It once provided energy for large swathes of Sweden but now Västerås’s defunct steam power station has found new life as a boutique hotel, opening next month.
The Steam Hotel takes over the 100-year-old energy plant on the shores of Lake Mälaren, now reimagined as a 227-bedroom destination with a spa, three restaurants and a bar. The adaptive reuse project is the brainchild of Sweden’s Ess Group – creators of the Hotel Pigalle and Ystad Saltsjöbad spa resort – and it will throw open its doors to guests on 1 August.
Courtesy of The Steam Hotel
Visualisation of the Steam Hotel restaurant. Courtesy of The Steam Hotel
Visualisation of the rooftop terrace. Courtesy of The Steam Hotel
Visualisation of the pergola entrance. Courtesy of The Steam Hotel
Photography: Anna Ledin Wiren
Many industrial features have been retained inside the 18-storey power plant, which was originally designed by Erik Hahr and in operation until 1982. ‘We have recovered as much as we could,’ says Jonas Stenberg, co-founder of Ess. ‘An old steam boiler is a bar, and so on. The entire building must feel spectacular.’
Colossal steel beams are left open in the lobby to create a soaring space around an open fireplace with a copper chimney. The room is crowned by a vast chandelier and furnished with plump armchairs and a round velvet sofa.
Bedrooms channel a ‘industrial-romantic style’, as the hotel puts it, complete with leaded floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed brickwork, and a mix of eclectic furniture with brightly coloured textiles.
A more direct homage to The Steam Hotel’s history can be found on the seventh floor, where there’s a 800 sq ft spa and indoor pool to ‘renew energy and strength’ – heated by an old steam turbine salvaged from the building.
