Most people miss the obvious Nordic play
For years, the Nordics sat in the “too expensive, too cold” corner of Europe. That was my read too. Then I tried booking a summer trip the usual way – Rome, Lisbon, the South of France – and ran straight into 38-degree heatwaves and prices that made no sense. Somewhere between the sixth cancelled tab and the seventh angry sigh, I ended up on the Strawberry Hotels booking page and realised I’d been looking in the wrong direction the whole time.
Oslo for the price of Nice. Minus the sweat.
So where did “Strawberry” actually come from?
Here’s the bit most travellers never heard about. In May 2023, a Norwegian chain called Nordic Choice Hotels did something bold and, frankly, strange. It dropped its 25-year-old name overnight and relaunched as Strawberry. Not a merger, not a spin-off – a full rebrand. The owner, billionaire Petter A. Stordalen, basically said the old name no longer fit what the company actually does.
And he had a point. Today, Strawberry isn’t just a hotel chain. It’s 250+ hotels, 120 restaurants, 20 spas, gyms, conference halls, and even Stockholm’s national arena (now called Strawberry Arena). Stordalen calls it “a rebel with a big heart” – which sounds like branding agency copy, but the numbers back it up.
Not a chain. A universe.
120 restaurants. 20 spas. A tie-in with Preferred Hotels that opens 650 more properties worldwide for members. And a loyalty programme running alongside Norwegian Air with 7.5 million joint members in a region of 27 million people.
That’s roughly one in every three Scandinavians.
What makes the rebrand more interesting is what they built around it. Strawberry now runs an active partnership with the Nobel Peace Center, sponsors Pride across the Nordics, funds legal aid for refugees, and works closely with UNICEF. Before you roll your eyes at another “purpose-driven” hotel, poke around their main booking site and you’ll find the values are actually baked into the product, not just the footer.
Five brands, 250 hotels, six countries
The single most common mistake travellers make with Strawberry is assuming it’s one brand. It isn’t. There are five distinct sub-brands under the Strawberry umbrella, and each one targets a different traveller, price point, and vibe. Mix them up and you could end up in a budget Comfort with a view of a car park when you wanted a rooftop pool at Clarion.
| Brand | Tier | Vibe | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort | Budget | Central, clean, no-frills sleep | Solo travellers, quick city breaks |
| Quality | Mid-range | Family-friendly, big breakfast, space | Families, regional business trips |
| Clarion | Upscale | Rooftop bars, spas, design, views | Couples, weekend escapes, splurge |
| Home | New (2025) | Meals included, home-like feel | Long stays, solo business travel |
| Independent | Premium boutique | Sommerro, Villa Copenhagen, The Thief | Honeymoons, one-off occasions |
The Home brand is the newest arrival, launched in February 2025 when Strawberry renegotiated its Choice Hotels franchise and rebranded 50+ Clarion Collection properties overnight. Meals are bundled in. A Stopover brand (sustainable roadside motels) is rolling out next. The fastest way to compare them all is to pull up the main search and filter by brand before committing.
Coolcation: the trend pulling Europe north
The last three summers changed European travel. After Rome, Barcelona and southern France got scorched by repeated heatwaves, a new word crept into the travel vocabulary – Coolcation. It’s exactly what it sounds like. A holiday where the temperature stays sensible, the days run long, and the air actually moves. The Nordics, once filed under “nice idea, maybe in retirement”, suddenly make perfect sense. Especially when the prices stop being ridiculous.
The three Coolcation classics
Oslo
The quiet diplomat. A city that refuses to rush. Fjord museum, Nobel Peace Center, an opera house shaped like a glacier. Stay at The Thief, Sommerro, or Clarion The Hub.
Tip: three days is plenty. Take a train west for a fjord day trip.
Stockholm
The clever one. Fourteen islands, Gamla Stan, and a 400-year-old preserved warship at the Vasa Museum. For families, Quality Hotel Strawberry Arena sits right next to Mall of Scandinavia.
Tip: rent bikes on Djurgården. It tires the kids out beautifully.
Helsinki
The understated one. Finnish design that belongs in MoMA, public saunas, 300 islands just offshore. Hotel St. George has 400 pieces of art. Hobo Helsinki is the boutique with an urban edge.
Tip: take the ferry to Tallinn for a day. Two hours, about €20.
Beyond the big three there are four more destinations Strawberry quietly pushes – Ålesund (Norway), Umeå (Sweden), Stavanger (Norway), and Luleå (Sweden). These are less touristed, more authentic, and noticeably cheaper. Anyone wanting exact pricing by city can filter by country and see the full inventory in one click.
Summer Pass: five nights at a fixed price
Here’s where the numbers get interesting. Strawberry runs a product called the Summer Pass, and in my view it’s the single most under-rated deal in Nordic travel. You pre-buy either 5 or 10 nights at a fixed price, then redeem them across 100+ participating hotels. Breakfast is included everywhere (except Comfort Xpress). At Clarion Collection properties, you also get fika (coffee and cake) plus dinner on the house.
The Summer Pass 2026 numbers
5 nights for €450 (€90/night) – valid at 100+ hotels.
10 nights for €800 (€80/night) – valid 19 June to 25 August.
Breakfast included on every night.
Qualifying nights still count toward your loyalty tier.
Translation – a long weekend in Stockholm costs less than €400 for two people with breakfast. A Tromsø trip under the midnight sun, same bracket. These are hotels that normally list for €250+ a night in peak season.
Anyone planning more than one Nordic trip this summer – the 10-night pass essentially makes the whole region affordable. There are blackout dates scattered through the calendar (usually tied to local festivals), but the FAQ page lists them clearly. Worth checking the current pass availability before you commit to any specific dates.
What is Spenn, really?
Spenn is the Strawberry loyalty currency, and what sets it apart is flexibility rather than marketing polish. The earn rate is simple – 3 Spenn per 10 NOK or €1 spent. Silver tier (after 5 nights) adds 10%, Gold (30 nights) adds 20%, Platinum (60 nights) adds 30%. The useful part – you can spend Spenn as full or partial payment on future stays. They call it a “Superdeal”, which sounds cheesy but actually delivers decent value.
Do I get member benefits if I book via Booking.com or Expedia?
No. Member perks – the 5-15% discount, the free coffee, the 2-for-1 Monday breakfast – only apply when you book directly or through recognised partners. Third-party OTAs usually charge more than the direct member rate anyway, so you lose twice.
Can Spenn be used for anything other than hotels?
Until November 2024, yes. Since the policy change, Spenn only works for hotel bookings. Strawberry announced “exciting new options coming in 2025”, but in practice the current use is strictly for discounting future stays. Still useful, just less flexible than it used to be.
Is chasing Gold status actually worth it?
Gold needs 30 qualifying nights a year – that’s 2-3 major trips. The meaningful perks are room upgrades (when available), restaurant vouchers, and the ability to freeze your level. For frequent Nordic travellers it pays off fast. For anyone visiting twice a year, Silver (5 nights) is the realistic target.
The honest flaws nobody mentions
At this point I’m starting to sound like a Strawberry spokesperson, which I’m not. There are real problems with the brand, and they’re worth knowing before you book:
- Narrow geography – the network is strictly Nordic-Baltic. No properties in Southern Europe, the UK, or the Mediterranean, and no plans to expand. If you want one loyalty programme to cover all your travel, a global chain still wins.
- Occasional strikes – at time of writing, there’s an active hotel and restaurant sector strike in Norway. Hotels remain open, but service levels fluctuate. Strawberry displays a clear banner about it on the site, which is decent transparency, but worth checking before you fly.
- Spenn has been simplified, not improved – since November 2024, the currency no longer works with external partners. It’s still earned and redeemed, but the dream of “loyalty points that spend anywhere” is gone for now.
- Rack rates are still Nordic – even with a membership discount, a standard night in Oslo or Stockholm isn’t going to beat Seville. The Summer Pass is what fixes the economics. Full-rate stays don’t.
None of these are deal-breakers, but they’re the difference between a trip that works and one that doesn’t. Worth reading the fine print on the booking page before you lock anything in.
A name that stands out – perfect for a rebel with a big heart.
Petter A. Stordalen, founder of Strawberry
The bottom line: is it worth it?
Short version – yes, if you make two smart calls. First, pick the right sub-brand (Comfort for budget, Clarion for a splurge, Independent for a one-off). Second, grab a Summer Pass if you’re planning more than four nights, otherwise the numbers stop making sense. Done properly, a week in the Nordics comes in cheaper than a long weekend in Nice, with zero risk of heatstroke.
This piece started because I was trying to dodge a heatwave. It finished with a pass booked for Tromsø, a rough plan for Stockholm, and a fresh respect for the Nordics. If that sounds like the trip you want, start your search here. If not, at least the Nordics are a bit less mysterious now.
