Crafting Culture: How Collaborations Are Redefining Luxury Hospitality at Nordic Hotels & Resorts

Collaboration has always been part of Nordic Hotels & Resorts’ DNA. Believing that partnerships are the perfect way to build brand credibility, and create moments that linger long after checkout, our hotels and resorts are putting their own spin on the art of collaboration. From developing fragrances with leading skincare brands to hosting Fashion Week shows, these hotels are showing how to remain at the forefront of culture and innovation.

The best hotels don’t just exist within a city. Instead, they interact with it, constantly adding to its cultural life and business landscape. By partnering with local and international artists, designers, and brands, hotels become part of the cultural conversation. This is a core belief of Nordic Hotels & Resorts—one that our properties have perfected in their own, unique ways.

Across the Nordics, our brands are finding new ways to add layers of discovery to their guests’ visits. Take, for example, Nordic-Japanese restaurant TAK Stockholm. This winter, they have channeled Nordic influences and Japanese tea culture into an Afternoon Tea experience, a joint collaboration with pioneering Matcha-Ya and The Tea Centre of Stockholm. Focusing more on friendly fitness, our design favorite Amerikalinjen has made their Social Run events with local runners club Mediocre Athletics Club the talk of the town in Oslo. Partnerships like these help introduce new audiences, and elevate the brand beyond the expected. 

From north to south, from the urban to the rural, these are just some of our hotels and resorts showing how to express their operations in new ways through the power of collaborations.

Lasse Eriksen x Babor: Scents from the Sauna World

Oslo, Norway

Looking out over the waters of Larvik, Farris Bad is an ode to the ocean. This award-winning resort, right on shorefront in southern Norway, takes the art of wellness very seriously. When it comes to the art of sauna, few spas have marked such a presence on the international stage as the one at Farris Bad. Among its many wellness offers, the Aufguss at Farris Bad is undeniably its pièce de résistance.

Now, Farris Bad is continuing to cement its place as one of the Nordic’s premier wellness destinations. Last year, the resort announced a collaboration with world-leading German skincare brand Babor. Lasse Eriksen—Development Manager and Sauna Master at Farris Bad, but also a renowned aromatherapist—has composed the scent for Babor’s new expert skincare line, "Soul & Body".

– The Babor Soul & Body fragrance is designed to transport your mind to a calm and relaxed space, even as your body remains grounded in the present. When you smell it, it invites you to pause for just a moment, allowing its grounding and calming effects to wash over you, says Lasse Eriksen, Aromatherapist & Sauna Master at Farris Bad.

For 12 months, Lasse worked together with the Babor team to create a product range inspired by his many travels through the sauna world. Having explored how herbs and essential oils can be used to create a sense of calm, presence and reflection, Lasse has channeled his knowledge into two fragrance compositions. These range from the freshness of bergamot and vetiver to the richness of cedarwood and patchouli. The result: a high-performance body care line, dedicated to the regeneration of the skin barrier in combination with aromatherapy. The Babor Soul & Body collection was launched in October, 2024, and Farris Bad was the first spa in Norway to offer it.

Villa Copenhagen x Copenhagen Fashion Week: Creating a Hotspot

Copenhagen, Denmark

Conscious luxury travelers need no introduction to the landmark that is Villa Copenhagen. Since opening in 2020, Villa Copenhagen has quickly become one of the Nordic capital’s busiest spots for stays, cocktails, bites and business meetings. Inside this former Post Office—an impressive, carefully restored Neo-Baroque building from 1912—hides a beauty-led sanctuary.

For the past three years, Villa Copenhagen has been a key player during Copenhagen Fashion Week, positioning itself as a hub for international influencers, industry insiders, and fashion-forward travellers. Each season, they host some of the world’s top influencers together with Danish agency Social Works. Among its many activities, the hotel’s Playroom is transformed into a Styling Lounge where invited profiles get personalized styling, makeup, hair services, and the possibility to borrow pieces from leading fashion and jewellery brands.

– There really isn’t anything like the buzz that Fashion Week brings to Villa Copenhagen. The mix of local and international industry people and brands, all sharing a great passion, aligns with our own guiding values: contrast, conscious luxury and happiness. Bringing people together and inspiring our surroundings to push the boundaries for responsible business and life is really close to our hearts, says Peter Høgh Pedersen, General Manager at Villa Copenhagen.

Villa Copenhagen also hosts a signature invite-only event for the profiles staying at the hotel. The concept changes with every Fashion Week; in the summer of 2024, it took the shape of an intimate lunch on the rooftop pool terrace. This year, the event was conceptualized as an “Everything Local” lunch. Hosted in the hotel’s Boardroom, this edition focused on Danish and locally sourced products, emphasizing the Villa’s commitment to conscious, homegrown brands.

Maybe most notably this year was the fashion show at the hotel. Villa Copenhagen had the pleasure of hosting Swedish brand Deadwood's Autumn/Winter 2025 collection, titled "Uncharted," on the rooftop pool terrace. This was the first runaway show at the hotel pool and a highlight of the week, featuring creations inspired by the mysteries of the ocean. Models also sported the brand’s latest collaboration with Swedish quality brand Tretorn, in the form of rubber rain boots.

Copperhill Mountain Lodge x Polestar: Premium Hospitality and Innovation

Åre, Sweden

A hotel is a platform—one that can introduce guests to new brands and vice versa. Few know this better than Copperhill Mountain Lodge. Dubbed as one of the mountain world’s design gems, this ski resort in Åre, Sweden, offers homely architecture with an international flair. This is a stark contrast to the dramatic mountain environment. With skiing and hiking right on its doorstep and an award-winning spa, it is no wonder guests find their way up here year-round.

This winter, Copperhill has teamed up with Swedish electric car brand Polestar. The goal: to inspire visitors to discover Åre in a new way. Here, Polestar has placed a Polestar 4 on the grounds of the hotel. Instead of a rear window, the Polestar 4 is equipped with a rear-facing camera and a high-resolution digital rear-view mirror. This solution is used to broadcast live video 24/7 from the car in Åre, so that visitors can better plan their trip according to the weather. 

To further help visitors discover more of Åre, a guide to the area’s main excursion destinations is featured in the Polestar experience app. The app is available in Polestar’s cars and provides tips on the best destinations and sights around Åre. Ultimately, this partnership is of great use to the guests; Copperhill Mountain Lodge has two Polestar 3 cars dedicated to guest shuttle service, and one Polestar 4 car for guests of their private accommodation, The Villa.

The collaboration is a perfect match between two parties who focus on premium adventures, says Louise Mackegård, General Manager at Copperhill Mountain Lodge. 

– We are very proud to partner with Polestar for this idea. Not only does it feel good to promote Swedish innovation, but we’re also happy to be able to give guests an unexpected addition to their stay with us. We strongly believe that collaborations like these create crossover appeal, bringing in new demographics and building a sense of excitement. This is a great way for us to show how sustainable mobility and premium hospitality go hand in hand, says Louise Mackegård, General Manager of Copperhill Mountain Lodge. 

Hotel St. George x Finnish Artists: Wellbeing Through Art

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki is a unique mix of exciting art and architecture—and nowhere is this more evident than at Hotel St. George. Firmly believing that art and design improves our mental energy and wellbeing, this art hotel boasts no less than 400 works. Within its walls, guests can enjoy pieces by artists like Ai Weiwei and Klaus Haapaniemi, as well as furniture by the likes of Charlotte Perriand, Charles Eames, and Gerrit Rietveld. 

Putting their love of art to practice, the hotel is host to a wide range of both established and up-and-coming Finnish artists. Currently on display, they are showing a retrospective exhibition of Finnish fashion designer Mert Otsamo. Osamo is celebrating an illustrious career with a retrospective exhibition titled “Ephemeral Beauty”. The exhibition—free and open to the public—features a comprehensive collection of Mert Otsamo’s stunning designs, including garments donated by both celebrities and private clients.

– Hotel St. George is a true masterpiece, where design, art and architecture seamlessly come together. A vital aspect of our artistic vision lies in our exhibitions. I’m thrilled about our collaboration with Mert Otsamo. His ever-evolving “Ephemeral Beauty” exhibition beautifully enhances our art collection in our living room, which we call Wintergarden. Each day, Mert’s exquisite gowns breathe life into the Wintergarden, enchanting our guests as they arrive. The same magic is now unfolding with Studio BOM’s work in St. George Bakery, says Jukka Räisänen, General Manager at Hotel St. George.

Another way of helping guests discover Finnish art is the new exhibition at the popular St. George Bakery, “Curated by BOM”. Studio Bom is a creative community built on the vision of bringing together people from diverse creative fields and backgrounds. With a focus on collaboration and exploration, they are a growing network of artists, makers, and designers. Founded in 2022 by Anniina Dunder-Berg, Piia Jalkanen, and Päivi Keski-Pomppu, Studio Bom is now home to nine professional artists and designers.

The “Curated by BOM” exhibition is the first out of four to be displayed at St. George Bakery in 2025. It showcases artworks from Anniina Dunder-Berg, Piia Jalkanen, Päivi Keski-Pomppu and Pietu Arvola, ranging from furniture and ceramics to mixed-media paintings.