TTO_September_2017_low

Hotel Arctic, Ilulissat, Greenland:
Same price level in 2018
"Of course, you have to optimize your
business. But you do not have to be greedy.
One has to give customers value for money.
Rather give people a good experience as
they feel they would have paid more for,
than people feel you are stealing money
from them.
Greenland has previously had the
reputation of being an expensive tourist
destination. We do not want Greenland
to have that reputation. We do not want
to follow Iceland's bad example, where
everything has become so expensive.
Therefore, we have kept the same price
level for rooms in 2017, and we will also
keep the same price level for rooms
throughout 2018, "says Erik Bjerregaard,
General Manager, Hotel Arctic, Ilulissat,
Greenland.
"There will be a little price adjustments
for food and beverages. We pay 135,000
Euro a year to bring food and drinks
to Greenland. Shipping companies and
airlines have price increases and it will
reflect in the price to our customers.
The hotel shuttle to / from the airport
as well as between the hotel and the city
center will also be free for our guests in
2018. Free access to Wi-Fi with unlimited
use has provided extra-satisfied guests.
Eventually this service is as natural as the
water is expected to get out of the taps,
"says Erik Bjerregaard.
Hotel Arctic had a profit of 941,000 Euro
before tax in 2016. "It will not get worse in
2018," says Erik Bjerregaard.
Outdoor Rooms
"The hotel has occupancy of 77
percent. However, our mountain
rooms - or Outdoor Rooms - a total
of five from last year have had the
best occupancy rate by almost 100
percent. Guests are excited about
the privacy and the proximity to
nature from the small terrace. As
the English name says, you have to
move outside why we have limited
use period due to the weather,
which is the same reason why the
igloos are not used all year round.
However, we have decided that from
this year we will also keep outdoor
rooms open for reservations in the month
of October incl.
We have "chased" extra for these mountain
rooms, among other things. We use socalled
"intelligent glass" between the
bathroom and the sleeping area. When
the plug is on, the glass will not be
transparent which may be beneficial in
certain situations.
In addition, there is a minibar, Nespresso
machine and adjustable beds, allowing
you to enjoy the views directly. The whole
decor has been conceived alongside
my longstanding collaboration team
Furniture Team, "says Erik Bjerregaard.
Royalty visit
"I cannot say who it is, but this year we
will have a royal visit from Denmark
and Jordan. There will also be film
crew who will "shoot" movies for
many purposes. We have had visit
from many high-ranking people for
example in connection with climate
meetings. It raises awareness of the
hotel and makes Greenland publicly
featured in foreign media, "says Erik
Bjerregaard.
"A new restaurant section has been
put into operation at the beginning
of July, capacity has increased by
50%, and we can now fulfill far more
reservations, which, in particular, give
greater satisfaction to the guest. However,
the space cannot be expanded in our Café
Ferdinand, so we have to introduce 1st and
2nd seating in the high season.
In the high season on Mondays we offer
The price of hotel rooms at the hotel Arctic has been
stocked in 2017 and they will not rise in 2018.
Photo: Michael Stentved – Stentved Photography.
the "Greenlandic Evening Buffet" and on
Saturdays "Greenlandic Barbeque". On
Mondays, what can be picked up from
seafood from the cold Arctic waters, but
also tastes of reindeer and musk meat.
On Saturdays there is a barbecue on our
large terrace with the floating icebergs as
a backdrop. Here there is a wide range of
meat, including homemade lamb, beef,
and whale meat as well as most land
animals. In addition, there are exciting
and different accessories including
seaweed salad.
There is also a growing focus on our
gourmet section, restaurant Ulo, which is
Hotel Arctic's five Outdoor Rooms with a private
terrace and direct access to the fells outside has been
overwhelmingly well received by the guests.
The occupancy rate has been close to 100.
Photo: Michael Stentved – Stentved Photography.
selected as the Greenlandic restaurant, to
represent Greenland, is in a high-profile
book about 30 selected restaurants in the
Kingdom of Denmark. The book will be
published this fall, "says Erik Bjerregaard.
Congresses
"Demand for our five-star conference
center is growing steadily from customers
in Greenland, but unfortunately we do not
register the same enthusiasm for Denmark
in particular. It is as if in Denmark it
might be a bit more extravagant to travel
to Greenland than, for example, choosing
a destination around the Mediterranean.
We are extremely pleased with a good
trend in this area from the domestic
market. We constantly are updating the
technology in our conference center as well
as the software components are constantly
improving, "says Erik Bjerregaard.
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