New Icelandic hotel name has grand Nordic plans

Photo by David Bayliss on Unsplash.

A new hotel operator, Legendary Hotels and Resorts, will be entering the Icelandic hospitality market over the next two years, with ambitious plans to construct, purchase or rebrand a portfolio of 12 hotels.

The first hotel has already been purchased in Southern Iceland, with a full rebrand to begin early in 2023.

Nordic expansion

The Reykjavik-based operator then intends to expand across the Nordic countries, opening its first hotels in Greenland, Norway and Denmark by 2024, before debuting in the Faroe Islands, Finland, and Sweden by the end of 2025. The overall target is 50 hotels comprising at least 8,000 rooms by the end of 2026.

Each venue will meet exacting corporate standards of luxury and convenience, including flexible check-in and check-out times, free high-speed wireless internet as standard, and a variety of amenities and home comforts.

Identifying opportunities

CEO and founder of Legendary Hotels and Resorts, Dmitrijs Stals, has 14 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, managing 18 hotels in Austria, Germany, and Portugal, along with an extensive portfolio of successful hospitality investments.

He detailed: “Now that the worst of the covid pandemic is behind us, we’re optimistic about the growth of the travel industry in the next five to 10 years and have identified a wide range of exciting opportunities for growth within Europe. We’re optimistic about the success of our new pan-European project, and are looking forward to surprising, and delighting our customers with beautiful spaces, total comfort, and superior service.”

First site

A project to create Iceland’s first family resort is currently in its final stages before approval. At a cost of several billions of krona, the site will launch by the close of 2023.

Transforming an existing hotel, along with over 50 ha of land, the family resort will be located in southern Iceland, in close proximity to several major tourist attractions. With onsite stables, a large riding arena, and zones for equestrian sports, the resort will have attractions including mini-golf, an ice-rink, table tennis facilities and a shooting range.

Rest and relaxation

For rest and relaxation, there will also be a cinema with a line-up of movies, food and blankets, a spa with facilities including cryosaunas, hot tubs, a gymnasium, and yoga rooms, and a playground and dedicated childcare facilities for children. Teenagers will also get their own graffiti wall.

Legendary is hoping for an average of 30-40% local visitors, with international tourists making up the rest of the hotel’s population. The average stay should reach up to five nights.

Stals added: “From all at Legendary Hotels and Resorts, we’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the municipality of Iceland for their welcoming, and supportive approach to this, and our other projects across the country. This is an exciting project, with many benefits to Icelandic and other families. We can’t wait to launch the resort, which will stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s finest.”

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