Lessons in seasonality from a hotel made of ice
Written by admin on January 23, 2026
For most hoteliers, seasonality means fluctuating demand and shifting rates. For Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos in Finnish Lapland, seasonality defines the business. The team rebuilds an entire hotel from snow and ice every winter, only for it to melt away again in spring.
In a recentMattTalks episode, Sales Director Maria Mänty shared how the hotel balances that seasonal rhythm with revenue, guest expectations and the logistics of operating 30 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.
Even Santa’s Village has a strategy
Maria joined the conversation from Santa’s Village in Rovaniemi, where she works just meters away from real-life reindeer. While the setting feels magical, the business behind it is highly strategic.
Despite being a small city, Rovaniemi has Finland’s second busiest airport. It fields direct flights from several major European cities. Maria and her team track air access closely to understand demand. More direct flights mean more independent travelers and a better booking flow. They’ve spent 18 years building strong relationships with airlines and other partners to support year-over-year growth.
Getting customers there is only half the battle. Maria says sales are much easier when they have a well-equipped team of seasonal workers, ready to handle the demand.“When they are talking about our peak season with enthusiasm and not stress, I know we have a strong team,” Maria explains.
A hotel rebuilt every winter
Arctic SnowHotel offers two distinct products. Glass igloos open from September onwards, offering panoramic views of the Arctic sky, while the snow hotel opens on December 15 after being rebuilt from scratch each year.
The snow hotel features 20 ice-carved rooms, an ice chapel, a 150-seat ice restaurant and a large ice bar. Walls are around one meter thick, designed by snow-building experts to last all winter. Thanks to this expertise, weather-related risk is minimal, and the hotel remains open until the end of March.
Chasing the northern lights
Seeing the aurora borealis is a big attraction for most guests, but Maria considers it an “extra gift”. The hotel is clear about the fact that the infamous auroras are never guaranteed.
What the hotelcan offer is opportunity. Guests in glass igloos have access to an aurora alarm, monitored by a real person who wakes them up when the lights appear. Snow hotel guests can also opt for manual wake-up calls and step outside to watch the sky.
The ultimate bucket list stay
Whether the lights appear or not, Maria says “the hotel is an experience in itself.” Staying in a hotel made of ice is something most guests will only do once, and the hotel leans into that.
They curate unforgettable activities, like reindeer sled rides and ice sculpting, and focus heavily on guest interactions. Maria says some check-ins take up to 20 minutes, so staff can immerse guests in the history and uniqueness of the property.
A standout experience is the snow sauna: a traditional Finnish sauna built entirely from snow and ice. As steam fills the room, guests hear the ice crackle and feel the walls slowly melt.“It’s amazing,” Maria raves.“Even for a local, it’s an experience.”
It’s through niche touches like this that a melting hotel can sustain itself year after year. They have built a reputation as a once-in-a-lifetime stay, and occupancy rates show customerswill travel for it. Even if they have to get there by reindeer.
How do you run a hotel that melts?
Operating an ice hotel is complex, especially with multiple food and beverage outlets that are rebuilt every year. Before implementing Mews, the team relied on manual processes and disconnected systems. Maria says this posed countless challenges and created chaos for staff.
To solve these challenges, the property integrated Mews PMS, POS and Payments. Maria says the improvement has been substantial. Payments are faster, errors are fewer and table management is far more flexible. Each restaurant employee now saves one hour per shift – time they can redirect to guests. Unsurprisingly, tip averages have also improved.
Best of all, the Mews Terminal S2 tech works reliably in sub-zero temperatures. (The ice restaurant operates at around minus 5 degrees).
Selling winter all year long
Although the snow hotel operates for just a few months, the sales team works year-round. Summer is spent planning future seasons, selling up to two years ahead and refining strategy.
Pricing is surprisingly simple. With limited room inventory and consistently high demand, the hotel opts not to use day-to-day dynamic pricing. Instead, rate campaigns are planned well in advance, with a focus on growing shoulder-season demand in autumn. Their revenue strategy is a well-oiled machine, and Matt and Maria both agree: “If something works, don’t break it.”
Evolving with each season
Despite its niche offering, the team continues to innovate. This season, Arctic SnowHotel introduced separate areas for day visitors and overnight guests, so they can better serve each unique segment. They also upgraded lounges and facilities, opened an entirely new business, and launched concepts to improve the guest journey.
For hoteliers, this conversation is a reminder that seasonality doesn’t have to be a limitation. With creativity, a strong guest focus and the right technology, even an ice hotel that only operates half of the year can do so with full confidence (and success).
And maybe it’s time to add a snow sauna to the bucket list.
For more insights into seasonal hospitality, watch the full Matt Talks episode.
About Mews
Mews is the operating system for hospitality, unifying workflows across revenue, operations and the guest journey so teams can automate the mundane and focus on memorable guest experiences. The Mews platform spans PMS, POS, RMS, Housekeeping and Payments, helping hoteliers move from property management to profit management. Powering 15,000 customers across 85 countries, the company was named Best PMS (2024, 2025, 2026), Best POS (2026) and listed among the Best Places to Work in Hotel Tech for six years running by Hotel Tech Report.
