Grand Hôtel is a five-star hotel in
Stockholm. It was founded by
Jean-François Régis Cadier, a Frenchman, in 1872. The hotel is widely considered to be the best hotel in Stockholm and has hosted every Nobel laureate since 1901.
The hotel opened its doors on 14 June 1874 at the same time as the
Grand Hotel in Oslo; all the Scandinavian capitals have a major hotel called 'Grand Hotel'. The Grand Hôtel is located next to the
Nationalmuseum and opposite the
Royal Palace and Gamla stan (the old town).[1]
Grand Hôtel Stockholm has 300 rooms and 31 suites, 24 banquet and conference rooms, two restaurants, a bar and a spa (Nordic Spa & Fitness). One of the restaurants is managed by the Swedish chef,
Mathias Dahlgren. The hotel is the only Swedish member of
The Leading Hotels of the World.[1] The Swedish
Wallenberg family took control of the hotel in 1968 through
Investor AB.[2] The family transferred ownership of the property to
FAM AB, also owned by the family through the
Wallenberg Foundations, in an off-market deal which valued the hotel at $426 million USD and created the "Grand Group" along with two other Swedish hotels.[3]
History
The hotel has hosted many significant events in Swedish history since its founding. Since 1901, the
Nobel Prize laureates and their families have traditionally been guests at the hotel, as well as several celebrities and world leaders.[4]
In 1938, the Swedish-German National Association, which supported
Nazi Germany in World War II, held a dinner at the hotel presided over by
Sven Hedin where Franz von Papen stated: "When I come back to Sweden in ten years I hope to walk on German ground."[6]
The Grand Hôtel attracted controversy in 2016 after it hosted an
anti-EU gala organized by the
Sweden Democrats and the
UK Independence Party featuring populist leaders including
Nigel Farage and
Václav Klaus.[8] The hotel later apologized stating that "so many had thought we ... had no moral compass whatsoever."[9] In response, the Sweden Democrats called for a boycott of the hotel.[10] It also hosted
Johnny Depp that year amid his divorce from
Amber Heard.[11]
References
^
abFaihurst, Angela (26 April 2019).
"Welcome to Happy Land". Issuu. Gio Journal. Retrieved 8 June 2024.