WHEN traveling, what are the points you consider when choosing a hotel?
Comfort and convenience, for sure, and your checklist may include these: easy access to and from the airport via public transport, centrally located in the city or wherever your destination may be, by/near the local transport system, ink in design and style, the amenities. But the over-all consideration might just be value for money.
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| In Stockholm , 2nd stop on the Scandinavian tour. Hotel Birger Jarl's coffee table book will guide me around town. |
Once in a while, surprises come your way. Good ones, if not beautiful. Just like the hotel Agoda pointed me to when I went to Stockholm, the second stop of my Scandinavian tour.
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| Striking yet cozy & warm, the lobby of Hotel Birger Jarl. |
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| Yes, this is the bear of the hotel. |
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| Red curtains mark the corner thus the hotel restaurant's Red Corner. |
Hotel Birger Jarl can check all the entries on the criteria: it connects to the Arlanda Airport 42 kilometers away via the fast train; it’s at the heart of city, in the Normalm, where the shopping, trendy dining and entertainment districts are, but tucked in the quiet part; the art scene is in the neighborhood, if you’re into museums, theaters and antique stores; access to the rest of Stockholm is not a problem as the public transport -- train and ferries, are nearby.
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| This hotel was my stylish surprise in Stockholm. |
All these considered, it’s already one fine hotel to stay in, but Birger Jarl has one surprise up its sleeve. Although it’s one of the most popular convention hotel in the city because of its capacity to host, the accommodation goes beyond what is expected of a business hotel.
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| Seal the deal at the hotel's casual conference room. How chic is this? |
Sure, the rooms are fitted with the modern amenities the businessmen and modern traveler would want, but how about getting all those in a well-designed space created by renowned interior designers? Hotel Birger Jarl wants its guest to “live, see and enjoy” its contemporary rooms designed to unite function and aesthetics.
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| How Suite is this? Hotel Birger Jarl's contemporary rooms are designed to unite function and aesthetics. |
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| Bold & beautiful, the seating area of Junior Suite 334. All junior suites are unique & furnished by Swedish interior designers & furniture companies, each putting their personal touch on their spaces. |
The hotel borrowed its name from the founder of Stockholm and they say, “Our feet are firmly planted in our national heritage. It’s combining traditions with innovative thinking, and the best that modern design has to offer.”
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| Sexy stool in Room 426 |
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| Swedish curvaceous beauty. |
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| Johan Stylander designed Room 706. "The furniture in this room was designed by some of Sweden's top designers, table and armchair by Gunilla Allard & sofa by Björn Dahlström. The timeless design of an inviting, personable home, reflecting the tastes of your absent host." |
On this aspect, Birger Jarl is successful in putting forward Sweden’s strength—good design, creations with a dynamic attention to detail, art-like objects that are thought provoking and engaging. From the point of entry to the rooms, Swedish design will embrace its guests.
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| Junior Suite 704: " I want a moon of my own" designed by Johanna Kohlin & Agneta Pettersson. "The room has an atmosphere that feels very homely without having a homely appearance." |
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| Cabin Room 120 designed by Camilla Thulin |
There were 17 designers commissioned to make several spaces of the 271-room hotel into their personal canvases. With their aesthetic sensibilities marked in their opuses, the result was an impressive collection of livable artworks housed in a single building showcasing Scandinavian design ingenuity.
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| For designer Pascale Cottard-Olson, it is important that the hotel room is cozy, snug and "homely". The 246-Chez Pascale white room was furnished with pieces designed by Swedish women designers. |
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| In black & white, the tones of the hotel's bathrooms. This one in a Studio. |
Lucky are those who get to frequent Hotel Birger Jarl for they can get the chance to discover something new with each visit. Some who did find the space they are truly fond of, a room they return to whenever they’re at the hotel, a nest that they can make them feel at home at their personal hotel in Stockholm.
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| The terrace of The Currant Suite (Room 710) by Jonas Bohlin. Named after the currant bushes that grow on the suite’s balcony. The nautical theme is reflected in the design of the furniture (note the chairs shaped like a water drop) created by the designer. |
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| Dash to heaven in Room 705, the Mr. Glad room by designer Thomas Sandell. |
As to my nest in Stockholm, it was by Architect Jacob Waller, who was guided by these catchwords when designing his 23 livable canvasses: quality, timelessness and elegance.
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| “Timeless elegance” describes my nest on the 6th floor designed by Arch. Jacob Waller. . Wall artwork designed by the Swedish design duo, Dizel & Saté. |
The room’s hues are taken from the city, the polished facades and the sunset. All the fixed furnishing are especially designed for the room. A nice detail is Hotel Birger Jarl's B-symbol, which is carved on cupboards and wardrobe doors.
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| Detail of carved niche |
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| Quirky design details. |
The single artwork in the room was designed by the Swedish design duo, Dizel & Saté, and of course,
there has to be “that Swedish chair.” My room had the "Kennedy" stool from Johansson Design.
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| “That Swedish chair.” My room had the "Kennedy" stool from Johansson Design. |
Perhaps of the hotel’s collection, the most popular is room 247, the spot missed during the hotel’s renovation, which was discovered unchanged during final cleanup. It’s now referred to as the Retro Room from 1974.
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| Room 247- The Retro Room was overlooked during Birger Jarl's renovation. |
The room has undergone a facelift. “By respecting the carefully preserved original furnishings, we have recreated a 70's feel, but with a more eccentric and wild expression,” said the management. This room certainly added an interesting facet to this “home”.
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| Facelift. Recreating the 70's vibe & preserving the original furnishing. |
Just like a nice “home” in a fine area, you’ll have good neighbors. Right next door to Hotel BirgerJarlis the home to Spotify.
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| Stalking Spotify next door. |
Hotel Birger Jarl, Tulegatan 8, Stockholm. Visit their website at http://www.birgerjarl.se.
For great deals on this property, visit the Agoda website at http://www.agoda.com/hotel-birger-jarl/hotel/stockholm-se.html
For more photos about this story, and other travel and lifestyle stories, visithttp://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on May 27, 2015.
CONVERSATION