Havila Hotel Geiranger

The History of Tourism in Geiranger.

In the 1800s, Geiranger was a roadless village, and the few tourists who visited primarily arrived by boat.

The First Boat Tourists

On July 9, 1869, a party of British Quakers led by banker Edward Backhouse landed in Geiranger. The group spent the night aboard the yacht they arrived on, “Nereid.” Backhouse gathered a group of locals for a photograph, which became the first photograph ever taken in Geiranger.

Hotel development in Geiranger began with Martinus K. Merok in 1869.

He set up a “lån” (a simple lodge) in Maråkvika, which was used as an inn for guests. This “Lånabuda” later became Merok’s Hotel. Lånabuda was located where our restaurant “Låna” stands today.

In 1880, the first road workers arrived in the village, and due to the road construction, Merok’s Hotel experienced a boost. With over 300 construction workers in the area, the need for accommodation increased dramatically. In the early 1880s, Nils Petter Weiberg from Norddal built a timber building to serve as a lodging house. This became Hotel Geiranger.

After the road was completed, Weiberg sold the house in 1892 to the farmers of Vinje and Maråk. They received financial assistance from Johannes Olsen Aasen (1846–1942). He had run a grocery and shipping business in Ålesund but moved to Geiranger in 1882 because his wife did not thrive in the city. Johannes was skilled in writing and accounting. In collaboration with the farmers, he established Hotel Geiranger. They clad the timber house and expanded it, adding a veranda.

In just over ten years, five hotels had been established in the small village. Before the road and the hotels, the locals had hardly seen a single tourist and looked at strangers with suspicion. Such a rapid transformation was rare for rural communities, and the main reason was the construction of the mountain road. The once-isolated village became an attraction and, eventually, part of the World Heritage. The combination of road building and hotel development sparked an economic revolution in the small fjord village, where the roughly 400 residents had previously relied mostly on farming. It’s incredible how a road can create such a miracle!

In 1957, Merok’s Hotel was expanded in a modern style to the building we know today. Development also continued at Hotel Geiranger, with new buildings completed in 1964 and 1974. In 1995, Merok’s Hotel and Hotel Geiranger, which had been operated as a single hotel, were connected with a bridge. At the same time, a new reception area, glass elevator, and façade were built. In 2020, Havila took over the hotel from the Haldorsen family, who had operated it for about thirty years.

Havila Hotel Raftevold

It All Started Small in 1867

Raftevolds Hotel was founded by Ola M. Raftevold in 1867, and for over 150 years, Raftevolds Hotel has been a landmark and an important workplace in the municipal center of Grodås. The founder, Ola Martinus Raftevold, operated a hotel, a coaching station, and a grocery store. This combination was very common for many hotel owners from the late 1800s and well into modern times. Ola M. Raftevold started the hotel business modestly. He bought an old boathouse at Grodåssanden and began trading. The following year, he purchased the neighboring boathouse, which housed a courtroom on the ground floor and guest rooms in the attic. There were two guest beds available. Now, the hotel has 44 rooms and is part of Havila Group’s initiative in the tourism sector.

Havila Hotel Ivar Aasen

1965

Viking was the name given to the new hotel that rose on the eight-acre property in the center of Ørsta. Tone Albertsen won the naming competition with the suggestion “Viking Fjord Hotel.” The hotel opened in 1965, with Ingvald Rørnes as the director. The first event was the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ørsta Elverk, a week before the official opening of the hotel on Friday, February 12, 1965. On Saturday, February 13, there was a shareholders’ dinner with 150 invited guests. On Sunday, February 14, the hotel opened to the public, and a total of one thousand guests visited the hotel during the opening weekend.

2008

The hotel was renamed Hotel Ivar Aasen.

2017

In July 2017, Hotel Ivar Aasen was acquired by Havila Holding AS. Hotel Ivar Aasen is now part of Havila Hotels and the Havila Group’s initiative in the tourism sector.