STOCKHOLMS MOST ECXITING HOTEL AND MEETINGPOINT

1st September 2003

STOCKHOLM’S FIRST BOUTIQUE HOTEL OPENS ITS DOORS

Pillow menus, round the clock breakfast, 924 film stars in the cinema, bathtubs with a view, popcorn-free cinema, a Nancy Drew library, a personal shoeshine service, fine wines by the glass, the world’s smallest dance-floor... there is a world of details waiting to be discovered behind the doors of Stockholm’s most personal meeting place. And it’s the little details that make the difference!

A boutique hotel, restaurant, bar&bistro, cinema, conference facilities, cocktail bar, café and a bakery have all been combined under a single roof and a single name, the Rival Hotel.

The people behind the project are the owners, Christer Sandahl of MyTravel, Christer Hägglund of Proffice and Benny Andersson, the composer and former ABBA member, whose experience, taste and instinct have all played their part in shaping the Rival, from idea to reality.

The Rival Hotel is unique and is not part of a hotel chain. The hotel follows no standard concepts or design lines. The building, which dates from 1937, came with a built-in atmosphere and the fundamental concept of “everything under one roof” - a concept that has been developed to bring it right up to date. Now add to this the very latest technology and details that reinforce the sense of being on Södermalm’s heights in Stockholm.

• “ We have set out to create the kind of meeting place we would want to visit ourselves. The project team jokes that this is the hotel with “four stars and five hearts”. This should be an enjoyable place to come, whether as a hotel guest, or when you simply want to enjoy a glass of wine or a bite to eat. Informality, combined with quality and attention to detail - that’s the Rival,” says Christer Sandahl, Chairman of the Board of the Rival Hotel.

Access to every part of the hotel is via a single entrance on Mariatorget. Illuminated foyer pillars, radiating from floor to ceiling, embrace the visitor. Immediately to the right, guests will find the Rival Hotel’s lobby, where they can check in from the comfort of luxurious armchairs before moving on to one of the 99 rooms or suites. A partnership agreement with Sony has enabled the Rival Hotel to opt for a 32” plasma screen and a DVD player in every room, and to install wireless communication throughout the building.

One floor down lies Cinema Rival - a living cinema classic and a modern conference locale in one, with cutting edge technology for meetings, conferences and TV broadcasts, but whose original style has been retained in the lovingly restored pillars, sconces and seats. At weekends, the cinema will play host to the SF cinema company’s showings of popcorn-free movies, with film-fans able to enjoy a meal or a drink before or after the film. The building also houses a further five conference rooms, in addition to the cinema itself.

One floor up from the lobby is the welcoming Cocktail Bar, with its original art deco-style from 1937, and one floor further up still, we find the Bar&Bistro and restaurant, decorated in classic Södermalm style.

Renovating and decorating a building with so many distinct components and an existing - and unique - atmosphere demands the right man and woman for the job. And architect, Anders Bergkrantz, and interior designer, Karin Ahlgren, have had their work cut out:

• “ The Cinema and the Cocktail Bar were the best preserved areas. We have tried to retain the feeling of the original and to reflect their style in the décor of the entire hotel, combining high quality new décor with original details.”

The décor in the hotel rooms, for example, has a film theme, whilst the restaurant walls display photographs of Söder’s cultural luminaries. The artist, Carouschka Streiffert, has created a film star-themed mosaic wall in the Bistro and designed carpets for the hotel corridors - a different design for each floor. The beds have sheets of Egyptian cotton and the rooms have been adorned with objets d’art to delight the eye.

Hotel Rival AB, Mariatorget 3, P.O. Box 17525, SE-118 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 (0)8 545 789 00, Fax: +46 (0)8 545 789 24, VAT No: SE-556591-9775, www.rival.se