Currently in its soft-opening phase, the 18-room Ion City Hotel is Reykjavik’s newest trendy hotel. The Design Hotels property is the “citified” version of its award-winning sister property, Ion Adventure Hotel, located in Nesjavellir, which is just under one hour from the capital.
Located on the city’s main avenue Laugarvegur, Ion City has deep local ties to neighboring cafés, bars, restaurants, and galleries. The country’s culinary Olympic team director Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson will be at the helm of the North African-tinged restaurant, Sumac.
Minarc, the same architecture and design duo responsible for Ion Adventure Hotel, were tasked with refurbishing the building that now houses Ion City Hotel. Childhood friends of the owner, Sigurlaug Sverrisdóttir, the Iceland-born and California-based team took Sverrisdóttir’s mother’s Icelandic sweater pattern as inspiration in their design. Through an experimental process, they adhered textured aluminum panels to the concrete façade, recreating the pattern in a nod to historical elements through a modern interpretation.
This theme continues with the commission of an outdoor mural by Krístin Morthens, the daughter of celebrated Icelandic artist Tolli Morthens. An inner alleyway and courtyard both have abstract expressions of an Icelandic landscapes.
Inside, guests will find a simple, modern design—clean lines, a palette of gray and white, and wooden floors.
The 18 rooms and suites range from the 215-square-foot Classic room to the 800-square-foot Panorama Suite. Both the Standard rooms and the Deluxe rooms have a window-side sofa, while the Junior Suite boasts a balcony with a private sauna. The City Suite has a French balcony, a private indoor sauna, and a living room with a dining table, and the Panorama Suite includes an indoor sauna, a bathroom with a table and chair, a guest bathroom, a dining table, and a bar area, with the option of a bartender or chef on request. All guestrooms and suites include Bluetooth speakers and Wi-Fi.