Icehotel unveils new suites for 2025, including ice grand piano

Sweden's Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi opened its winter season with a fresh slate of suites built to last only a few months before melting away, including a grand piano carved entirely from ice. The 12 art suites are decorated by 33 artists from around the world, and the complex includes 15 to 20 ice rooms inside a 2,800-square-metre structure assembled in the weeks leading up to opening. An estimated 89 builders, designers and artists worked to transform snow and ice into what organizers describe as a living art exhibition.

Inside, guests are welcomed by the Main Hall, a 30-metre-long Cathedral Grove that resembles a shimmering forest of icy treetops. The grand piano sits beside an ice bench, with a blanket draped over it for warmth. The Icehotel also features a Ceremony Hall where couples can wed surrounded by snow and ice. Luca Roncoroni, the hotel’s creative director, said: 'I am very proud of everyone who contributed to ICEHOTEL 36. Some of the artists came with years of experience and others never worked in snow and ice before. Thanks to hard work and a positive spirit we managed to get everything ready on time!' He added that assembling the grand piano was both nerve-racking and magical — 'we didn't know if it would hold until the very last minute.'

Behind the doors, the artistic concept continues in rooms such as Dragon of Icehotel, Arctic Archive and There’s No One Here. Dragon of Icehotel features dragons sculpted from snow and ice with a domed ceiling towering over the bed. Arctic Archive presents ice books carved into a bookcase on every wall and even beneath the icy bed. There’s No One Here incorporates snow feet sticking out from under the bed and carved faces peering from the walls. The ice rooms maintain temperatures around minus five degrees, and guests bundle up in reindeer skins and sleeping bags as they sleep surrounded by glittering surfaces.

The property also notes that year-round guests can opt for 18 art and deluxe suites and additional rooms and cabins with warmer conditions. In keeping with its design-forward ethos, the Icehotel Restaurant serves a four-course Ice Menu plated on crystal-clear ice blocks sourced from the Torne River. Outside, visitors can take part in snowmobile tours to view the northern lights, dog sledding and ice sculpting, or participate in a traditional sauna ritual.

The project behind ICEHOTEL 36 draws its ice from March harvests on the Torne River, and the entire 2,800-square-metre complex is dismantled each season after guests depart. The winter seasonal push is a signature facet of Jukkasjärvi’s tourism economy and contributes to Sweden’s broader profile as a destination for immersive design experiences. Operators call the suites “living art,” designed to melt away with time, a reminder of the ephemeral nature of ice and art alike.