IKEA Hotels Coming to Europe

Familiar comforts in a cozy setting on the dining table inside a villa hotel room


The Swedish home furnishing magnate known for affordable put-it-together-yourself furniture, is getting into the hotel business


The company is looking to open 100 hotels in countries where it already has a market, like the UK, the Netherlands and Poland, as well as breaking into new regions like Germany. A project expert values it at 1 billion euros, reports Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

However, the hotels will not hold the Ikea brand, nor will the rooms be furnished with Ikea’s trademark furniture. Instead, the budget hotels will be opened through an established hotel operator.

That answers all my initial questions above.

But, no word on whether the Swedish meatballs will be available in the hotel restaurant, though.

Germany

Latest: Also, Ikea announced plans on Wednesday to build a brand-new district with shops, flats and office space for thousands of people in the northern German city of Hamburg.
They were searching in Hamburg, a major port city, for a plot of land of at least five acres (two hectares) to build around 1,200 flats, offices, hotels and shops, in conjunction with the city authorities.


Note: This isn't Ikea's first foray into a lodging market. In 2007 Ikea Norway opened an Ikea Hostel, where customers could sleep overnight if they haven't finished shopping, The Guardian reported. For one week, customers were able to spend the night in one of two Oslo Ikea warehouses -- for free. This year, Ikea set up a temporary lounge in Paris' Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport from July to August where travelers could rest between flights.