Chinese firm building residential hotel at Santa village

A Chinese company, Nova-Roi Oy, is constructing a residential hotel in Santa Claus village in Rovaniemi at a cost of EUR 4.6 million.

The construction work started in September 2016 and is expected to be completed by the end of September this year, Nova-Roi sources said, adding that the hotel will be opened for boarders in early October.

The roof capping ceremony of the hotel named Nova Skyland was held on June 2.

“The shareholders all love the peaceful and beautiful nature of Lapland. As the tourism in the area is growing fast, we found a perfect plot in the Santa Claus village two years ago. Thus started our story,” Nova-Roi Oy Deputy Manager Tian Zhang told the Daily Finland.

She said the budget of the first phase of the project is 4.6 million euros and the company will go for the second phase after completion of the hotel which will have a capacity of accommodating 78 persons.

“At this stage we are focusing on the construction and later to plan the second phase for extending the hotel, because we have still space to build more cottages,” Tian Zhang added.

This is the first hotel in Lapland, as well as in Finland, funded by Chinese investors.

The hotel comprises 14 apartments in seven semi-detached houses and a main building with reception and restaurant facilities.

The apartment sizes vary between 30 and 60 square metres with a private sauna, fireplace, and kitchenette.

Although the project is financed by Chinese investors, the implementation work is being conducted by local companies and a contractor, project sources said.

Rovaniemi-based companies Prodeco and Arkkitehtisuunnittelu Voutilainen are responsible for construction and design, and the main contractor is Länsi-Lapin Maalauspalvelu.

The design and architectural view of the hotel will reflect the Lappish structural design and the hotel will serve tourists and guest of every ethnic origin, not only Chinese or Asians. The hotel will be very much Scandinavian in style and service culture.

The hotel management believes the attraction of the hotel located on the Arctic Circle is the natural calm, cleanliness and the nightless nights of summer.

The hotel’s restaurants and apartments were designed with large windows that open southward in order to capitalise on these assets.