History

The first Esso Motorhotell motel opens in Laxå, Sweden and locals are curious about Sweden’s first roadside motel. It’s Mother’s Day and people enjoy cake and coffee as they discover the new motel concept – a first in the Swedish market that aimed to capitalize on the growing interest in road trips among leisure and business travelers.

Architect Lennart Billgren and engineer Arne Gustafsson were two of the masterminds behind Esso Motorhotell. They based the design of the motels on the idea of offering accommodations close to travelers. Arne dedicated much of his time to hospitality and the company’s development until he retired in 1989 as founder and CEO of Scandic Hotels.

The concept of motels along highways is a huge success. By 1969, a further 23 hotels open in cities including Mölndal, Jönköping, Örebro, Kungens Kurva, Helsingborg and Växjö. In 1969, the first restaurant at a motel also opens.

Jimi Hendrix stays in room 625 at Hotel Opalen in Gothenburg during his gig in the city. Things get a bit wild and the room is trashed. A drunk Hendrix sleeps it off at the police station but manages to perform that evening at Lorensberg. He didn’t get off that easily – Hendrix was charged and sentenced to pay the equivalent of 24,588 SEK in today’s money to repair the damage.

The first hotels outside Sweden open in Norway and Denmark. And over the years, the buildings get bigger and bigger. At the beginning of the 70s, no hotels of larger than 100 rooms are built and extensions are added to older establishments. A new range of services is added including what is known as a self-service tavern. Restaurants, conference rooms, saunas, pools and recreational facilities also begin to appear. Motel guests also enjoy free parking and car service.

Borlänge becomes the first city to boast an Esso Motorhotell in a downtown location. The hotel was designed in the early 70s by Åke Temnerud, who was also behind most of the other major buildings in the city.

In 1983, Esso Motorhotell divests its hotels to a consortium led by investment company Ratos along with Barkman & Co, Skandia and Svea. Ratos buys out the other owners in 1984 and the hotels are rebranded as Scandic Hotels.

Scandic’s first hotel outside the Nordic countries opens in Koblenz, Germany. Today, Scandic operates hotels in big German cities including Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg. There are also two Polish hotels in Gdansk and Wroclaw.

Scandic introduces the ambitious sustainability program that continues to guide the company today. In as early as 1993, Scandic decided to show the way in sustainability and drive development in the industry. It all started when a Scandic team member came up with the idea to ask guests to hang up their towel if they wanted to use it again. Today, the concept is the global standard. And Scandic is continuing to raise the bar.

Scandic starts expanding rapidly by acquiring Reso Hotel’s Swedish operations in 1995, Finnish Arctia in 1998 and Swedish Provobis in 2000. This makes Scandic the largest hotel operator in the Nordic region.

Scandic is the first hotel company to be listed on Stockholmsbörsen.

Scandic acquires Finnish hotel chain Arctia, the third largest in Finland, giving the company a foothold in the Finnish market and strengthening its position as the largest hotel company in the Nordic region.

The first Scandic hotel is certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Scandic Sjølyst in Oslo. 25 years later, Scandic remains the largest environmentally certified hotel company with more than 200 hotels certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and a clear ambition for all hotels to be ecolabeled by year-end 2023.

In 2000, Scandic adds a jewel to its crown by acquiring Provobis Hotels. Sixteen new city hotels in Sweden join the Scandic family, bringing the total number of hotels to 154 and team members to 7,350.

On April 23, 2001, Hilton Group wins its bid for Scandic when long-standing main owner Ratos decides to sell its shares and other shareholders follow suit. At the time, Scandic is a well-established brand with a dominant position in the Nordic hotel market. The acquisition doubles Hilton’s hotel operations.

The new owners enable Scandic to continue to expand and develop its hotel portfolio.

Scandic’s guests can now delight in special dishes composed by Jamie Oliver together with Scandic’s F&B. The concept is appreciated by kids and adults alike, and the partnership is extended in 2014. Scandic becomes exclusive Nordic partner to Jamie’s Italian, which opens at Scandic Anglais in Stockholm later that year. Jamie’s Italian operates at the hotel until 2019.

Scandic opens the doors to Scandic Victoria Tower, the tallest hotel in Sweden at the time. The hotel was designed by world-renowned architect Gert Wingårdh and Karolina Keyzer, city architect of Stockholm from 2010 to 2016. Together with Uppsala architect Per Odebäck, Wingårdh gives the building a T shape and dazzling facade made of eight types of triangular glass that reflect the sun.

Together with property owner Pandox, Scandic invests close to 1.6 billion SEK to modernize some 40 hotels in Sweden, Finland and Norway. The project is the largest hotel renovation in Northern Europe.

Scandic acquires Rica Hotels
Scandic acquires leading Norwegian hotel chain Rica Hotels, adding 73 hotels and 10,600 rooms to Scandic’s growing hotel portfolio. This makes Scandic the market leader in the Nordics and second largest hotel company in Norway.

Scandic opens own-brand HTL hotels
Scandic launches HTL Hotels, an innovative, all-digital hotel concept for a new generation of travelers looking for a good location, high quality, competitive price and personalized hotel experience. Two years and three hotels later in Stockholm and Oslo plus glowing reviews in Wallpaper City Guides, Time Out and the Guardian, HTL is integrated into the Scandic brand.

Scandic To Go launched
Scandic continues to innovate by introducing a totally new hotel category, Scandic To Go, a mobile hotel room that can travel anywhere. The cozy 18 m2 rooms offer all expected hotel amenities including free wifi, air conditioning and a fully equipped bathroom.

The concept was part of Scandic’s ambition to attract a target group seeking a unique hotel experience in a different environment. Scandic To Go featured everywhere from New York City to the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Stockholm as well as in some 40 other central locations in the Nordic region.

After several years of being privately owned, Scandic’s shareholders and Board of Directors decide to broaden the ownership circle, increase public awareness of Scandic and create a diversified base of Swedish shareholders. Scandic’s shares were listed on Stockholmsbörsen on December 2, 2015.

In May 2016, Scandic’s first signature hotel, Haymarket by Scandic, opens in Stockholm. With its grand entrance gracing Hötorget square, the former PUB department store welcomes guests into an environment characterized by the optimism and elegance of the 1920s. Original details from the building where Greta Garbo once worked were carefully curated, restored or reinterpreted for the next roaring 20s.

Signature hotels are characterized by their unique history and personality. They are distinct social meeting places and marketed under their own names with the “by Scandic” tag. Today, Scandic has five signature hotels in Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo and Bergen.

On December 29, 2017, Scandic acquires the hotel business of Finnish Restel comprising 43 hotels and some 7,600 rooms, most of which were operated under the Cumulus brand. With the acquisition of Restel, Scandic becomes the market leader in Finland and gains a significantly stronger position in the growing leisure segment.

All former Restel hotels are rebranded and integrated into the Scandic brand. The project starts in February 2018 and during the year, an average of three hotels are converted per week.

Scandic holds a sustainability hackathon to encourage team members to come up with ideas for the company’s sustainability initiatives. 200 workshops are held, generating ideas for Scandic’s environmental and social sustainability. Many are implemented and continue to be part of the company’s initiatives.

Scandic introduces coworking at all 270 hotels during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to breakfast, Scandic’s coworking concept offers a comfortable place to work away from the office or home as well as wifi, coffee and tea and a quiet space to concentrate.

Scandic launches a fully digital solution for booking meeting and conference rooms for up to 30 people at all hotels with event facilities. Before the summer, Scandic also becomes the first Nordic hotel company to offer a multi-booking solution to plan entire holidays in a few clicks. Multi-booking allows travelers to reserve rooms at up to five different hotels in a single booking.

Scandic continues to expand in attractive metropolitan areas. During the year, 10 new hotels open in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Germany in a very strong hotel market. The hotels quickly become popular with leisure and business travelers and are a welcome addition to Scandic’s hotel portfolio.

Scandic will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year with more than 19,000 team members, 280 hotels and 58,000 hotel rooms in operation and under development in six countries.

On 7 November, Scandic took over operations of Dalata’s hotels under a management agreement. A process to separate Dalata’s real estate from its hotel operations is underway and expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.