Kosta Boda Art Hotel: Get pampered at Sweden’s glass art hotel

Kosta Boda Art Hotel is not only an excellent hotel and award-winning spa, it also serves as a showroom for fantastic art by the designers at Kosta Boda glassworks. An explosion of colour and form awaits the guests, to stimulate both the mind and
the body.

Located in Kosta with its almost 300-year-old history of glass blowing, it comes as no surprise that the town’s hotel also has something to do with glass. The glassworks was founded back in 1742 by Anders Koskull and Georg Bogislaus Staël von Holstein, two officers in Karl XII’s army. Today, Orrefors Kosta Boda glassworks is one of Sweden’s most internationally known brands and the area is often referred to as the Kingdom of Crystal.

Kosta Boda Art Hotel opened in 2009 and is now an acclaimed showroom for glass, a successful and highly-praised concept. “Glass is the common theme at the hotel, with rooms individually decorated with glass art from our fantastic designers at Orrefors Kosta Boda,” explains hotel manager Marléne Bergzén. “This is an exceptional environment and we are incredibly proud to carry on the tradition of the glassworks.”

Unique glass art

Sweden’s most famous designers from Orrefors Kosta Boda glassworks, which is located just across the street, have contributed glass art and textiles for the hotel’s 102 guest rooms, corridors and meeting facilities. They can also be found throughout the hotel, including in the Glass Bar and the Art Lobby Bar, in the Linnea Art Restaurant, and even displayed at the bottom of the swimming pool.

Clearly, the hotel is very proud of its collaboration with the artists, who have all added their own characteristic expression and created a unique environment for the guests. The list of prominent designers includes Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, Bertil Vallien, Kjell Engman, Anna Ehrner, Göran Wärff, Åsa Jungnelius, Erika Lagerbielke, Lena Bergström, Ellen Ek Åkesson, Marcus Åkesson, Johan Stenberg and Ludvig Löfgren.

All in all, the hotel showcases art for around 50 million Swedish Krona (around 4.2 million GBP). “It’s easy for our guests to see how the glass and artwork can fit into their homes. And as they buy pieces, or perhaps because the designers want to include their artwork in exhibitions elsewhere, we replace them with new ones. This is a living showroom, constantly changing,” says Bergzén.

Award-winning spa

A must-do at Kosta Boda Art Hotel is a visit to the award-winning spa, which also showcases the fantastic glass art in its pools and facilities. Guests can get pampered from head to toe with a range of popular treatments, such as Grand Cru Art Glass Escape or Art Glass Feeling and Hot Glass Massage, with warm glass used. “Our signature treatments with warm glass are incredibly popular,” says Bergzén. “And at the end of the treatment, you get an exclusive glass gift to take home as a memory.”

Kosta Boda Art Hotel has received numerous awards for its design and service; for example, TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice 2022. Amongst other prominent honours are Sweden’s Best Sustainable Hotel 2022 by Lifestyle Magazine, and Hotels.com Loved by Guests 2021. “We have had a fantastic journey so far,” says Bergzén. “Our guests appreciate the individuality of the hotel and how we present the art. We have managed to put together a great mix of spa treatments, art and history from the area, in addition to excellent cuisine.”

Kosta Delicatesse – Shop and Restaurant

“Last year, our most recent business Kosta Delicatesse opened its doors. The delicatesse shop offers a wide assortment from shellfish, fresh fish, meat, charcuterie and artisan cheeses to sauces and condiments to spruce up your feast. The shop is crammed with wonderful things from top to bottom,” says Bergzén. Enjoy a good meal in the restaurant or sip a cocktail in one of Sweden’s largest gin bars, which boasts over 300 varieties of gin. Situated in the same building you will find Kosta Brewery and Kosta Distillery, producing a range of local craft beers and gin spirits inspired by the deep forests.

The entrepreneurial spirit of Kosta Boda is evident in the hotel’s design, spa and innovative cuisine, but also in how the town has established itself as a destination. In addition to the famous glassworks, visitors can also explore the nearby Kosta Outlet with 20,000 square metres of fantastic shopping opportunities. Or visit Kosta Safaripark, with the chance to see animals such as moose, European bison, red deer, mufflon sheep and wild boar roam freely in their natural environment.

Kosta is a true hub for the art of glass and design, with plenty of opportunities to get pampered from head to toe.

Web: www.kostabodaarthotel.se
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