Our history
Over 60 years of continuous development and expansion have made Scandic the largest and most popular hotel company in the Nordic region. It all started in 1963 in Laxå, Sweden, with an innovative hotel concept called Esso Motorhotell. Sixty years later, with the help of our Nordic spirit, corporate culture and way of doing things, we still strive every day to be the best hotel company we can be.
An amazing hotel adventure
In six decades, we’ve grown into the Nordic market leader that today is laying the foundation of the modern hotel industry.
But we’re not done yet. We will continue to drive development and innovation in the hospitality industry to be our guests’ and team members’ friend in town.
Learn more about our journey!
Our story
Scandic’s journey began in 1963 in Laxå, Sweden. We started as Esso Motorhotell, an innovative concept that was the first of its kind in the Swedish hotel market. And in 2023, Scandic will celebrate its 60th anniversary with more than 19,000 team members, 280 hotels and 58,000 hotel rooms in operation and under development in six countries.

Meet our CEO
With an unflagging passion for hospitality, Jens Mathiesen leads the largest hotel company in the Nordic countries. Scandic’s ambition is to be a world-class Nordic hotel company. And according to Jens, world class isn’t about five stars, red carpets or the number of hotels – it’s about delivering a flawless experience every day, both in the spotlight and behind the scenes, for guests, customers, team members and owners.
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Cultures and values
The basis of the culture that characterizes Scandic was formed 60 years ago. Even though we now have thousands of team members in six countries, we always try to exemplify the driving forces that laid the foundation for Scandic.
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Sustainability
As the largest hotel company in the Nordic region with more than 19,000 team members and over 10 million guests and 4 million meetings per year, we have great power to drive transformation and inspire change on a large scale for a better and more sustainable tomorrow.
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Our strategy
A sustainable approach and team member motivation and engagement are the foundation of our strategy and should be evident in all business and strategic decisions.
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