The first Scandic Go hotel will open on Upplandsgatan in Stockholm in September. It is set in an existing Scandic hotel that is undergoing renovations before it reopens under the new brand. This is where the concept will be tested before being rolled out in more hotels and markets. Scandic aims to eventually lead the market in the economy segment in the Nordic countries and increase the pace of expansion outside of the region.
Scandic Go stands for smart accommodation solutions in attractive city locations at a good price. Today, for the first time, curious travelers can book a stay and get a glimpse of the new brand’s playful, inviting interior. When they enter the hotel, guests will be welcomed by a lounge bar with a café vibe. This is where breakfast, coffee and warm meals will be available at all hours of the day.
The traditional breakfast buffet has been replaced by a hot cup of coffee or tea with a selection of croissants and sandwiches as well as fresh juices at a good price. In terms of hot food, a carefully selected range of street food including bowls and hearty grilled sandwiches will be available, and guests can check in easily and order food on their phones.
The rooms at Scandic Go will have a youthful design featuring smart solutions and clever storage facilities. The first Scandic Go hotel on Upplandsgatan in Stockholm will focus on double rooms. Future Scandic Go hotels will feature rooms with bunk beds for groups of friends who want to spend more time together and at the same time have more money left over. Guests who want to relax in their rooms can simply connect their phones to the TV and stream content. To make it easy to travel light, laundry facilities and recycled fabric bags will be available on site.
Like Scandic’s full-service hotels, Scandic Go has a strong focus on sustainability. Recycled materials have been prioritized when developing the hotel, such as chairs made from coffee grounds and table tops made from recycled textiles. In as far as possible, items used in the hotels can also be taken apart for further use. By testing new materials, investing in long-lasting finishes and choosing furnishings with as low CO2 emissions as possible, Scandic Go aims to offer an environmentally friendly hotel experience.
Scandic has long focused on being a sustainable choice and today, eight out of 10 Scandic hotels are certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Scandic Go will build on the same high environmental standards and the first hotel is now undergoing the environmental certification process.
In a previous press release (2020) the following Scandic hotels are also to convert to the Go brand: Scandic No. 53 in Stockholm, the Karl Johan and Grensen hotels in Oslo and the Webers in Copenhagen. As you can see in the pictures, they are already show similarity with the Go brand, which was earlier introduced as I can remember as HTL (comment below), but never set off. Let’s see if Scandic is now also going to introduce their top-tier hotels – now branded as “by Scandic” – into a collection brand. That would make sense as their “one name fits all” does not fit all their properties (280 in the Nordic countries, Germany and Poland).
Update: a second Scandic Go was announced on Stockholm’s Fridhemsplan on the island of Kungsholmen. The former 221-room Best Western is to open toward the end of the summer of 2024 following a renovation. Scandic signed the lease agreement with the company’s largest landlord, Pandox.