and snow.

The duo are among 32 artists selected to create the latest version of the 2,870 square meter seasonal hotel, which this time consists of 12 art suites, 24 ice rooms and a ceremony room .

ICEHOTEL was founded by Yngve Bergqvist in 1989 and has been built and rebuilt every winter since then.

In 2016, ICEHOTEL 365, a permanent site within the hotel equipped with solar-powered cooling technology was launched. Open all year round, it has a bar, an art gallery and several suites.

arctic environment

According to the hotel’s official website, the temperature inside fluctuates between “a constant minus 5 to 7 degrees Celsius”.

Those who book are given ‘expedition-style sleeping bags’ and take a survival course to help them adapt to their frozen environment.

Overnight guests are checked into their rooms at 6 p.m., but the hotel’s heated service building is staffed and open 24 hours a day, so they have the option of returning to an environment warm if they need it.

A number of new ice hotels have sprung up in the years since the opening of ICEHOTEL, the Hôtel de Glace du Canada, located outside Quebec City, and the Hôtel de Ice cream from Romania, located in the heart of the Fagaras Mountains in the Romanian Carpathians.

ICE HOTEL opened for its winter season on December 10 and will continue until April 15, 2022.

The-CNN-Wire
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