Stockholm : Sleep
It's fair to say that Stockholm is not one of the world's greatest hotel cities. It hasn't got the range and variety of places you might encounter in London, New York or Paris, for instance, nor the same sense of hotel romance. What's more, because it's so expensive to hire staff in Sweden you won't find lobbies swarming with eager bellhops or scores of people behind the concierge and check-in desks.However, the hotels in Stockholm do benefit from the trio of Swedish passions: sleeping, eating and designing.
Maybe it's because of the long, cold winters, but Swedes pride themselves on their beds. The country is, after all, home to two luxury bed manufacturers: Hästens and Duxiana. As a consequence, you'll usually find an excellent mattress and good bed linen in your room, even in the more moderately priced hotels.
Following a good night's sleep, you can count on a good buffet breakfast to start the day. This will typically include Swedish cheeses, such as Västerbotten and Prästost, as well as lots of ham, various types of herring and healthy whole-grain breads.
Increasingly, the city's hotels are using the legendary Scandinavian sense of design to set themselves apart. This was pioneered by smaller hotels, such as the Berns, but the recently opened Clarion Sign (right), which is the biggest hotel to date in the city, is awash with furnishings by Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner and Norway Says.
For extravagant opulence in the city, your first choice would naturally be the Grand (right), which is where Nobel laureates lodge when they come to pick up their prizes. In 2007, it added another feather to its cap by opening the best restaurant in the city: Mathias Dahlgren (see Eat).
Other stand-out properties include the trendy Rival on Södermalm, which is owned by Benny from Abba; the minimalist Nordic Light close to the Central Station; the Hotel J, which feels like a little corner of New England in Scandinavia; and the best waterfront hotels, including the Esplanade, Diplomat and Radisson SAS Strand, on the condition that you get a room with a water view. Exciting new properties include the Stureplan, opening in 2008, and the Lydmar in 2009. The previous Lydmar, was one of the city’s trendiest hotels; the new version is located next door to the Grand.
All the hotels in this section are of a high standard, whether they're conventional, contemporary or more unusual in style. Those that do not have plasma screens and DVD players make up for it in other ways.
Bear in mind that because Stockholm is a major conference venue, many hotels keep their rates high during the week when their clientele consists largely of business travellers. Rates at the weekend and in July, when Sweden takes its annual holiday, can be much lower, sometimes by almost 50%, particularly in hotels that primarily target non-leisure guests.
Prices given are the cost of a double room in low season to a suite in high season.
