This Luxe Hotel Brand Just Opened Its First Property in Iceland — and We Got a Sneak Peek Inside
Nikolas Koenig/Courtesy of The Reykjavik EDITION
The Land of Fire and Ice, Iceland proudly peddles its Game of Thrones-esque nickname to prospective travelers as its glaciers glitter and volcanos roar. And the island country's newest hotel, The Reykjavik Edition, is the perfect elemental amalgamation of both: a sleek glass expression — like an iceberg floating in the fjord — with toasty design flourishes inside.
Nikolas Koenig/Courtesy of The Reykjavik EDITION
But the 253-room property is very much a city stay, as the name suggests; the latest link in the chain of properties imagined by noted hotelier Ian Schrager. Usually, his Marriott-minted hotels are dwarfed by the metropolises they inhabit (think: New York, London, and Tokyo). In the world's northernmost capital, however, The Edition looms large next to Harpa, the city's futuristic concert hall on the harbor; its presence a tectonic shift felt across town, both by moving Reykjavik's center of gravity toward its working port, and establishing the edge of the arctic as an essential stop on every luxury traveler's agenda.
And in many ways, an Icelandic outpost boosts The Edition's cool factor, too; not only is the striking facade inspired by Reykjavik's surrounding wilderness, but the interiors also borrow heavily from the Scandinavian swatch book: draped furs, blond wood, earth-toned ceramics, and floor-to-ceiling windows that radically change the ambiance according to the stark seasonality of the light outside.
Nikolas Koenig/Courtesy of The Reykjavik EDITION
Icelandic staples are championed at Tides, the leading dining concept (here, "sheep and fish" is a duet uttered as frequently as "fire and ice") — don't miss an elevated riff on the barbacoa taco, using lamb tartare and small rounds of local flatbread. And not-so-secret speakeasy bar concept, Tölt (named for a unique trotting gait of the Icelandic horse) hides around back with a more Scandi Mad Men design approach.
Sleep off your hangover upstairs (in-the-know visitors will vie for harbor views on the -10 to -17 line or Harpa views on the -20 to -28 line; the other rooms closely abut other buildings) and then refresh at the on-site spa, which heavily borrows from Icelandic bathing traditions, where sociability (and a bar!) is just as important as splashing around in the mineral-rich waters dredged up from thousands of feet below the earth's weather-swept surface.
Currently, The Reykjavik Edition only has a third of its rooms open to guests; the full completion of the property, including its spa, is expected in spring of 2022. Preview rates start at around $350/night and are expected to climb to over $750/night by summer of next year.
