A flourishing culinary hotspot with cool cafés, a rollicking nightlife and an epic music scene, the spotlight is shining brightly on Iceland’s hip capital city and the arrival of The Reykjavik EDITION further cements EDITION Hotels’ uncanny ability to land in just the right place at the right time.
“Reykjavik is a really cool, young city – perfect for our brand,” says Ian Schrager, pioneer of the boutique hotel concept, PUBLIC and EDITION creator.
“We think this is Reykjavik’s time and we’re right here at the very heart of it and at the perfect time.”
The Reykjavik EDITION combines the best of the Icelandic capital with the personal, intimate and individual experience that the EDITION brand is known for.
The result is a vibrant and sophisticated urban hub with 253 rooms, an outstanding line-up of bars, signature restaurant and nightclub and the introduction of a new kind of modern social wellness concept.
In the land of hot springs, mineral waters and natural fjords, this creative innovation further boosts Reykjavik’s growing allure as a world class international cosmopolitan destination.
The lobby is a dynamic, social space featuring an intimate lounge and bar, above
First appearing on the map when American grandmaster Bobby Fischer won the World Chess Championship in Reykjavik in 1972, Schrager, who was following the event at the time, says he was taken aback by the country’s unspoiled, natural beauty.
Indeed, marooned in the North Atlantic Ocean, just beneath the Arctic Circle, Iceland is quite literally in the making, its constantly evolving landscape the result of rumbling volcanoes, bubbling hot springs, erupting geysers and shifting tectonic plates.
All of this has resulted in a spectacular, mystical medley of bright green moss-carpeted lava fields, soaring glaciers and rugged mountains sliced by deep, river-cut valleys.
“In Iceland, you’re getting to see things you won’t see anywhere else,” says Schrager. “More so than any other place in the world, it’s a real opportunity to get in touch with earth and nature and we’re proud to further expand the EDITION brand in an incredible place with an incredibly exciting hotel that gives you a true sense of place.”
On a harbourside perch, against glorious mountain views, the hotel is in a flawless location at the heart of the city: adjacent to Harpa, the landmark concert hall and conference center – whose multicoloured glass façade was designed by the celebrated Icelandic and Danish artist Olafur Eliasson – and just minutes from Laugavegur, the main shopping street in downtown Reykjavik.
As with all EDITION hotels, the lobby is a dynamic, social space that subtly reveals a sense of place and sense of time. The lobby lounge features a central open-flame fireplace surrounded by seating and a collection of custom-made furniture in intimate seating groups.
Accessible from the lobby, the ground floor is home to Tides, the signature restaurant with private dining room, and café with homemade baked goods, and Tölt, an intimate bar that takes its cues from The London EDITION’s award-winning Punch Room.
The Reykjavik EDITION Tides Restaurant also offers a private dining room
Set to be a destination of its own, The Roof is located on the hotel’s 7th floor and offers panoramic mountain, North Atlantic Ocean and old town vistas. It is the best place from which to enjoy the endless bright summer evenings as well as the magical northern lights in the colder months.
The hotel’s 253 guest rooms and suites have been designed as warm retreats, each with their beds facing floor-to-ceiling windows that frame various views of the surrounding neighbourhood. Some come complete with an outdoor terrace.
The lower ground floor is home to the Sunset underground night spot with a state-of-theart sound system and theatrical lighting that illuminates a dark and edgy black concrete interior with a black cast concrete bar.
Also on the lower ground floor is a gym, kitted out with state-of-the-art black strength training, weight, and cardio equipment, while the Spa offers three treatment rooms, a hammam, steam room, sauna, and plunge pool, along with a central lounge with a spa bar.
