Icehotel in Sweden to stay open in the summer with new addition

A “permanent sub-zero experience” may soon be available to travellers, with an announcement that Sweden’s Icehotel may stay open year round.

A conceptual drawing of a year-round addition to Sweden’s famous Icehotel. Image by PinPinStudio

The world’s first ice hotel, located 200 km north of Arctic Circle in Jukkasjärvi, has been running for 26 years and is generally erected in the winter and stays until springtime when it melts.

Now, the hotel wants to create a sustainable addition that can keep the ice experience going in the summer, when the sun barely sets in Northern Sweden, according to a news release.

The permanent structure would include 20 suites, a bar and a gallery. The building is planned to run entirely on solar power using the near constant daylight during the summer. In winter, it will become part of the Icehotel structure.

The Icehotel is built every year by different artists, giving each room a unique look that melts away in the spring. The new addition is expected to open in December 2016, dependent on finding investors.

The Icehotel is currently a huge driver of tourism in the area during the winter months.