Situated by sprawling woods and supporting the bustling Gekås Ullared shopping centre nearby, Hotel Ullared reflects Scandinavian design and practicality. The new hotel, where 3,000 sqm of hardened ash flooring GULLARP 3.0 XL was installed across 156 rooms, opened in September 2022.
Crafting a Scandinavian feel
From the moment guests step inside Hotel Ullared, they are enveloped in an atmosphere of stylish design and unparalleled comfort. “The quality is remarkable, yet maintaining a sense of simplicity was essential,” says Arkitektbyrån Design architect Petra Skoglund, who was involved from the detailed land use plan to the finished hotel. “And there had to be warmth infused within it.”
“Our main focus for the interior design was that it should feel timeless, Swedish, simple and cosy,” explains Sara Ståhle, Business Area Manager at Gekås Ullared. “We wanted to choose materials that were recognisable in Swedish interior design, preferably with local roots, and that were also environmentally friendly and long-lasting.”
Testing the user experience
Hotell Ullared caters to many enthusiastic shoppers who frequent the nearby shopping centre. “Guests typically stay 1.3 nights on average,” explains Stina Jacobsson, the hotel’s House Keeping Manager. “So, it’s a lot of people coming and going, and that means the floor needs to be durable and easy to maintain.”
This aligns with Hotel Ullared’s design ethos to select materials that not only reflect the hotel’s Nordic heritage but also prioritise sturdiness and functionality. In order to test the floor’s durability, Gekås Ullared built a test room inside the shopping centre, for customers to view and walk on.
“Since we have a high occupancy rate and almost exclusively private, short-stay guests, who bring a lot of shopping with them, the materials must be durable and easy to maintain,” says Sara Ståhle. “Although without sacrificing the overall feeling and design expression.”
The vibrant pulse of a thriving hotel
With its clean lines and expansive windows allowing natural light to flood the space, Hotel Ullared is a peaceful place for shoppers to retreat to. “Our entire hotel has a calm ambience with natural colours and materials,” says Sara Ståhle. “The green of the forest, the blue of the lake and the red of the cottages – colours found in a classic family home. We mixed this with ash and birch and small brass details.”
But the homely feel and subtle tones have also been injected with fun details, such as the plants in the reception surrounded by plastic trolley tokens, shopping carts sticking out of the walls, and the printed receipt on the carpet in the hotel's corridors.
Sara Ståhle emphasises the meticulous planning process behind the choice of flooring, with the hardened ash flooring emerging as the perfect embodiment of Scandinavian style and resilience. “It’s simple but cosy and matches the great view of the pine forest,” she says.
The guest experience
As guests arrive at the hotel after a busy day’s shopping, they are treated to a calm yet playful experience that reflects timeless Nordic design. “If you summarise that feeling, it would be ‘genuine and relaxed’,” says Petra. Well, Hotel Ullared kicked off with a bang - fully booked from day one!
