The 100-year-old steam power plant has been converted into an eclectic and romantic hotel

The former steam power plant is an elegant brick building located in Västerås. Back in the days, the plant was one of Sweden’s energy suppliers, and for a long time it was left unused – until a couple of visionaries saw another type of energy in the building. Today it’s not only a tourist attraction, it’s a destination. 

It was not obvious what the old steam plant would turn into. Right before the building entrepreneur bought the building, it got K-marked which in Sweden means that it’s protected. If one were to do anything with the building, it needs to follow specific rules and guidelines. The building must be preserved with its historical origins, so the former plans for the location got picked up in 2017 with the vision of turning the steam power plant into a destination. And that is a challenge when the vision was to convert a steam power plant into a destination. The conversion turned out as a success, the hotel is a perfect mix of that raw industrial feeling meeting the romantic vibes with textiles, glass and wood. In 2019 the hotel added a conservatory with a view towards the water. The tricky thing about that part was to build it in a way so it can be removed if necessary, according to the K-marking rules.

Steam Hotel has grown in an incredible pace the last couple of years, and so has the city Västerås. The hotel has created a destination within the city, and people are visiting from everywhere. The hotel is a big traction patch to Västerås placement as a top ten summer city in Sweden.

“Steam Hotel is a destination and not only a hotel, you can do all sorts of activities such as attending events, visit the cinema, listening to music, have a pool club experience, go swimming and have a nice meal. This is a place with lots of options” says the CEO Felix Fuchs.

The 18-story building offers pretty much anything, it’s a one stop shop for an experience. On the top floor you can visit one of the restaurants, and from there you’ve got mile-wide views over Mälaren. All the 264 hotel rooms are decorated and designed in an eclectic manner. Expect a cool combination of brick, pink walls and dark velvet sofas.
“I’m so glad to work at a place where the owners are driven by passion to create a fun place to be, and besides conduction business, also have a lot of fun along the way” says Felix Fuchs CEO at Steam Hotel.

Felix has lived a bit all over the world and is what we call a returnee to the city. He comes from a commercial background but is driven by doing what’s different. A lot has happened to the hotel the last couple of years, energy is the core of the concept and it’s safe to say that it’s exciting to see how far this destination will develop.

” When Steam first opened up we weren’t really prepared on the response we’d get, we quickly got a 90% occupancy rate and within the first year we had 130.000 guests” says Felix. That’s a steady number proving the attraction of the hotel. During this fall a lot of efforts will be put into the event part of the business, a new concept called Grand Event will launch, and the hotel will have established singers performing, and just to mention a few we can reveal names like Danny, Petter and Petra Marklund.

” We’re super excited for the future, and at the same time we’re very happy that we got to keep almost all staff despite the pandemic” says Felix. The 1,5 years of restriction has actually created space for new ideas in order to develop the destination. “We’re investing in activities such as a movie theatre, karaoke room, a golf simulator and many other things. I believe that’s pretty unique to find at a hotel in Sweden” concludes Felix.
Steam Hotel is certainly a place for all kinds – regardless of season this spot is well worth a visit, both for getting that pulse or/and finding some peace and quiet in front of the cozy fireplace in the lobby.

Architect: Tengbom
Kund: Glas Lindberg
SAPA-products: SAPA 4150 and SAPA 2086