The World’s First Energy-Positive Hotel, at the Svartisen Glacier, North of the Arctic Circle in the Meløy Municipality

Location: Close to the Svartisen Glacier, North of
the Arctic Circle in the Meløy Municipality. 1.5 hours drive from Bodo Airport, with direct flights or 2.5 hours flight from Oslo, Norway

Name: SVART

Guide Price for Investment: From €150k to €10m+

No. of Keys: 105

The Opportunity: To be part of something truly innovative! Our client SVART, has established the Green Real Estate Development company to co-ordinate existing and future Green real estate projects. They will implement existing and future technology to maximise energy optimisation’s potential, leading to climate positive solutions.

The opportunity is to invest in this project, via a Green Bond system with a fixed 7% return, and matures in 4 years. The fund is looking to achieve €500m, of which €100m was achieved in February 2021. The minimum investment is for €150,000…Full details can be found on the link, and for investors thinking or more than €1m call us at THPT to arrange a zoom call or meeting.

SVART is the spearhead project that underpins this ambition and vision. Svart will be the world’s first energy-positive hotel, located close to the Svartisen glacier, north of the Arctic Circle.

It’s a three-phase project destination with a clear framework and development growth plan. The design is low-impact, and its construction based on local materials to the furthest extent possible. SVART is subject to rigid sustainability criteria.

SVART aims to become 100% self-sustainable and completely OFF-GRID within five years – independent from the power grid, complete with its waste management, recycling and renewable programmes. It is important to note that this will not compromise the fragile and pristine natural surroundings or the hotel’s beauty and quality.

The hotel concept, designed by leading Norwegian architects and engineering companies, will have 105 rooms, onsite education and design lab and a sustainable farm producing ingredients for the hotel’s four restaurants. SVART will be open to overnight guests, day-visitors, and the local community. Expected length of stay will start at three/four nights and 7 and 14 packages will be marketed.

The architecture inspired by local coastal building traditions and stands on wooden piles dissolving the boundary between land and fjord. The hotel’s shape provides a panoramic view of the fjord and the experience of living in proximity to nature.

The hotel will save 85% of its annual energy consumption and harvest enough solar energy to cover both the hotel operations, including its boat shuttle operation (15 minutes ride) and power required to construct the building. The ambition is to push goals further and develop scaleable technology that can be expanded to other establishments to reduce its energy consumption.

Sustainable travel, adventure travel and wellness travel is on the rise. Despite economic pressures, current Covid -19 pandemic – travellers and the sector is seeing increasing demand on more mindful and tailored packages, ultimate experiences.

The Polar Region is a key destination, and the “last frontier” referred to by Conde Nast, National Geographic and Lonely Planet, to embrace these trends for educational purposeful travel and must-see. A multi-billion tourist market and growing at an average of six per cent per annum, the polar region offers a wealth of exciting, high-premium sustainable and unique adventures and activities.

Now more than ever does the hotel industry has the chance to play a significant role in protection education and lead the process of sustainability and innovation. In the last 50 years, global travel has increased by over 5000 %. Almost every corner of the world is now accessible in one form or another, and this has a more prominent and more dominant effect on the environment, the way we live our lives and how we like to spend our holidays.

It is now the hotel industry has the platform and the ability to take the lead on education and bring awareness in how we have to live in harmony with nature to preserve it for the future generation.

SVART intends to do precisely that – Build and develop the hotel of the future, integrating innovation, technology and fresh approach on what the 21st-century guest is expecting. Joining forces with industry-leading professionals whose ethos directly correlates with SVART on nature preservation and innovation.

The pristine site location has significance sitting adjacent to Norway’s second-largest glacier within the polar circle. The ability to showcase how a human-made structure can co-exist in harmony with nature by actually being entirely self-sufficient and giving back to life without causing any harm.

SVART, through its design partners and team and the collaboration with the several sustainable associations and initiatives, are aiming to achieve way in advance the Paris Climate accord. We are also developing partnerships with global leaders in preservation, philanthropy, sustainability who are equally involved in the travel industry.

The work with SVART started in 2017/18 together with Snøhetta, Consto, Skanska, Asplan Viak and Meløy municipality. In October 2018, the local authorities approved the zoning plan required to start the detailed planning phase. Since 2019, Miris has worked on the design programming and schematic design phase of the project with the architectural and engineering team. The next formal steps are Building Approval and Construction Approval, which will be admitted together with a contractor (to be selected). SVART is presently finalising the details of the design process and the development of a comprehensive advance operational plan, expecting to start the initial stage of construction by the first half of 2021.

With its development plan for completing and opening the SVART hotel by 2023 the company is entering the next phase of SVART hotel development.

The following six to eight months is critical to conclude all design to deliver all necessary building permits, construction documents set, detailed building development budget, and FF&E package and procurement budget.

These are the key actions and projects within the hotel development as part of the next 2.5 years of development.

• Selection and designing all products and materials for the project from renewable, recyclable or organic sources
• Developing interior design concepts which takes the hotel experience to the next level of sustainable innovation where technology plays a central role but equally integrating the
human senses and body to enhance the knowledge and indeed adopt the most advanced guest experience and mind-body-soul rejuvenation
• Finalising the energy model for allowing SVART to produce the energy required to develop and operate to become energy positive and further supply with energy all additional activities and operations of the greater SVART destination
• Developing the greenhouse and sustainable model farm is a critical path and source to the hotel food chain supply of farm to table and recycling programme on zero waste.
• Developing a sustainable F&B programme from locally sourced, products, utilising the renewable farm and greenhouse-grown ingredients
• Establishing and developing the boat experience-enhancing it by working with the first fully electrical operated boats manufacturers
• Developing and researching a full Spa product and guest experience by utilising sustainable and local resources
• Developing a comprehensive waste management and recycling policies and plan for all aspects of the project during development but more importantly during its operational years
• For any project to be fully sustainable and cost-efficient, it needs to have a very progressive and comprehensive revenue model, where the idea of organic full circle holistic operation is integral. All departments and activities with the hotel are part of a distinct network, where singe resource is fully utilised and optimised with all of it’s elements from energy, spa components, food programme and hotel room experience, and materials.

There is a full 24-page business plan we can send interested parties.

SVART has put together a world-class team with the necessary diversity and depth of expertise and experience to not only develop the project but manage the asset in-country. Business relationships have also been established with the future partners, suppliers and channels to promote, market and sell the products online and offline to the target markets internationally.

The team currently consist of Hotel Operational and Financial Management specialists, Brand and Positioning Consultant, Sales and Marketing team, Spa and Wellness development team, F&B consultant, DMC, PR and Communication team, Interior Design Architects, Architects, Engineering and Facade Design consultants to name few working on assuring the successful
operation of the project upon completion.

Main Picture: The proposed new energy-positive hotel in the Artic Circle!

Current Owner: Jan Gunnar Mathisen is CEO, founder and majority shareholder in SVART

Flag and Management: SVART is committed to the brand name and management team

Financials: Business plan available after NDA

Tenure: Freehold

Agent: THPT is direct to SVART

Guide Price for Investment: From €150k to €100m plus

Date Posted: March 2021

THPT Comment: Wow…we thought we had seen ambitious plans for green and sustainable hotels, in interesting settings…but this probably takes the prize! For further details please do contact us and we will put you in touch with SVART.

Contact us for further information

This is a new feature on the THPT site…. Hotel & Serviced Apartment owners can be naturally reticent in publicising their property is for sale…for confidentiality reasons, for staff and current client reasons, so the properties featured in this section will either be “generic” or “name specific”

Each fortnight we mail the opportunities posted that week, but check-out the tab “Hotels Available” and call us for details of “Under the Table” – deals not posted on the site at all

The Hotel Property Team (THPT) is a small group of highly experienced business professionals. Between us, we provide a range of skills and experience which is directly relevant to those involved in the hotel property market.

For more information – Visit www.thpt.co.uk or email [email protected]

MISREPRESENTATION ACT 1967. This information is provided as a general guide and is not intended to be constructed as a statement of fact upon which interested parties can rely. All interested parties should make their enquiries by inspection or otherwise. Neither The Hotel Property Team (trading name of Impetus Marketing 2006 Ltd) nor any person in our employment has the authority to make, give or imply any representation or warranty whatsoever relating to the premises referred to in these particulars. These details do not constitute any offer, contract or any part thereof and all negotiations relating to the premises should be conducted through THPT.