Erik Nissen Johansen is Norwegian but has lived in Gothenburg for many years. He founded Stylt Trampoli, a design, branding and concept company that works only in hospitality. It has worked on more than 300 hotel projects and 700 restaurant projects around the world. Its rule is simple: do not shoot the film before you write the script. Give people a reason to fall in love with a place first. Then invest.
The session grew out of a hotel design conference in Las Vegas this spring. After three days of talks, Erik left with one conclusion. Investors now see the Nordics as the next place to look.
Why the Nordics
The numbers behind that view are large. Since 1950 the world’s population has grown 228%. International tourism has grown 6,000%. By 2032, 80% of travel spend is expected to go to leisure and experiences. And the reason people travel is changing, from “where should I stay” to “why should I care.”
Meanwhile southern Europe is hot and crowded. Erik tried to visit the Uffizi in Florence and was told to book three months ahead. Cities push back on their own success with tourist taxes and bans on new hotels. Nordic summers are becoming ideal, and more people want a break from the city. Nature, silence and trust are becoming the premium. “This is a structural shift, not a trend,” he said.
International five-star brands have circled the Nordics for years without closing many deals. Nordic wages rule out a model with two staff per guest. So the opportunity is a different kind of luxury.
Three projects
Villa Ängen in Harads, northern Sweden, was built by the family behind Treehotel. Running the treehouses had put them in touch with niche tour operators serving very wealthy travelers. Before building again, they asked ten of those operators what the next great stay should be, and compared the answers. The result is a villa with five rooms, an outdoor pool and a separate exit where the dog sleds and guides wait. Cars stay out of sight, and guests walk the last stretch through the forest. The rooms are named after plants Carl Linnaeus found on the same meadow. The decoration is mostly nature. What guests pay for, Erik said, is reconnection with family and nature, and not being disturbed.
In Gudbrandsdalen, Norway, a couple is planning the first natural hot spring hotel in the Nordics. In Iceland, hot springs let hotels charge several times more per room. Norway has no volcanic heat, so they will drill about 2,400 meters down. The plan is energy positive, and the building will use surplus stone from the neighboring slate quarry.
Pater Noster is a lighthouse island off Marstrand, north of Gothenburg, where Erik is also a partner in the operation. Four operators had gone bankrupt there before. The new team made two decisions. It would not be a hotel but “a home on the horizon,” reopening the lighthouse keepers’ home. And guests should leave knowing more about how to treat the sea. The chef is also a marine biologist, and takes guests out to harvest seaweed for dinner.
It opened as the pandemic hit. Erik had strong photos of his own, taken on the island. He sent a press release to five journalists he knew in New York, London and Paris. All five replied within 15 minutes. Within a month, the story had 500 million media impressions. The only investment was the photos and a few emails.
The most sought-after room is an outdoor bed on the rocks. It can only be used on the handful of nights a year when the wind allows.
Look again at home
It is easy to be blind to what is exotic about your own place. Look at it through a visitor’s eyes. List what would feel rare to someone from a megacity, and price it accordingly.