An ice hotel is a temporary

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

made up of

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

and sculpted blocks of

ice Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...

. Ice hotels, dependent on sub-freezing temperatures, are constructed from ice and snow and typically have to be rebuilt every year. Ice hotels exist in several countries, and they have varying construction styles, services and amenities, the latter of which may include

ice bar An ice bar, sometimes associated with an ice hotel, is a drinking establishment primarily made of ice. The bars usually contain ice sculptures and other formations and are kept at low temperatures (generally about −5 °C) to hinder melting. ...

s, restaurants,

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

s, saunas and hot tubs.

Overview

Ice hotels are promoted for adventurous

travelers Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to: People Generic terms *One engaged in travel *Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources *Nomad, a member of a community withou ...

who are interested in

novelties A novelty item or simply novelty is an object which is specifically designed to serve no practical purpose, and is sold for its uniqueness, humor, or simply as something new (hence "novelty", or newness). The term also applies to practical items wi ...

and unusual environments and are comfortable with the outdoors. Customers have to be prepared to sleep in beds made of snow or ice, but in the warmth of furs, blankets and

sleeping bag A sleeping bag is an insulated covering for a person, essentially a lightweight quilt that can be closed with a zipper or similar means to form a tube, which functions as lightweight, portable bedding in situations where a person is sleeping ...

s designed to withstand extremely cold temperatures. Temperature in the rooms is below zero Celsius, but much warmer than outside. Staying at an ice hotel is expensive as prices for a night range from around US$300 to $3,000. Some ice hotels may be

destination hotel A resort hotel is a hotel which often contains full-sized luxury facilities with full-service accommodations and amenities. These hotels may attract both business conferences and vacationing tourists and offer more than a convenient place to stay ...

s. Lobbies are often filled with

ice sculpture Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material. Sculptures from ice can be abstract or realistic and can be functional or purely decorative. Ice sculptures are generally associated with special or extravagant events because ...

s, and food and drinks are specially chosen for the circumstances. For instance, glasses in an ice bar can be made of ice and people sit on benches made of ice. An

, sometimes associated with an ice hotel, is a drinking establishment primarily made of ice.

Construction

Ice hotels are dependent upon sub-

freezing Freezing is a phase transition where a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. In accordance with the internationally established definition, freezing means the solidification phase change of a liquid o ...

temperatures (colder than 0 °C or 32 °F) during construction and operation. This imposes time constraints on construction and makes the hotel's season short. Construction typically begins between November and March when snow can be compacted and thick levels of ice form. Although constructing an ice hotel is more labor-intensive than a regular building, building materials are cheaper. Ice hotels have to be reconstructed every year. This is not entirely detrimental to the operators; if an ice hotel does not meet its financial goals, the owner can simply let the building melt in the spring and is left with no building to permanently upkeep. The walls, fixtures, and fittings are made entirely of ice or compacted snow, and are held together using a substance known as

snice {{for, the Polish village, Śnice Snice is a portmanteau of ''snow'' and ''ice''. It refers to a type of frozen water whose physical characteristics make it an intermediate between snow and ice: ''snow-ice.''Hôtel de Glace ( en, Ice Hotel) first opened in January 2001. 85 rooms are furnished with ice beds covered with deer furs and mattresses and equipped with arctic sleeping bags. It was originally located on the shores of

Lac-Saint-Joseph, Quebec Lac-Saint-Joseph is a town in Quebec, Canada, located on the namesake Saint-Joseph Lake. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lac-Saint-Joseph had a population of living in of its total private d ...

, 31 minutes north of

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is th ...

, but has since moved closer to the city, 10 minutes away from Old Town Quebec. It operates from the first week in January to the last week in March. It has the adjacent Le Quatre Temps restaurant, an ice bar named Absolut Ice Bar, which serves Absolut Vodka and other beverages, sauna and outdoor hot tub. Construction involves the use of blocks of ice and snow. In 2005, construction involved "400 tons of clear ice blocks, trucked in from Montreal, and 12,000 tons of snow produced on site." Beds are constructed of ice, which are topped with "a wooden boxspring and mattress", and mummy-style sleeping bags are provided. The hotel offers paid tours, the participants of which are allowed to use the ice bar until midnight. Ice Hotel was previously the only ice hotel in North America. Image:qbicehotelchapel2.JPG, The chapel, 2006 File:Icehotelcanada.JPG, The chapel, 2006

Snow Village

Snow Village is a half-

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

village and 30-room ice hotel located in

Parc Jean-Drapeau Jean Drapeau Park (officially in French: ''Parc Jean-Drapeau'') (formerly called ''Parc des Îles'') is the third-largest park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island and the artificial island Notre Dame I ...

, east of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

, in Quebec, Canada that first opened in 2012. It has suites, standard rooms and igloos, an ice restaurant, ice bar and patio, ice chapel and outdoor hot tubs. It is constructed from man-made snow created by snowmaking machines, which is blown onto frames that are removed when construction is complete. This is performed because the density of the artificial snow is greater than that of natural snow. The hotel is equipped with fire alarms that are built into snow walls, as required by the city of Montreal. Initial construction cost $2.1 million, and the Quebec government provided some financial support for its construction.

Finland

SnowCastle of Kemi

The

SnowCastle of Kemi The SnowCastle of Kemi ( fi, Kemin lumilinna) is the biggest snow fort in the world. It is rebuilt every winter with a different architecture in Kemi, Finland. In 1996 the first snow castle drew 300,000 visitors. For several years the snowcastle ...

Kemi Kemi (; sme, Giepma ; smn, Kiemâ; sms, Ǩeeʹmm; Swedish (historically): ''Kiemi'') is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio and the Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is to the south and to Rovani ...

, Finland is the largest

snow fort A snow fort or snow castle is a usually open-topped temporary structure made of snow walls that is usually used for recreational purposes. Snow forts are generally built by children as a playground game or winter pastime and are used as defensi ...

in the world, is rebuilt every winter and has a snow hotel with double rooms and a honeymoon suite. The facility also has a restaurant, chapel, and ice sculptures. It is near the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast ( We ...

. The style of the facility, including the theme, shape, size and decorations, changes annually. File:LumiLinna.jpg, A view in 2006 File:SnowCastle, Kemi, Finland.jpg, The dining room in February 2013

Lainio Snow Village

The Lainio Snow Village is located 150 km north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland. This snow hotel is built in the winter atop a wood building. In 2007, construction began in November, and in early November, it began providing lodging. The hotel has restrooms and a sauna, and the village has a restaurant. Rooms are decorated with artwork created from snow. In 2007, art students contributed to the art with professional artists. In the summer, the village provides log cabin lodging.

Japan

The Alpha Resort Tomamu in the Shimukappu village of Hokkaido Island in Japan builds and opens an ice hotel every year. It may be Japan's first ice hotel, and everything in it is constructed from ice. The hotel interiors are typically −3 to −5 °C. Guests dine on ice tables and sit on ice chairs covered with sheepskin. The hotel provides sheepskin apparel for guests to stay warm.

Norway

Ice Bar

Ice Bar, run by Ice Hotel, is a bar located in downtown

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway which serves drinks all year long in an artificially frozen environment.

Ice Lodge

The Ice Lodge in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and th ...

is part of the Bjorligard Hotel. It is the largest ice hotel in Norway, and its season is longer than other ice hotels due to its 1,250-meter altitude.

Kirkenes Snow Hotel

The Kirkenes Snow Hotel is located in

Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...

, Norway, the easternmost and northernmost county in Norway. The hotel is 15 km from the Norwegian-Russian border and first opened in 2006. It had 20 rooms and the largest snow dome in Norway (8 metres high and 12 metres in diameter). All the rooms were individually decorated by ice artists from Finland and Japan. The west Snow Hall was decorated by local sculptor Arild Wara. A night in the snow hotel is combined with a special dinner prepared on an open fire. Visitors can get a sauna before or after staying at the hotel. The hotel has an ice bar, a reindeer park, and a

husky Husky is a general term for a dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies that ma ...

farm.

Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel

Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel, in the outlying area of Alta, has been rebuilt yearly since 1999. It is Europe’s northernmost ice hotel, as it is in the

region and is approximately 250 km from North Cape. The 2,000 square meter hotel has 30 rooms, including two

suite Suite may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition ** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach ** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó ** ''Suite ...

s. It is decorated with ice sculptures and ice furnishings, including lighting systems which enhance the different types of crystalline formations. Besides the bedrooms the hotel contains an ice chapel, ice gallery and ice bar where drinks are served in glasses made of ice. Additional facilities include a sauna and outdoor bathtubs with hot water. The ice sculptures at the hotel change yearly. The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel in Alta has a changing theme every year. In 2004, it was a Viking theme, in 2005, Norwegian fairytales, and in 2006, the theme was wild animals of the region. To stay warm when sleeping, guests use sleeping bags that sit on top of reindeer hides. File:AltaBar.JPG, Entrance to the ice bar File:AltaBar1.JPG, Interior of the ice bar

Romania

Bâlea Lake Bâlea Lake ( ro, Lacul Bâlea or ''Bâlea Lac'', ; hu, Bilea-tó) is a glacier lake situated at 2,034 m of altitude in the Făgăraș Mountains, in central Romania, in Cârțișoara, Sibiu County. There are two chalets opened all the year roun ...

Ice Hotel, the first ice hotel in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

was built in 2006 in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

, deep in the

Făgăraș Mountains The Făgăraș Mountains ( ro, Munții Făgărașului ; hu, Fogarasi-havasok) are the highest mountains of the Southern Carpathians, in Romania. Geography The mountain range is situated in the heart of Romania, at . The range is bordered in the ...

, at an elevation of 2034 meters above sea level. At winter, it is only accessible by cable car, since the national road DN7, the

Transfăgărășan The Transfăgărășan (''trans'' + ''Făgăraș'') or DN7C is a paved mountain road crossing the southern section of the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. It has national-road ranking and is the second-highest paved road in the country after th ...

, is closed in the winter. This picturesque setting is next to

, where each year local craftsmen wait for the lake to freeze, before using the ice to build the small 12-room Ice Hotel and its adjacent Ice Church, Ice Restaurant and Ice Bar. Local artists imitate sculptures by Romanian modernist sculptor,

Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century and a pioneer of modernism, ...

. Typically the hotel is completed in December and is open until it melts in late March or April. Bedding, furs, specialist sleeping bags are all provided, with bathroom facilities nearby. There are two chalets within walking distance, which also provide accommodation. Activities such as skiing, sledging or riding a snow bike are on offer. Those who are more organised and adventurous can arrange

heliskiing Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift. History In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The i ...

. The Bâlea Lake Ice Hotel is Romanian owned, but has a relationship with a travel company Untravelled Paths Limited, based in the United Kingdom.

Sweden

Icehotel Jukkasjärvi

Each year between December and April, the Icehotel in the village of

Jukkasjärvi Jukkasjärvi (; Sami: ''Čohkkiras'') is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 548 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated at 321 meters elevation. The name is of Northern Sami origin, where ''Čohkkirasjávri'' ...

is open. It is about 17 km from

Kiruna (; se, Giron ; fi, Kiiruna ) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norrbotten County. The city was ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, and it was the world's first ice hotel. 80 rooms and suites are available. In addition to the entrance hall, the hotel has a chapel and an ice bar named Absolut Icebar. In 1989, Japanese ice artists visited the area and created an exhibition of ice art. In spring 1990, French artist Jannot Derid held an exhibition in a cylinder-shaped

igloo An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow. Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only b ...

in the area. One night there were no rooms available in the town, so some of the visitors asked for permission to spend the night in the exhibition hall. They slept in sleeping bags on top of reindeer skin. The entire hotel is made out of snow and ice blocks taken from the

Torne River The Torne, also known as the Tornio ( fi, Tornionjoki, sv, Torne älv, , se, Duortneseatnu, fit, Tornionväylä), is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. For approximately half of its length, it defines the border between these two countr ...

; even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. Each spring, around March, Icehotel harvests ice from the frozen river and stores it in a nearby production hall with room for over 100,000

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s of ice and 30,000 tons of snow. Some of the blocks of ice weigh two tons, and cranes are used to place them. The ice is used for creating Icebar designs and ice glasses, for ice sculpting classes, events and product launches all over the world while the snow is used for building a strong structure for the building. About 1,000 tons of what is left is used in the construction of the next Icehotel. Each year, for the past 24 years now, the ice hotel has accepted applications from artists around the world to design the world-famous hotel's art suites. In 2013 there were more than 200 applications submitted from a wide range of artists to design and build an Art Suite. These included artists from a variety of creative backgrounds – including theatre and photography, to interior design and architecture. Around 15 applications are accepted with their designs and head there in November to build the suites. File:ICEHOTEL_Main_Hall_(2014)_by_Alessandro_Falca_&_AnnaSofia_Mååg.jpg, Main Hall "Secret Garden" at Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden (January 2014) File:Icehotel-se-27.JPG, A room at the Icehotel

IGLOOTEL Lapland

IGLOOTEL Lapland is located in Piteå, Sweden approx. 100 km south of the Arctic Circle. Every winter IGLOOTEL is being built and designed from scratch in cooperation with engineers and designers. IGLOOTEL consists of different IGLOOs, for example Sleeping-IGLOOs, Event-IGLOOs, an Ice-Bar and an Aurora Spa Area with a wood fired Outdoor Sauna and Hot Tubs. The IGLOOs are connected through hallways, which are also made of snow and ice. IGLOOTEL has an inner surface area of approx. 900 – 1.000 m2. Engravings in the snow and ice walls, illuminations and other art varies and creates a new, individual theme each year. Design students from an Art Academy develop the theme and create unique art work in each of the IGLOOs. Natural materials, for example local woods and reindeer skins are used to establish a comfortable atmosphere. The temperature inside IGLOOTEL is constantly between 0 °C (32 °F) and -4 °C (25 °F). The beds in IGLOOTEL Lapland are built on wooden platforms with mattresses and reindeer skins. Guests sleep in polar sleeping bags.

Switzerland

The

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

in the village of

Gstaad Gstaad ( ; ) is a town in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Bern in southwestern Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Saanen and is known as a major ski resort and a popular destination amongst high society and the internat ...

, Switzerland in the

Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swis ...

has an igloo village where guests can rent

s for overnight lodging. In the igloos, sleeping areas are raised, and are "layered with foam, carpet and sheep skins", atop which sleeping bags are provided. Lighting is provided by candles.

References

External links

Create your own ice hotel adventure
Kiruna, Sweden
Kemi SnowCastle
Lapland, Finland
Lainio Snow Village
Lapland, Finland {{DEFAULTSORT:Ice Hotel Buildings and structures made of snow or ice Hotel types