Set within a restored landmark 1930s building in Frogner, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Oslo in the city’s West End, Sommerro highlights Norwegian design in the city’s first art deco hotel. Located in the former headquarters of Oslo Lysverker (the city’s original electrical company), including a newly designed extension, the hotel features 231 rooms and luxury suites, 56 branded residences, four restaurants, three bars, a wellness space that brings back the city’s public baths, a series of historical meeting and event rooms, and a rooftop terrace. It also features an extensive art collection by emerging local artists, curated by internationally acclaimed museum director and art critic, Sune Nordgren.
The seven restaurants and bars include Plah, one of the city’s most popular restaurants showcasing elevated cuisine by Norway’s ”Best Thai Chef”, Terje Ommundsen, and To Søstre, where afternoon teas served on decadent cake trolleys will be accompanied by regular classical concerts with a self-playing Steinway Grand Piano. The city’s only rooftop restaurant, Tak Oslo, is a Nordic-Japanese restaurant by award-winning Swedish chef Frida Ronge, featuring ”hyper-local”, seasonal dishes using sustainable Norwegian produce and seafood.
As Norway’s largest-ever preservation project, original historic elements have been meticulously restored and developed by local firm LPO Architects in collaboration with New York and London-based studio GrecoDeco. The rooms are embellished with Art Deco details and lush textiles, including oak parquet flooring, hand-knotted rugs, and custom-designed furnishings upholstered with 1930s Norwegian motifs. Except for a commitment to eco-sustainability, Sommerro also emphasizes mental health and career advancement internally along with the support of locally owned businesses and community initiatives. The social entrepreneurship Sisters in Business, which employs female immigrants, will also work with creating textiles and repairing broken items.
— Sommerro is an iconic building housing years of history, located in one of Oslo’s most vibrant and exciting areas. We want everyone to feel at home at Sommerro, whether you are a guest or a local seeking a place to hang out with friends, work, or simply relax in beautiful surroundings. We believe that it will take Oslo to the next level of hospitality, bringing the building back to life for more generations to come, Petter A Stordalen, founder of Nordic Choice Hotels, now known as Strawberry, says.
In November, Vestkantbadet, one of Norway’s last remaining public baths from 1932, will open after being restored to its former glory and reimagined as a 1,400-square-metre wellness retreat, the largest of any city hotel across the Nordic countries. And in March next year, Sommerro will open Villa Inkognito. Housed in a former private residence that dates back to 1870, the 11-suite retreat is adjacent to the hotel with a private entrance and will offer the option to be rented in its entirety. The villa will boast several living rooms, an open kitchen, an intimate bar, and a fitness room in the basement.