Take a Look Inside the 34th ICEHOTEL, an Art Hotel Made Entirely Out of Ice

A long-awaited art piece is finally done. On December 15th, the doors to this year's winter and art hotel in Jukkasjärvi, ICEHOTEL 34, were opened. The hotel is a one-of-a-kind design experience in northern Sweden, where every room is a work of art. The hotel’s suites, sculptures, and halls are made entirely out of ice and snow, all of them created by artists worldwide.

We are happy to announce that the ultimate sign of winter has arrived: the ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi has opened. Every year, our arctic landmark far up in the northernmost parts of Sweden gets rebuilt—made entirely out of ice and snow, from top to toe.

This year’s rendition of the hotel has been created by 32 artists from 14 different countries all over the world, together with the hotel’s construction team and Luca Roncoroni, Creative Director at ICEHOTEL. This year, there are 15 art suites, a main hall, and a ceremony hall which forms the hotel's heart.

–  We are thrilled to have collaborated with artists from 14 countries – some for over two decades, others for the first time. That's what makes ICEHOTEL unique and still exciting after 34 years. ICEHOTEL 34 has expanded with a new layout, presenting multiple art suites, the Ceremony Hall, and our “Main Hall” making a grand comeback after a 4-year hiatus, says Luca Roncoroni, Creative Director at ICEHOTEL.

A new version of the ICEHOTEL has been standing proud in Jukkasjärvi every year since 1989. More than a hotel, it is also an art exhibition with ever-changing art made of ice and snow. ICEHOTEL is created in a new version every winter, completely made of natural ice from Torne River, one of Sweden’s national rivers and last untouched waters. When the winter season’s hotel has melted back into the river during the spring, a part of the hotel remains; a place where visitors can experience the ice and snow all year round.

The Creation of ICEHOTEL 34

The 34th iteration of ICEHOTEL took six intense weeks to build, with 500 tonnes of ice and ten Olympic-sized swimming pools of “snis”—a mix of the Swedish words for “snö” (“snow”) and “is” (ice). The construction of ICEHOTEL 34 started in the spring of 2023, when ice blocks were harvested from the Torne River to be kept cold in the ice warehouse in Jukkasjärvi.

The ice harvested in the spring has been used to make the 34th ICEHOTEL the magical experience that it is. Artists from all over the world—from Poland to Japan, from Canada to Singapore—were selected by a thorough jury to create unique art suites and halls for guests to experience.

– This year marks the inauguration of the 34th edition of ICEHOTEL, and once again, our international artists have created something unique and spectacular. The art suites of this year showcase an incredible height of creativity and form an exciting collection of artistic dreams, expressions, and ideas. Guests this year will be captivated by art suites that evoke thoughts of fairy tales, nature and cultural tradition to name a few. I am excited to unveil ICEHOTEL 34 to all our guests from around the world, says Marie Herrey, CEO at ICEHOTEL.

ICEHOTEL 34 will be available to experience during the winter season of 2023-2024. After that, it naturally melts and returns to the Torne River in the spring. What remains is the permanent part of the hotel, called ICEHOTEL 365. ICEHOTEL 365 contains art and deluxe suites, an ice bar, and a movie theater. Two new suites in ICEHOTEL 365 were completed in November of 2023: The Breach, created by Annie Locke Scherer and Tobias Kiefer, and Mystery on the ICEHOTEL Express, created by Jonas Johansson, Jordi Claramunt, and Abel Pruñonosa.

The Artists of ICEHOTEL 34

After a few years’ absence, the Main Hall is back, this year designed by Japanese artists Kendo Hamaguchi and Taku Ohuchi. The ICEHOTEL 34 also has more art suites than previously, containing 15 instead of the usual 12 this year.

ARTISTS

Ulrika Tallving – Sweden 

Giovanna Martinez – Italy

Jack Prescott – United Kingdom 

Mathew Foster – United Kingdom 

Nicolas Triboulot – France

Karl Gilles - France

Natsuki Saito – Japan

Shingo Saito – Japan

Tjåsa Gusfors – Sweden

Hanneke Supply – Belgium

Maxime van Besien – Belgium

Edmund Chan – Singapore

TaiTien Tan – Singapore 

Laila Kolostyak – Norway

Elisabeth Kristensen – Norway

Dawn Detarando – Canada 

Brian McArthur – Canada 

Lukas Petko – Slovakia

Wilfred Stijger – Netherlands

Edith van de Wetering – Netherlands

Luc Voisin – France

Mathieu Brison – France

Monica Popescu – Romania

Emmylou Varon – Philippines/Sweden

Lisa Lindqvist – United Kingdom

Kate Munro – United Kingdom

Kristina Möckel - Germany

Sebastian Scheller – Germany

Kendo Hamaguchi – Japan

Taku Ohuchi – Japan

Slava - Ceremony Hall

Tomasz Czajkowski – Poland

Grzegorz Olczak – Poland

Annie Locke Scherer – USA

Tobias Kiefer – Germany

Jonas Johansson – Sweden

Jordi Claramunt – Spain

Abel Pruñonosa – Spain

Quick Facts – ICEHOTEL 34

• Designed by 32 artists from 14 different countries
• 500 tonnes of ice were used to build ICEHOTEL 34
• 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools of “snis” – a mix of ice and snow
• ICEHOTEL 34 has a constant inner temperature of -5 degrees Celsius
• The hotel took about six weeks to build
• A total of around 90 people were part of building this year’s hotel
• In the Open Call competition for designers, there were 157 applicant artist who submitted contributions to be involved in designing and building this year’s edition of ICEHOTEL