Vision: Anders Bodin, proprietor
”I came across these buildings by chance when I ran into a business associate at a crosswalk outside the Royal Dramatic Theatre, sometime around the Millennium. He mentioned that they were on the market, very unofficially, and wondered if I would be interested. Of course I was, as Norrmalmstorg is the finest square in Stockholm, and the buildings are quite splendid.
When the legal firm that were our tenants when we took over the property eventually outgrew the premises, we were faced with the question of what to do to develop this property in the best possible way. Many office tenants these days are looking for large open solutions. To provide this in these old edifices, we would have had to smash them up quite violently. That’s how the thought of a hotel came up. The fact that it should be a luxury hotel was really the only option, given the dignity of the location and the buildings. First we thought of turning just one of them into a hotel, but then we started to think of using both, as that would give the hotel a size which would be interesting for major players.
We had several major international luxury hotel operators among those who were seriously interested in the project. I remember that there was also an extremely exclusive international department store concept on the table, which had the idea of using live models as mannequins in the windows.
However, when you work with a partner such as a major international hotel corporation, what they do is go in and apply their concept, adapting the site to suit their purposes, pretty much regardless of its original character. This is not quite our style. We’re a very private and personal family company and we work with a very long-term perspective. We never sell our properties. We build and manage everything ourselves, very hands on, with strong commitment and involvement down to the smallest detail, the very last screw and nail. We like to do business with people from a similar culture. We like to look people in the eyes, shake hands and stand by our agreements. Personal chemistry and trust are important to us. That’s why, when we were introduced to Sandro Catenacci, it felt right from the beginning. His credentials from The Opera House and elsewhere were just what we were looking for. We had lunch together, then walked over to see the buildings and pretty much agreed right then and there, I think.
We have full confidence in the Nobis Group’s ability to operate this hotel in the best possible way. Our responsibility is the property. We’re not sparing any efforts. As we’re not interested in selling or making short-term profits on this, we’re investing great care and also money in every detail. Our interest lies in how this hotel and this site will have developed fifty years from now.
Our vision for the site involves not only the hotel, but the entire Norrmalmstorg square area. Together with the other proprietors around the square and the City of Stockholm, we are working on a comprehensive facelift of the square that will hopefully be completed in 2011 or 2012. Our plan is to remove both the trams and the car traffic on three sides of the square. The concrete surface will be replaced by granite, with heating in the wintertime, and there will be a range of other improvements of esthetics and function, including a water fountain screen and nice outdoor furniture. The magnificent facades around the square will be beautifully lit up. Then we will have open-air restaurants and cafés spilling out on the square itself. The Grand Place in Brussels is something of a role model for us here. I think it will be very nice. I look forward to sitting out here myself enjoying a fine dinner in the near future.”