LPO Architects and GrecoDeco create vast subterranean wellness retreat for Oslo
– Jarle Moen
Nordic Hotels & Resorts is creating an urban wellness retreat in Norway’s capital city of Oslo as part of its 231-room hotel project.
Owned by Norwegian hotelier Petter Stordalen, the luxury destination will be named Sommerro and welcome guests in the city’s Frogner neighbourhood as of September 2022.
Sommerro will be housed in a restored 1930s building – formerly the headquarters of the city’s original electrical company – and encompass Vestkantbadet, one of Norway’s last remaining public baths.
Nordic Hotels & Resorts is restoring Vestkantbadet to its former glory and growing it into an 8,000sq ft subterranean urban wellness retreat. Nordic Hotels & Resorts claims it will become one of the largest spas of any city hotel across the Nordic countries.
Drawing heavily on the building’s existing architectural character, Sommerro will pay homage to a fusion of neoclassical contemporary aesthetics with original elements that have been developed by local firm LPO Architects in collaboration with New York- and London-based studio GrecoDeco.
Art deco details will include oak parquet flooring, bespoke furnishings upholstered with 1930s Norwegian motifs and bathrooms with custom tiles.
Original artwork by Norwegian artist Per Krohg will be featured throughout the hotel, including a giant wall fresco and a ceiling mural that nods to the building’s heritage.
Open to hotel guests and the public, Vestkantbadet will include restored Roman baths, twelve treatment rooms, a cold plunge pool and a 1,400sq m gym with an infrared sauna.
Spa programming highlights will include a traditional Nordic thermotherapy experience.
Meanwhile, the hotel is set to be transformed into a modern tribute to Norwegian cultural heritage inspired by 1930s art deco style with a strong focus on wellness, social spaces and eco-conscious experiences.
The heart of Sommerro’s social offering will be its year-round rooftop terrace, complete with a restaurant and pool deck where light bites will be served in the summer and, during the colder months, in-sauna treatments can be enjoyed.
The hotel – complete with 56 branded residences – will also boast four restaurants, three bars, a 200-seat gilded theatre and meeting and event spaces for up to 150 people.
“Our vision is to redefine Oslo’s hospitality landscape by creating a new kind of hotel built on Frogner’s classic and creative neighbourhood spirit,” says Jarle Moen, managing director of Sommerro.
“Made by the local community, Sommerro will be an open house for all where visitors and locals can work, sleep, eat, play and recharge.
“Together, we’re creating an inspiring space where kindred souls and culture-makers can gather in cosy corners or pop by for a range of experiences from intimate gatherings and work meetings to late-night movie screenings and wine tastings in our library.”
As the newest independent venture by Nordic Hotels & Resorts, Sommerro will enhance the group’s commitment to eco-sustainability through a variety of on-property practices and amenities, from what dishes are served at each restaurant to the materials used to design and construct the guestrooms and property as a whole.
Nordic Hotels & Resorts LPO Architects GrecoDecoAI firm Midjourney enters wellness with spa, fitness and body scanning concept
Hot spring wellness community Ameyalli sells residences and breaks ground on resort and spa
OMA completes New Museum transformation with landmark expansion and Oberon restaurant
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance, hospitality and public programming. The latest addition, Oberon, extends the visitor experience beyond the gallery, reflecting a growing trend for museums to become all-day destinations.
The New Museum in New York has entered a new chapter with the completion of a major
David Rockwell creates immersive magic destination, The Hand and The Eye
Montana Heritage Center by Cushing Terrell opens after US$107 million investment
Universal launches new theme park model with Kids Resort
'Minor wellness hotels' recorded the strongest growth across top KPIs in 2025, finds RLA Global
Great Barrier Reef attraction set for AU$180 million reinvention
Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere, has architecture by Leach Rhodes Walker and interiors by Bergman Design House.
Marriott International partners with Fitwel for wellness solutions across its residential portfolio
Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort to unveil new spa in February 2027
Places Leisure is working with Roberts Limbrick to build £60m wellness flagship in Basingstoke
Hoshino Resorts opens Kai Kusatsu as it expands the Kai onsen ryokan brand
Qiddiya and Populous share details of Saudi Arabia’s National Tennis Centre
Disney confirms US$30 billion investment programme as it highlights its economic impact
Until combines multiple disciplines at new Canary Wharf club
Sea Lanes opens following a partnership between The Eden Project and Canary Wharf Group
Bas Smets brings water and wilderness to Vitra
Expo 2030 Riyadh will create a permanent global destination
Luxury resort coming to Hunter Valley will have longevity spa
'Data chocolate', dreams made real and artworks shaped by visitors’ emotions: Refik Anadol’s AI art museum launches in Los Angeles
London Museum reveals 2026 opening date for new Smithfield home
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Palazzo di Varignana launches family wellbeing and longevity retreat in Emilia Romagna
Anasa Wellness and Spa debuts at Patmos Aktis as it joins Marriott
Design-led Koru Health Club combines high-performance training with recovery
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres



























