Swedish Hotel Made Of Ice Told To Install Fire Alarms

[Raistlin]

N-ice bed: The Ice Hotel has been told to protect guests with fire alarms

A hotel is having to bow to health and safety chiefs by installing fire alarms – despite the establishment being made entirely of ice.

The popular Ice Hotel, located in the north Swedish town of Jukkasjarvi, melts every spring and has to be rebuilt come the winter.

Despite the owners’ surprise, a spokeswoman for the hotel said they understood how ‘there are things that can actually catch fire, like pillows, sleeping bags or reindeer skins’.

‘To us the most important concern is the safety of our clients, so we will comply,’ Beatrice Karlsson added.

The frozen hotel, which is situated 124 miles above the Arctic Circle, is open between December and April.

Frozen in time: The hotel is popular with travellers looking for a completely different experience

But because the ice and snow is constantly shifting, putting in the alarms has proven to be a bit of a challenge.

‘The environment is humid, and ice and snow move, so that had to be taken into account,’ Ms Karlsson said.

‘It’s been a challenge for our building team, but it made us one experience richer.’

The hotel had a test period for the alarms with the local fire department last winter and all seemed to go well.

Only one incident has occurred since their implementation, and that was a guest having a cigarette in a cleaning closet, the spokeswoman said.

Rooms start from £170 per night and go up to £900 per night.