Off The Map Travel is known for providing hotel experiences in unusual places; they’re famous in fact for their Treehotel in Sweden’s lapland. Inhabitat reports that the company is expanding into other areas of Sweden with a new idea. Instead of trees, they’re building on water. What will they do when they find out about land?
The Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa will be frozen onto the Lule River during the winter, but will float calmly on its waters in Spring and Summer. The spa is located in the main circular construction of the building, but the hotel rooms also float on freeze into the landscape depending on the season. There are four saunas, a hot bath, an outdoor cold bath, as well as showers—inside and outside, if you’re brave.
Jonny Cooper, founder of Off the Map Travel and an arctic travel expert, sent AFAR a statement on the building’s design.
“The circular shape of [the] spa and Arctic Bath creates a haven to relax and soak up the local Arctic environment,” said Cooper. “You can experience the spa bath and stay overnight in a room that will float or be frozen into the ice, depending on the season. This will be a one-of-a-kind Arctic experience.”
It is also in a prime location for observing the Northern Lights, which is one of the company’s specialties.
They’ve also promised that the construction of the spa will use materials with “minimal-to-no” effect on the environment. It should be open in the Fall of 2018, though an exact opening date has not yet been announced. And only nature can say when it will freeze and when it will float.
This Floating Hotel Is An Eco-Friendly Winter Wonderland Come To Life [Green Matters]