Sommerro, Oslo: A luxury hotel of rare character

Behind a striking 1930s Art Deco facade in Oslo’s upscale Frogner neighbourhood, Sommerro House is one of Scandinavia’s most captivating luxury hotels. Once the city’s electricity headquarters, it now houses seven restaurants, a rooftop sauna and a restored 1930s public bathhouse — a place that feels like bathing in Oslo’s social history

I arrive at Sommerro on a crisp Oslo afternoon and find myself slowing down before entering the hotel. The building’s striking 1930s Art Deco facade, occupying an entire corner in the elegant Frogner neighbourhood, has the quiet authority of something that knows exactly what it is. Which, as of 2022, is one of Scandinavia’s most talked-about luxury hotels.

In the lobby, soft 1930s jazz lingers in the air, staff whisks by in era-appropriate, minimalistic and stylish uniforms, and a barista is grinding beans for a coffee to go. Opposite the coffee counter, elegant travellers sit on comfy sofas sampling their cakes.

A neighbourhood worth knowing

In Frogner, wide, leafy streets are lined with 19th-century villas, boutiques, antique and vintage stores as well as the kind of neighbourhood restaurants locals visit frequently and guard jealously. This is Oslo’s equivalent of Melbourne’s South Yarra, distinctly residential and quietly upmarket.

Yet Frogner doesn’t lack attractions. Vigeland Sculpture Park, the world’s largest sculpture installations by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland, is a 25-minute walk away, or ten minutes by tram, which departs almost from Sommerro’s front door. That same tram takes you to Oslo’s big-hitting sights including Oslo Opera House, the Munch Museum and the reinvented harbourside with sauna floats in just fifteen minutes.

Old-world charm

Opening the door to my Junior Suite, I don’t quite know where to fix my gaze: the large four-poster bed in oak and chrome, the red velvet sofa inviting a decadent lie-down, or perhaps the Art Deco bathroom in dusty pink marble? The 45-square-metre suites are designed by New York-based GrecoDeco, with luxe Byredo toiletries from Sweden and beds from Hilding Anders. Everything is well-considered, and nothing over-designed. The former Oslo Lysverker electricity headquarters wraps me in an eclectic old-world charm.

For something even more extraordinary, Sommerro’s three Heritage Suites – spanning 70–100 square metres – occupy the building’s original listed executive offices and meeting rooms. All suites include access to the spa areas. In total, there are 231 rooms and suites spread across ten floors.

Restaurants and views

With seven restaurants under one roof, Sommerro keeps its guests well fed and entertained. My mornings begin slowly in Ekspedisjonshallen – the Expedition Hall – where breakfast is served beneath Per Krohg’s original frescoes, painted directly onto the walls of what was once the building’s operational heart.

Still today, Expedition Hall is the epicentre of Sommerro. The space buzzes with brasserie energy through lunch and stages regular live jazz in the evenings. This is where I head for a nightcap on my first evening, settling into the nostalgic 1930s mood with a cocktail.

The next day, after a bit of sightseeing, I return to Sommerro for a well-earned tea break. Afternoon tea at To Søstre is, I’m told by Oslo locals, the best in the city, and after sampling the delicate pastries and perfectly brewed teas (served in teacups adorned with polar bears), I’m inclined to agree.

The headline dining story, however, is chef Frida Ronge’s Nordic-Japanese restaurant TAK Oslo on the rooftop. Here, fresh Norwegian ingredients are treated with Japanese precision. As I savour my shrimp tart with yuzu kosho and vendace roe, I watch how the views over the city’s rooftops shift from golden to indigo.

The headline dining story, however, is chef Frida Ronge’s Nordic-Japanese restaurant TAK Oslo on the rooftop. Here, fresh Norwegian ingredients are treated with Japanese precision.

The spa experience

Beyond the foodie experiences, I find out it’s well worth reserving some time to indulge in Sommerro’s wellness spaces. I begin at the top-floor sauna and rooftop pool, with panoramic views over Frogner’s rooftops, and find the combination of chilly Nordic air and cocooning sauna heat somewhat addictive.

Taking the elevator to the basement, the building’s story becomes genuinely extraordinary. This magnificantly restored space (it took five years to complete) was Oslo’s Vestkantbadet, a public washhouse in the 1930s. Original wooden changing cubicles line the walls and the long swimming pool is flanked by striking walrus mosaics, now restored to their full glory. A Finnish sauna, an infrared sauna and a cold plunge pool for traditional Nordic thermotherapy complete the circuit. To bathe here is to feel the building’s social history: the sense that generations of Osloites have sought warmth and renewal in exactly this space, and continue to do so still.

Hotel Notes

Sommerro House is a 40-minute taxi ride from Oslo Airport Gardermoen. Rates start from AU$485 per night, with suites from AU$1170. sommerro.no