ICEHOTEL started in 1990 when a river tourism company created the first ice hotel as a venue for an art show.
A hotel built of ice and snow
ICEHOTEL is situated in the village Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The heart and backbone is the River Torne flowing freely through the unspoilt wilderness. Covered with a meter thick ice layer winter time the river is the source of all our art, architecture and design. The pure water and the steady movement of the river creates the clearest ice possible.
http://www.icehotel.com/Winter/Icehotel/Art/2008/ice_bar/
How an Ice Hotel Works
The hotels are built near rivers where workers can draw water, freeze it into ice and cut the ice into large blocks before trucking it into place. Extensive, large-capacity ice hotels take about five to six weeks to build. But when spring comes, all the hard work melts away, and the hotels must wait until winter to rebuild.
–Ice hotels are part of a growing trend in destination hotels. People no longer select lodgings simply because they’re close to holiday spots. With normal vacations just not cutting it anymore, hotels have become destinations in their own right. Arctic resorts that once had to close up shop for the long winter can now attract tourists year round.
People describe the experience of waking up after a night in an ice hotel as one of sheer exhilaration. Some say it even feels like an accomplishment. In the next section, we’ll learn about the original ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden.
Cold accommodation at ICEHOTEL
After a day of adventure, nightfall approaches quickly. The outdoor temperature drops and when you step inside ICEHOTEL, you feel a rush of warm air. Inside, the temperature is never colder than -5 °C to -8 °C, regardless of how cold it may be outside. It will soon be time to climb into bed.
http://www.icehotel.com/Winter/Stay/Cold/
