0:00:02 > 0:00:05All over the world there are remarkable hotels, born of
0:00:05 > 0:00:08bold vision and daring endeavour.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Oh, my goodness! Look at that.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Whether it's an epic structure housing a sky park
0:00:15 > 0:00:17the length of the Eiffel Tower...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20This is definitely the biggest space I've ever been inside.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25..or a glass box perched on the cloud forest.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- Look at that view.- Wow!
0:00:29 > 0:00:33They are all products of innovation, creativity and hard graft.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36The people running these hotels
0:00:36 > 0:00:39strive to create the perfect sanctuary.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43But what does it take to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences
0:00:43 > 0:00:46in stunning locations?
0:00:46 > 0:00:48To build a hotel in a place like this,
0:00:48 > 0:00:49everybody thinks I'm crazy.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55In total, we have about 160,000 pieces of uniform.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Oh, my word!
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I'm a restaurant writer, newspaper columnist and critic.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I have opinions on just about everything.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05What a mad place to build a hotel!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09I feel like Scott of the Antarctic, and it did not end well for him.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13And I'm a chef, who's worked for the top end of the hospitality industry
0:01:13 > 0:01:14for well over 20 years.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16How many opportunities do you get
0:01:16 > 0:01:19to cook breakfast with elephants and giraffes?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25We'll travel to amazing hotels in every corner of the world.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27To spend time getting to know
0:01:27 > 0:01:29the people working away behind the scenes.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31When did you last have a full night's sleep?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- I don't remember.- Really?- Yes.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36What motivates you to work so hard?
0:01:36 > 0:01:39The kids. I will sacrifice everything for them.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Join us as we venture inside...
0:01:46 > 0:01:49..the world's most extraordinary hotels.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Lapland in Sweden, one of Europe's great wildernesses.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06It's December, the sun does not rise above the horizon
0:02:06 > 0:02:09and temperatures drop below minus 30.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Here, 200km above the Arctic Circle,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16sits the world-famous Icehotel.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20It is incredibly cold.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I suppose if you're going to build an ice hotel anywhere,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24it has to be somewhere cold.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26The polar light, sparkling snow
0:02:26 > 0:02:29and sprawling forests make for a landscape
0:02:29 > 0:02:30that is almost otherworldly.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33Look at this!
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Wow! So beautiful!
0:02:37 > 0:02:40It's an incredibly unusual hotel
0:02:40 > 0:02:44with a dramatic beauty carved from the snow and ice that surround it.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49- Wow!- That's amazing.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55They have pioneered ice chandeliers...
0:02:56 > 0:02:58..an ice bar...
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Oh, it's quite cool, it's quite funny.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04..local delicacies served on ice crockery...
0:03:06 > 0:03:08..and every room is different from the next
0:03:08 > 0:03:11with its own unique work of ice art.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13For the privilege of sleeping in an ice room,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16guests pay up to £1,000 per night.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And with the possibility of northern lights,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22the nights can be beautiful, but they are also long.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24You don't see the sun from mid-December until
0:03:24 > 0:03:25the middle of January.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Mornings at the hotel start at 7:30.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35I'm going to find out how you deal with guests
0:03:35 > 0:03:37who have been sleeping in a freezer.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The 20 rooms are kept at a bone-chilling minus five.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48My first job is helping Micke from housekeeping to wake up the guests.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- Can people be grumpy when you come to wake them up?- Yeah.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55What are your strategies to cheer up the grumpy people?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Er, lingonberry juice, I would say.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- It's all in the juice! - Yes, it's all in the juice.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- Let's hope they are in a good mood. - Yeah.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Lingonberries grow wild across Sweden,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and a hot juice is a popular way to wake up here.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Good morning.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14Good morning.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Something warm to drink.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20How has the night been?
0:04:20 > 0:04:23It's been cold, but amazing.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27I mean, warm in the thermal sleeping bag, which is fantastic,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30but you kind of have to cover yourself right up
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and breathe through a little hole.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Did you sleep in your thermals?
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- One, two, three... - Three layers, plus the sleeping bag?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Dear me. I'm doing it tonight.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41- Are you?- I'm a bit nervous.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43It's just one of those life experiences
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- you can't have, necessarily, anywhere else.- Yeah.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I've got a long night ahead of me.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Thank you.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00There are no power points or phones in the rooms.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Would you like me to turn the lights on?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04So the only way to wake people up is the old-fashioned way.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Hi, guys!
0:05:07 > 0:05:11How was the night? Oh, there's two of you - that's nice.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17- How was it?- It's a mission getting in and out of the sleeping bag.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18It wasn't cold at all, really.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Like, just the tip of your nose.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Oh, gosh! That's good to know.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23- I'm doing it tonight.- Oh, are you?
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Yeah, but on my own.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29You'll be fine - just do the sleeping bag up nice and tight.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- See you!- Bye!- See you!
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Why do people want to come and stay in that temperature?
0:05:36 > 0:05:38You rarely have a comfortable bed
0:05:38 > 0:05:41like this in minus five somewhere else,
0:05:41 > 0:05:42and the rooms are filled with art.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46And it's not just the Icehotel, it's everything around it as well.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48There is so much in one place.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54This rare combination attracts 30,000 guests every year.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Around a quarter are Swedes, while most come from the UK and the USA.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00- It's your room, Flow.- Very cool.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03And I will show you. So, welcome inside.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04Oh, my...!
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Oh, my God!
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Tim from New York and Mary from Chicago are best friends.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14It's been their dream to stay at Icehotel for more than ten years.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16I love the window.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19So this time we need to do something different.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22This is the most different that you can get.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24And adventure. Everybody we talked to was like,
0:06:24 > 0:06:28"Oh, it's on my bucket list. This is something I want to do."
0:06:28 > 0:06:30It's amazing. It's beautiful.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32Oh, bubbles!
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Caroline and Andrew Quinn from Haslemere
0:06:36 > 0:06:39have come to celebrate Andrew's 49th birthday.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41OK. Cheers, babe.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I can't help but stop and just look and it's like,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46"Wow, Andrew, look at this, it's incredible."
0:06:46 > 0:06:49It's a magical, very magical place.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I've got ice in my champagne.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53So have I!
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Oh, my goodness! I have as well.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03The man responsible for ensuring that guests have
0:07:03 > 0:07:05an unforgettable experience is Arne Bergh,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08creative director and the heartbeat of Icehotel.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Originally from the south of Sweden,
0:07:11 > 0:07:16he came to the Arctic 20 years ago as an ice artist and fell in love.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20I think I slipped on the ice and my life took another turn.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22TRANSLATION:
0:07:25 > 0:07:26- ALL:- Skol!
0:07:31 > 0:07:34The hotel opened for the winter season only a matter of days ago.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38The feeling you have when you see that it has succeeded
0:07:38 > 0:07:42and you meet the public, you meet the people coming in and they say,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44"Wow, this is something,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46you have really done something new, something fantastic."
0:07:46 > 0:07:49So, of course, I feel humble and relieved.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00One of Arne's proudest achievements is the Icebar.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01- ALL:- Skol!
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Just what you need. That'll cool you down.
0:08:06 > 0:08:07Cheers!
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Here, guests can drink both familiar cocktails
0:08:11 > 0:08:13and local lingonberry concoctions.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17It's refreshing.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19And, of course, the drinks are served in ice glasses,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22made in the hotel's own factory.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Every piece of ice in the building has come through here at some point.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30I'm going to help Arne make glasses on the production line.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Are there many of these machines in the world?
0:08:33 > 0:08:35- I think it's one. - Really?- I think it's this one.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37- Did you invent it?- Yes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40It's about everything we do, I think it's a lot of inventing.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42You can't go to the hardware store just to buy one.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43It's not like that.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50Ice blocks are cut into cubes, then a drill takes out a central hole.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Just keep on stacking them here as they're coming out.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56My job is quality control,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59a humbling role when all the creative work is done by machine.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01And if you find someone that has a crack in it,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03just throw it over there.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- The drink might come out on your collar.- Yeah.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Some bloke getting drunk on schnapps isn't really going to care, is he?
0:09:09 > 0:09:13And each glass is probably used, on average, a couple of...?
0:09:13 > 0:09:14- Twice?- On average, twice.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19I think the record is something like 12 or 13 refills.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20Before the glass melts?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23No, the guy was down on the ground.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- Really?- Yeah. I would throw it away, I think.- OK.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Now we take this one. You move it over here.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35The machine can make 400 glasses every hour, so the pressure's on me.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Now we've got to move on, we've got to move on.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I better move a bit faster here.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42It's good chatting and everything,
0:09:42 > 0:09:43but it's all getting a bit on top of me.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I was enjoying it at the beginning,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48but suddenly I'm just a cog in a giant industrial ice machine.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51The process can't always have been so mechanised.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Oh, no, me and my colleague were standing at the bar
0:09:54 > 0:09:57drinking a whisky out of a plastic cup.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Then I said to him,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03"We want to do everything in ice here."
0:10:03 > 0:10:05"Yeah, you're right," he said.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10He took a big piece of ice and just cut it like this with a knife.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11And then we went into the bar.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14"Could we have a whisky IN the rocks, please?"
0:10:14 > 0:10:16And that was the start of it.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18What is so extraordinary there is,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21great business ideas that you have in the pub
0:10:21 > 0:10:23don't usually come to anything, do they?
0:10:23 > 0:10:26"I know, we'll make it out of ice - that'll be brilliant!
0:10:26 > 0:10:28"Let's go!" Normally, if it was me,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32I'd have just cut my thumb off and never thought of it again.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Now it's this process,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38so we make something like half a million, a million glasses a year.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39OK, go.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51You're doing a great job but it's time for a coffee break, right?
0:10:55 > 0:10:56I love a big machine,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I love thousands of identical things moving in rows then being stacked,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and it's very nice to get involved in something like that,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05to see these tiny little jewels, these diamonds of ice,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07rocking along, and every single one is going to end with
0:11:07 > 0:11:10somebody filling it with spirits and going, "Cheers!"
0:11:10 > 0:11:12It makes it all the more fun.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Guests have been known to feel
0:11:15 > 0:11:19the need for Dutch courage before sleeping in the ice rooms.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23How do you clean it if someone has spilt, like, red wine onto the ice?
0:11:23 > 0:11:26It happened. We had a big, big red-wine accident.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27This is alcohol.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- It kind of keeps running inside. - Yeah.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31You want to remove it as fast as you can.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36If you get a hole, sometimes you can just pour some new water inside.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37And let it freeze?
0:11:39 > 0:11:40That's brilliant!
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Of course, drinking to excess can have even more dire consequences
0:11:45 > 0:11:47than the occasional spillage.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50But, Micke, what happens if people get sick in here?
0:11:50 > 0:11:51We have to do what you're doing right now.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54I suppose the good thing is it will be all frozen.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Yeah.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Luckily, there are no carpets, curtains or upholstery.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Neither are there Hoovers or mops.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Shovels and spades are the tools of the trade.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06There we go.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09OK, now this feels a bit like normal housekeeping,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11picking up frozen glasses.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17So, recycle there for the glass.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Paper in there. I do like that.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24The specially designed mattresses rest on wooden slats
0:12:24 > 0:12:26set in ice blocks.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Does the reindeer skin really keep people warm?
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Put your hand on the ice, then you put the reindeer fur on the ice
0:12:31 > 0:12:34and then your hand, you won't feel anything.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37The skins protect sleepers from their icy bed frames.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39The fur is made up of hollow hairs,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42making it perfect insulation for reindeer
0:12:42 > 0:12:44and, hopefully, us.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I can't help but be overwhelmed every time I walk into a room to clean it,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54and you are in sort of awe at the magic of this place.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56But I am a bit anxious
0:12:56 > 0:12:59about having to sleep in minus five for the night.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03How are you feeling about checking in?
0:13:03 > 0:13:05The moment has finally come. We finally get to do it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06It's been a phoney war up to now.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10I was quite petrified, hearing, "My gosh, it's minus five."
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Do we sleep like this? Do we take our clothes off?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Well, I've got backup.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17But I'm happy to sleep like this, just to stay warm.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19For visitors who want a respite from the cold,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21not all the hotel's buildings are made of ice.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Guests can also stay in heated chalets,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27take plenty of saunas and eat hearty regional dishes
0:13:27 > 0:13:28in a nicely heated restaurant.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31And before you're shown to your icy bedchamber,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34you check in at a reassuringly warm reception.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Hi, there. Coren and...
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- Galetti.- Galetti? Yup.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41It's one of the more daunting check-in experiences I've had.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46And I'd like to order an extra-warm sleeping bag.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Extra-warm. OK, we'll put that out.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Inside or out, the cold is always a battle here.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Oh, that's a nice way to do it, you stay warm.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57So the hotel supply sleeping bags
0:13:57 > 0:14:00that have been tested to minus 40 degrees.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06You look like you're on some mountain
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and there's a couple of goats behind you.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12How amazing, how beautiful!
0:14:12 > 0:14:15How not where I want to go to actually sleep.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- Can we sleep in these? - I recommend less clothes.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19- Less clothes?- Exactly, yeah.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- Why?- The less clothes the better because, actually,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25it's not the sleeping bag keeping you warm, it's you keeping you warm.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- Your body heat?- Exactly.
0:14:27 > 0:14:28And the less clothes you have
0:14:28 > 0:14:30the faster you spread out the heat in the sleeping bag.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33So, is it better to be completely naked?
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- Yeah.- Completely? - One layer is all we recommend
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- and then you have a hat and a pair of socks as well.- Fine.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40"Pick Your Mustache."
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Oh, my word!
0:14:47 > 0:14:51The bed is real and it's surrounded by cactuses.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Lovely. How about that?
0:14:53 > 0:14:55You've got to climb up there to go to sleep.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57You don't make this easy.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- Nope.- So sit on that and then slide.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03Legs straight out.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10My main concern is what happens when you need to get out of this to go to
0:15:10 > 0:15:14the toilet at night. I'm not going to be wearing waterproofs
0:15:14 > 0:15:17- and you're going to have to slide on this ice.- Yep.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24You guys are pretty lucky. You guys can just run straight inside here.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Oh, this is more like it.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Fortunately, the bathrooms are not made of ice
0:15:28 > 0:15:31and are kept at a very pleasant 20 degrees.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34I can see myself camping on this floor if I get too cold in there.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38- Some even have their own saunas. - This is fab.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Whoo!
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Oh, I'm glad my bed is a bit easier to get into.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53My least favourite people in the whole world, phone morons.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Look at them. It's rather marvellous.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57The room is called Twitter
0:15:57 > 0:16:01and features a host of ice statues fixated on their smartphones.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03I'm going to have telecoms ice nightmares.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Do people ever not make it through the night?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08It has happened, but most often people come up
0:16:08 > 0:16:12because they're jet-lagged or maybe have a cold.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Not because they're entombed in an ice cave?
0:16:16 > 0:16:17- No.- With no windows?- No.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20And minus five degrees - that's not the reason?
0:16:20 > 0:16:22No. That's the cosy part.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25My idea of cosy and your idea of cosy are two very different things.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29It's like the Batcave if Batman couldn't afford the heating bill.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Enjoy your room. Good luck. - I will. Sleep well. Have fun.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35There's no more putting it off.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37It's time for one of the coldest night's sleeps
0:16:37 > 0:16:39that anyone will ever pay for.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44My daughter gave me this a few years ago.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I never leave home without it.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Every time I travel, it goes next to my bed.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59God, I'm already cold.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06I feel like Scott of the Antarctic.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09And, as you know, it did not end well for him.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12This is just like when you're outside in the cold, you get cold,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15you put more layers on. I'll try that.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20It's very, very cold.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26The rooms are so well insulated that once you're tucked up
0:17:26 > 0:17:29it's supernaturally quiet and rather soporific.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39They have no idea. They have no idea.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Arne lives just the other side of the river from the hotel,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46close enough to keep an eye on the brainchild of his wild imagination.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51We have always done the unexpectable, building an ice hotel.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53How crazy is that?
0:17:53 > 0:17:54And sleeping...
0:17:54 > 0:17:58When you can sleep in a comfortable hotel, why should you sleep in ice?
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Because, obviously, it's a good idea - it works.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03It may seem like a good idea
0:18:03 > 0:18:06from the warmth of a cosy Swedish homestead,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08but we've been sleeping at a temperature
0:18:08 > 0:18:09more suited to penguins than people.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It's time for our wake-up call.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Good morning.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Would you like some hot lingonberry juice?
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Did you sleep all right?
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Oh! Oh, my God!
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Yeah. It was all right until I had to go to the toilet,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39until... Oh, hello.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40See you later.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45I've learnt now,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48I understand the attraction about sleeping in an ice room like this.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52It's a unique experience, it really is. Yeah, it's just...
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Really happy, really pleased that I did it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Loved it, love it. I'm so happy I did it.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Good morning.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Oh, man.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09- What have I got? What's that?- It's lingonberry juice.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Cool. All right. You don't do breakfast, do you?
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- Not in bed.- No.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- A cheeky coffee? - No.- PG Tips with a splash of milk?
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- Lingonberry juice.- Bacon and eggs? - More lingonberry juice.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- Magic.- Delicious. Excellent.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28It just feels sort of natural and real and quite intrepid.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29It's as close to living on the edge
0:19:29 > 0:19:32as I'm going to get in my bourgeois little life.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42Once the guests are up, the hotel is transformed into an art gallery.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46150 visitors come each day to see the sculptures first-hand.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Every room is designed and built by different artists.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58There are giant letters...
0:20:00 > 0:20:04..a Victorian library and all sorts of characters.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11The art is bewitching, with an ethereal power all of its own,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13but it doesn't keep you warm.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16For that, you need to turn to food.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17To maintain body temperature,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21visitors are advised to eat 40% more than they usually would.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Guests can gorge on dishes including reindeer topside,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28mushroom risotto and Arctic char.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34The man responsible for feeding all those extra-hungry mouths
0:20:34 > 0:20:38is Alex Meier, the hotel's half-Swedish, half-Swiss head chef.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49He trained in the two-Michelin-starred Le Bearn restaurant in Geneva
0:20:49 > 0:20:51and is famously passionate about his work.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57It's Alex's dream to make the food at the hotel
0:20:57 > 0:20:59as renowned as the ice art.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05To be a chef in this harsh climate,
0:21:05 > 0:21:06you have to think a little differently.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10There are no commercial farms in the area -
0:21:10 > 0:21:13it's simply too cold and dark for things to grow -
0:21:13 > 0:21:15so to get fresh local vegetables on the menu
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Alex has pioneered the use of rein-moss,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22a lichen normally eaten by reindeer rather than hotel diners.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28I love this.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Alex has invited me along to harvest the moss
0:21:31 > 0:21:34and replenish his supplies for the week's service.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36I have to do a snow angel.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Whee!
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Yeah, it's quite hard, but you get used to it after a couple of years.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50The moss is found on almost every pine tree surrounding the hotel.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53- And it's just on the trees?- Yes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55You say "moss". You're not looking at...
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- Are you looking at something like this?- Yeah, exactly.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59I've got a knack for this, huh?
0:21:59 > 0:22:01So, do you just pick it straight off?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- You just collect it, yeah. - Beautiful.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05- Yeah, it's amazing. - Like Christmas tree decorations.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- Yeah.- I mean, it's beautiful on a tree.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Once you take it off, it's like all the hair that you collect in
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- the bottom of a shower.- Yeah.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21- Can you eat it raw?- Try it.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26When it's crispy, it's a bit different.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- It's actually quite bitter. - Yeah, it's quite a bitter taste.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Yeah, there's a very light grassy flavour to it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38With the amount that we have here, how long would that last?
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- This is for maybe two or three nights.- Oh, really?
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- Oh!- No!
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Oh, you've lost all the...
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Don't worry.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49We won't get it back.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52- We'll leave it for the reindeer. Are you OK?- I'm good, I'm good.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56- Watch out here again.- Yeah.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04It's hard enough staying on your feet here,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06let alone foraging for fresh produce,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09but is it worth all the effort?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Perfect.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12In the restaurant,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15different types of rein-moss are served with reindeer fillet
0:23:15 > 0:23:16and shiitake mushrooms.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25It's almost like a crispy sort of rice cracker.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Oh, that's lovely.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34It doesn't matter that Alex is cooking in the Arctic -
0:23:34 > 0:23:38his diners demand their cuisine to be fresh and locally sourced.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39Hi, I'm Monica.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Hi, Monica. Nice to meet you.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Johan Lans is one of Alex's most valued suppliers.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46He's found an extraordinary solution
0:23:46 > 0:23:48to the problem of growing produce here.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Have you been down a mine?
0:23:50 > 0:23:52- Never.- Never? All right.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Just 20 miles from Icehotel is the world's largest
0:23:55 > 0:23:57underground iron-ore mine.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59The Kiruna mine opened over a century ago
0:23:59 > 0:24:03and since then over a billion tonnes has been mined.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07In fact, without it, Icehotel could not exist.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09It's the only reason why there is an airport
0:24:09 > 0:24:10in such a remote northerly spot.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13So, this is the entrance to the mine?
0:24:13 > 0:24:15It feels like you're going into a big tunnel,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17when you go down there.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21It's getting a little foggy on the windows.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25- Yeah.- But it's because it's getting warmer and warmer.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27The mine goes 1,500 metres deep
0:24:27 > 0:24:32and has an extraordinary 80km of underground roads.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Johan's farm is on an empty tier,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36where all the ore has been mined out.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42- It is warm.- Wow!
0:24:42 > 0:24:44I think it's around 15, 16 at least.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Goodness me, Johan!
0:24:56 > 0:25:00What on earth are you growing down here, and is it legal?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03It's legal. And it's shiitake mushrooms.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Wow! Johan's mushroom farm is organic.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11Oh, my word! Look at these! Mushroom heaven.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14It can produce 2,000 kilos of shiitakes per week.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- Have a look at these babies. - Look at that!
0:25:18 > 0:25:20They are so beautiful.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22Perfect.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28It's so fresh.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31It's actually more delicate in flavour, isn't it, this fresh?
0:25:31 > 0:25:33It goes so well with everything.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Johan sells the mushrooms to the hotel, where they're used in soups,
0:25:37 > 0:25:38risotto and with reindeer.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Do it like this, and just take it off.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Almost all of these are the perfect size.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Whatever made you think that
0:25:48 > 0:25:50the mine would be a good place to grow mushrooms?
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Because it's the same climate all the year,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56so the mushroom is always getting the same quality.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Above ground, it's minus 18 degrees.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01In the mine, it is plus 15.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02So does that mean down here
0:26:02 > 0:26:04you don't have to worry about the cost of heating?
0:26:04 > 0:26:07If we should be in a warehouse in winter, in Kiruna,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10it should be really, really expensive to make it.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12We don't use almost no energy at all.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Look at that beauty.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18I love my job. I love your job, actually.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26It's not just the kitchen that strives to source locally.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29All the ice in this frozen colossus of a hotel
0:26:29 > 0:26:33comes from the River Torne that snakes past its front door.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37The ice is harvested in March, when it's thickest,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40and stored in the warehouse throughout the year.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42So this is what we've got left.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Arne's showing me round his ice store
0:26:44 > 0:26:47to give me a better idea of how you make a hotel out of a river.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51So there's a machine that's out there that cuts them out just like that,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55lifts them up and brings them here? So they're like diamonds?
0:26:55 > 0:26:56There are actually the mine,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59they are the diamonds, they are everything.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01How is it different from working with a concrete block?
0:27:01 > 0:27:03- You don't need mortar? - It's very simple.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05It's a two-component glue.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09It's like water and temperature - that's the two components we need,
0:27:09 > 0:27:10then we can glue them together.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13So what makes a good ice block?
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- These look to me different.- They are different, they're all different.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20That's what I say. It's a frozen world.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25You can look into a block, it can be like skies inside, a landscape.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28You can look into a block... Look here.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31This could be an underwater world, where you see something.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33A photograph of the underneath of the...
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- Oh, yes.- Do you ever get fish in them?
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Yeah, once we had a fish inside.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42- It's like a mascot for the people working here.- That's really cool.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- And this is ice pre-cut?- Yeah.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48That's a chandelier going into the church
0:27:48 > 0:27:51- when they're finished building it. - Ah-ha.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I was very touched by Arne's strong emotional response
0:27:54 > 0:27:56to the material that he works with.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59The way that a sculptor looks at a block of marble
0:27:59 > 0:28:01and sees the human within that they merely have to pull out of
0:28:01 > 0:28:05the marble, he looks at a big old slab of ice, a carved cube of river,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07and sees a hotel.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Whilst Arne might see a hotel, Alex sees a gastronomic experience.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Here, Monica, we even have the ice piece.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17- These are neat.- Yeah.- Look at that.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19You can use them on both sides,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21you can put something inside or, now,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- we're going to do something on the side.- So, we've got one each?- Yes.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Alex offers a signature ice menu.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30What sort of challenges do you face, using ice?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41- Pushes you to be a bit more creative, does it?- Yes.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48How many courses are there on this menu?
0:28:48 > 0:28:50It's seven courses.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52The starter for today is Swedish bleak roe.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56Like caviar, the saltiness of the roe means it doesn't freeze.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Plating on ice is a whole new experience for me.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03- That was right, wasn't it? - Yeah, perfect.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- It's just plain creme fraiche? - No, we whip it.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08It's plain creme fraiche that we whip so it gets a bit harder.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10- And a bit of dill. - And some dill. Service.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14Next, we are going to make sashimi with a wakame salad.
0:29:14 > 0:29:15- Want to make one?- Sure.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Unlike outside, the kitchen is roasting hot.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Alex has come up with an innovative solution -
0:29:29 > 0:29:32a soy jelly to hold everything in place.
0:29:32 > 0:29:33Very cool. I like that.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41The menu finishes with a dessert of panna cotta, Arctic raspberries,
0:29:41 > 0:29:42and cloudberries.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46It's a ideal plate for this dessert, isn't it?
0:29:46 > 0:29:48You're not going to worry about the sorbet melting.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50No. That's one thing that's really amazing.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56It's hard to believe in the depths of winter, but when summer comes,
0:29:56 > 0:30:00there is 24 hours of daylight, and temperatures reach 20 degrees.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03In these conditions, you'd think an ice hotel would melt.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06But this hotel isn't just a work of art,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08it's also a ground-breaking piece of engineering.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13It is the world's first all-season, 365-days-a-year ice hotel.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18In summer, grass will grow on the roof, whilst inside,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21it will remain forever winter.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23Built this year, the 365, as it's known,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25is a solution to a long-standing problem.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Visitors stopped coming as soon as spring arrived.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33365 was the answer to the questions we had for so many years.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35What can we do?
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Because we've got four months high season.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41So, now we are taking a big step into the future.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45The man responsible for making sure this leap into the future is a success,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49and not just an enormous puddle, is chief engineer Michael Uhland.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52- Hi.- Hello.- I'm Giles.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56So, how do you make the building cold?
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Just a freezing unit to cool down the whole hotel.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01So, this is all really like the back of a fridge?
0:31:01 > 0:31:04It actually depends all on this in this room.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08We actually mix antifreeze, 50/50 with water,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10cool it down to -40 degrees.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12You pump that around the hotel, do you?
0:31:12 > 0:31:14It goes out the roof
0:31:14 > 0:31:16and then it goes into the corridor.
0:31:16 > 0:31:2015 airlocks guard the delicate interior.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22The skeleton is made of steel and concrete
0:31:22 > 0:31:26and covered with 2,000 square metres of insulation.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28It's like an overgrown Thermos flask.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Of course, we have this insulation layer of 20 centimetres.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33Most people put insulation on the roof to keep the heat in.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35This is the reverse system, you know.
0:31:35 > 0:31:4020 centimetres of insulation will protect from summer temperatures.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Hidden from the guests in the cavity between the insulated roof
0:31:43 > 0:31:46and the icy corridor are the eaves.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50You've got some worrying frost on your pipes, there.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53- Yeah.- These are presumably containing the coolant, are they?
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- Yeah.- And how does the coldness of that get into to the room?
0:31:56 > 0:32:01The smaller ones, here, the white ones, they go into each room.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- Around the whole room? - Around the whole room.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07This will be the first summer where you'll find out if it works.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10- Right.- And if it's not,
0:32:10 > 0:32:11move on to another project!
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Paradoxically, the system designed to keep the ice frozen
0:32:19 > 0:32:22will be powered by solar panels.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26The whole 365 Icehotel is powered by the sun.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28And the sun is the enemy to the ice.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31It eats our art, it eats our design.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33And now, because we have the whole building
0:32:33 > 0:32:35covered by solar cell panels,
0:32:35 > 0:32:40that means the sun is powering the 365,
0:32:40 > 0:32:42and that is a fantastic thought.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45It's an amazing achievement, the 365.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47For my part, I can fully understand
0:32:47 > 0:32:49coming here to the frozen, snowy wastes
0:32:49 > 0:32:52to hunker down in what is basically a natural igloo for the night
0:32:52 > 0:32:55and really get in touch with your cold, northern, snowy self.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58To spend your holiday, on the other hand, in a giant fridge,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01that's something different, that's a more peculiar taste.
0:33:01 > 0:33:02It may be peculiar,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05but the 365 comes after a long line of seasonal ice hotels
0:33:05 > 0:33:07built on this land.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12It all began in 1991,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14when entrepreneur Yngve Bergqvist
0:33:14 > 0:33:18decided to establish an ice gallery for local indigenous art.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22It only became a hotel by accident after workers began sleeping there.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Since then, every winter, in November,
0:33:25 > 0:33:29they have made a seasonal hotel out of nothing but snow and ice.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31And every spring, in April,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34that hotel has began to melt back into the river.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37The base of the Icehotel is to build in the winter,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41to follow the season and let it go with the floe.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46Great. OK, down we go.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51Arne is continuing the annual ritual of building a seasonal hotel.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57This 27th incarnation is known by workers as The 27,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59and we are going to help.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Perhaps, surprisingly, it's not made of ice blocks alone.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05The superstructure is built out of a substance called snice,
0:34:05 > 0:34:09which is made using the snow throwers normally used in ski resorts.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Snice is actually water.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14It goes through this snow cannon,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and the snow cannon produces small ice crystals with air between,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21so it's white as snow, but stronger than snow, but softer than ice.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25When the snice freezes, it sets like concrete.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27So, it's the perfect building material for us.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33The arch, that's the frames which we use for the building.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37We put them up in a line, in sections.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43Then we throw the snice onto them, until we have a thick cover.
0:34:48 > 0:34:53And then we wait one day or two and then we lower them.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00And pull them out with a tractor because they are on skis,
0:35:00 > 0:35:01so they can be moved.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Like a tunnel of opportunities.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08It takes 10,000 tonnes of snice and ice
0:35:08 > 0:35:10to build the main structure of the hotel.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14Only once it's ready can work on the 35 bedrooms begin.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22- Oh, it's freezing.- It is freezing.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24There is a lot to do and not much time.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Luckily for Arne, help is at hand.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Why would I want to live in this lovely, warm, wooden hut like this?
0:35:30 > 0:35:33I know, I'll build a house out of ice, just because I can.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36First, we need to get kitted up...
0:35:36 > 0:35:39- Hello.- ..for one of the world's coldest construction sites.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43We need you, you know, because there's quite a lot...
0:35:43 > 0:35:46Still got quite a lot to do until we open.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49- The is always things to do. - You'll be able to tell I'm a builder
0:35:49 > 0:35:52because I'll always be on a coffee break and nothing will get built.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Just run around with the other builders.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Sorry, love, knocking-off time.
0:35:56 > 0:36:01- Two pair of shoes here for Giles and Monica.- Thank you.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04- Thank you. - Steel cap, for protection.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07If you get an ice block on your feet, you know, that's not very nice.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09- No.- These ice blocks, they're about two tonnes.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17It seems that Monica and I might not be quite the pair
0:36:17 > 0:36:20of capable construction workers Arne had hoped for.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23- I don't know, I think... Does it...? How does it...?- It's Monica's.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27- This is Monica's, yeah. - And that's yours.- Yeah.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29- We're OK.- Are you OK for now?
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Yeah, I don't really want to change either.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35You're not used to so much snow, are you?
0:36:35 > 0:36:39Yeah, we get a scattering in January usually, for a couple of days.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41Often it can be half an inch. It's lethal.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46We are not the only rookies on this building site.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50Of the 31 artists tasked with designing and sculpting rooms,
0:36:50 > 0:36:5320 have never worked here before.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58We've got artists from Hong Kong, Japan, Iran, England and all over.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01For some, it's their first time working with ice.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03It's so different to be here.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06They could be big city people, sitting in an office,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09working on a computer in digital design.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13They are very skilled, but here, it's really practical
0:37:13 > 0:37:17and so for them I think it's a challenge, but also an inspiration.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20So, guys, you should make this fella,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22the chainsaw, your best friend.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25They will have 15 days to complete their rooms.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29Come over, Lisa.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Take this hand and move this one forward.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Dorset sculptor Lisa Lindqvist is one of the novices.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- It was there. - Oh, have I just locked it?
0:37:38 > 0:37:39Yeah.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42I think you locked it again.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49It's been a dream for about 20 years.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53It's always been there as, "One day I'd love to do the Icehotel."
0:37:54 > 0:37:57You're pushing yourself in all ways,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00physically and mentally and creatively.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04I'm joining Lisa as she works on her room,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06called Sleeping Inside A Thought.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11- Hi, Lisa.- Hi.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14- Hi.- Goodness me, look at this.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17'It's less than a week until guests arrive.'
0:38:17 > 0:38:18Do you trust me with this?
0:38:18 > 0:38:21'Compared to the finished rooms in the all-year-round hotel,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23'it is very much a work in progress.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28'Rather than embrace the chainsaw,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31'Lisa is sticking to what she knows best - the chisel.'
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Let's hope whoever takes the room won't be looking in this corner.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40I see what it looks like now.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45So, what's the concept behind the room?
0:38:45 > 0:38:49Literally, could not sleep for getting so excited about applying.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52And I was getting quite... You know that nervous energy,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55where you're sort of...loads of ideas are running around,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57and then I thought, "Maybe that should be the idea,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00"that you're just sleeping inside your thought."
0:39:00 > 0:39:04The bed is kind of sort of flying, about to take off, on fire.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06- I can see the flames taking shape. - Yeah.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10'We need to finish the walls before the bed and lighting can be moved in.'
0:39:15 > 0:39:17And what is a typical day like for you?
0:39:17 > 0:39:21About six till nine or ten, but it gets quite obsessive,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24and physically, there's nothing I do that's like this.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28- You know, not relentless, every day. - It's a room.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33It's really nice having a helping hand.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Well, I'm glad it's making a difference.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42With all this effort and stress,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45how do you feel about it all melting away, eventually?
0:39:45 > 0:39:47I think that's quite lovely.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50It comes from the river, goes back to the river.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54I'm just adding my little bit for a couple of weeks, and then...
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Yeah.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02'Whilst Monica works away, I want to have a quick explore.'
0:40:02 > 0:40:04These are awesome! I tell you what,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06the people have been having an awful lot of fun.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Every one you go in just makes you giggle.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13He's got a little bit of heavy metal playing,
0:40:13 > 0:40:16he's basically building a room out of giant sugar cubes.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19It's just a massive trip. I want to sleep in this one.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23What could be better?
0:40:24 > 0:40:28The construction site of the hotel is like an enormous, ever-changing
0:40:28 > 0:40:30and not very warm art studio.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Basically got sort of stained-glass windows like Westminster Abbey.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Howard Miller is an architect.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44He is building the room with his brother Hugh, a furniture designer.
0:40:44 > 0:40:45They're from Liverpool.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47They don't look like this to begin with.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50That's a leaf made from a mould of a leaf.
0:40:50 > 0:40:55'They've collared me for the arduous task of making weenie ice leaves.'
0:40:55 > 0:40:57- That's a very nice leaf. - That's about an hour's work.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59You've chosen a bonkers theme, for me.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02I was kind of up for lifting some pieces of ice.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Something a bit manly. Burn some calories, work off my lunch.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08'The room is called Ikebana.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11'The focus is an intricate cherry blossom tree.'
0:41:14 > 0:41:16Is that all right?
0:41:16 > 0:41:17It'll fall to bits.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19- Will it?- You want it to be flat.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22'There will be 84 leaves.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24'To create each one, I have to melt the edge on a hot plate
0:41:24 > 0:41:26'and force them together.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28'It's delicate work.'
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- Like that? - Yeah, that's pretty good.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34- It is sticking to the glove quite a lot.- Yeah, that happens.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37The most annoying thing is that when you've actually managed
0:41:37 > 0:41:39to get one on the tree, and you pull your glove away
0:41:39 > 0:41:41and the whole thing just goes...pfft!
0:41:46 > 0:41:49It was all fine until you said put three on there.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52- You could spend all the time you have left making the perfect flower...- Yeah.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54..and you still wouldn't have a room.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57Whereas you do 300 good flowers and you've got a room.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59It's got to be done in two days.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01The perfect is the enemy of the good, Howard.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04That's my motto. What do you reckon of my completed leaves?
0:42:04 > 0:42:06We'll smuggle them in somewhere.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- I'll be part of the Icehotel? - Yeah.- Cool.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Art has always been at the heart of the hotel.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16The original Icehotel was a showcase
0:42:16 > 0:42:19for the craftsmanship of the local Sami people.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Also known as Laplanders,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24the Sami are renowned as nomadic reindeer herders.
0:42:24 > 0:42:30The hotel today buys all of its reindeer meat from one Sami supplier - Manne.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Manne has been helping rear reindeer since he was three.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58I've taken a break from construction
0:42:58 > 0:43:02to find out more about how the hotel has impacted the Sami people.
0:43:03 > 0:43:04What do you do with this meat?
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Reindeer sausage.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08- Reindeer sausage?- Yes.- Nice.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11- All the trimmings for sausages. - Yeah.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14'I'm helping Manne's butcher, Vladimir,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16'prepare some reindeer meat for the hotel.'
0:43:18 > 0:43:20- Hey, Monica.- Hey, Manne.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Wahey!
0:43:37 > 0:43:40Lunch? Oh, sounds good!
0:43:49 > 0:43:52It just falls away when you eat it. Delicious.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55It's like something you'd have in a shawarma.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58'Tourists can sometimes be a problem for the migrating reindeer.'
0:44:05 > 0:44:08'Luckily, Icehotel and its guests are far away
0:44:08 > 0:44:11'from the reindeer's historic grazing grounds.'
0:44:11 > 0:44:15How has the hotel and tourism affected your business?
0:44:32 > 0:44:38Do you think the nomadic way of the reindeer herders can continue?
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Back at base, it's only days until the seasonal hotel is due to open,
0:45:03 > 0:45:05and work is going on around the clock.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Next door, the permanent hotel is at full capacity.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15For the guests, sleeping in an ice room is the main attraction,
0:45:15 > 0:45:19but nature comes a close second, offering frozen forests,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22the River Torne and the famous Northern Lights.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29The hotel organises expeditions into the wild.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32Each trip is led by one of 12 specially trained guides.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38- So my name is Leif Hannes... - GIVES HIS FULL NAME
0:45:38 > 0:45:40..but people call me Hannes.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44I work as a wilderness guide here at the Icehotel.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49For a lot of tourists coming up here,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51this might feel a bit like them being on Mars.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56But for me it feels like home, basically.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Is there any other place in the world I'd rather be?
0:46:01 > 0:46:02Not really.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12So I'm off to meet Hannes to set up the snowmobiles
0:46:12 > 0:46:15to take some tourists out for a major trek into the wilderness
0:46:15 > 0:46:18and to look after them, cater to their every whim.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21'Hannes and the other guides will, on average,
0:46:21 > 0:46:24'take out 200 of these excursions each per season.'
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Is this all you are wearing?
0:46:26 > 0:46:30- What do you mean?- Well, look, I'm dressed up in a boiler suit!
0:46:30 > 0:46:32Yeah, but I'm an Arctic creature.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35'The tour is a winter wilderness survival trip.'
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Put them on your back like that.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41'Designed to show tourists the skills needed to endure the Arctic wastes.'
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Put two on each seat, basically.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45- Over the snow?- Over the snow.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47'I will be helping Hannes keep an eye on the guests
0:46:47 > 0:46:49'and make sure we don't lose any.'
0:46:49 > 0:46:52If you weren't there, if a bunch of tourists wandered off and got lost,
0:46:52 > 0:46:54how long would they survive out here?
0:46:54 > 0:46:58It depends. If they go out when we have the coldest temperatures,
0:46:58 > 0:47:03like -40 degrees centigrade or even more than that, I would say...
0:47:04 > 0:47:09With just jeans and sneakers, they would probably survive half an hour,
0:47:09 > 0:47:11an hour, something like that.
0:47:11 > 0:47:12Sarah Tucker?
0:47:12 > 0:47:15All three. All right.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19My name is Hannes and I'm going to be your survival guide today.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22'Today's guests are all British.'
0:47:22 > 0:47:26Balaclava, a scarf, just take it on top of your nose.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28It will be windy out on the river here,
0:47:28 > 0:47:32so just so you don't get any frostbite or even start to get cold.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37All right.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Let's see about my intern, if he could find a helmet.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42All right?
0:47:43 > 0:47:44Everybody ready?
0:47:51 > 0:47:55'We're heading to the other side of the river to the forest.'
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Not since I got on a camel have I been this comfortable!
0:48:00 > 0:48:02'Wind chill from the ride can cause frostbite.'
0:48:06 > 0:48:08You look a little bit red here in-between your eyes.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10You're not cold there at all?
0:48:10 > 0:48:11All right.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15'Hannes and I are looking for white spots that can be early indicators.'
0:48:15 > 0:48:18- Still got your fingers and toes? - Yeah.- Cool.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20- You're not freezing at all?- No.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24'The main set piece of Hannes's tour
0:48:24 > 0:48:27is to show guests how to make a fire in such hostile conditions.'
0:48:27 > 0:48:30Always try to keep some signs that you can recognise.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32'In this part of Sweden,
0:48:32 > 0:48:35'there is less than one person per square kilometre.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37'Finding someone with a bag of kindling
0:48:37 > 0:48:39'and a box of matches is unlikely.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42'So our first job is gathering firewood.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48'At this time of year it's already dark at 2pm.'
0:48:49 > 0:48:52- Ooh!- Yeah, careful there. When walking through very deep snow,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54it's important to try and spread out.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57- Oh, sorry! - You did that deliberately!
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Someone has been here before me.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02I can tell from the way it's been sliced off.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04There may be other survivors.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09It's my stick!
0:49:10 > 0:49:13'My next task is to show the guests how to start a fire
0:49:13 > 0:49:16'using only a flint and some birch bark.'
0:49:18 > 0:49:20How long have I been doing this? About ten hours?
0:49:20 > 0:49:23No, five minutes.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26I'm not going to do it for you, Giles.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29If you're going to be a guide, you have to know how to do this.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32I don't think I'd make much of a wilderness guide.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33The key thing seems to be patience.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36You wouldn't want to be stuck with me in a wilderness,
0:49:36 > 0:49:38unless what you needed was someone to just...panic.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46'Just when Hannes is beginning to doubt my potential as a guide,
0:49:46 > 0:49:48'I succeed in igniting a roaring blaze.'
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Giles made a fire!
0:49:50 > 0:49:53- Yeah, seems like I did it. - Who did that?- I'm proud.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55Maybe I could be a guide after all.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58You can press the twigs a little bit. There you go!
0:49:58 > 0:50:00I've basically been faking it up to now.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02I mean, I'm something of a fire king.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06Roaring away there, roaring away. Very pleased with that.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10'Up here, there are few sources of vitamins C,
0:50:10 > 0:50:12'but in one cup of pine needle tea,
0:50:12 > 0:50:16'you can get as much as you would from five glasses of orange juice.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19'Sadly, there is a downside...'
0:50:19 > 0:50:21It smells like a sauna.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23A little bit, yeah.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26It tastes like a kitchen table.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29'Perhaps it's an acquired taste.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32'Certainly, the trip itself is an exciting departure
0:50:32 > 0:50:33'from the confines of the hotel.'
0:50:33 > 0:50:35That's a wonderful way of offering them.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38It's just a half-hour trip on a snowmobile across a frozen river
0:50:38 > 0:50:42and suddenly they're in the wilderness being taught how to make fire
0:50:42 > 0:50:45with birch, bark and flints and boil pine needle tea on it.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49They can't go home complaining they haven't had a range of experiences.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55After a ferociously cold day of guest wrangling,
0:50:55 > 0:51:00it's time to unwind, but here, even having a hot bath takes work.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04The bath is heated by wood-burning stoves -
0:51:04 > 0:51:08a part of the traditional sauna experience enjoyed by hotel guests.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12- Ohh!- Is it hot?- Really warm.
0:51:12 > 0:51:13It's nice, though.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18Oh, gosh.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20It's been a long workday.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22It has been a long, hard day.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32So, Hannes, how do you feel when you're out there?
0:51:32 > 0:51:35For me, it's exciting, it possibly feels a little bit dangerous.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39- You presumably feel at home? - If I'm in the wilderness,
0:51:39 > 0:51:42I always feel this kind of sense of freedom.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44I love people and I love the wild,
0:51:44 > 0:51:46and I can bring both of them together.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49What do you think your guests get out of it?
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Are they looking to escape?
0:51:51 > 0:51:54Well, that's what I try to give them, as a guide, at least.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58We are humble and kind, but in a harsh way.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02It's kind of weird if you don't live in this culture.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05It's a really strange perspective.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10So I'm feeling a bit warm. What about a snow roller?
0:52:10 > 0:52:12A snow roller? Is that a cocktail?
0:52:12 > 0:52:16No, it's not a cocktail! It's when you go and roll in the snow.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18Oh, no! What, actually lie in the snow?
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Just lie down and roll around. Are you ready? On three...
0:52:20 > 0:52:22One, two, three!
0:52:22 > 0:52:23Oh, Jesus!
0:52:28 > 0:52:29Oh!
0:52:38 > 0:52:40That's hot in there! Oh, that's prickly.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42Oh, that's nice!
0:52:42 > 0:52:45Oh! Oh, that's prickly!
0:52:45 > 0:52:46Ahh!
0:52:57 > 0:53:01For seasonal workers, like Hannes, the all-year-round Icehotel
0:53:01 > 0:53:03will make a huge difference to their working lives.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07The main alternative employer is the mine.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09I would call it Mordor.
0:53:09 > 0:53:14It looks like Lord of the Rings - dark and haunted almost.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16It's even worse during night-time.
0:53:16 > 0:53:17You can see it more and more.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19I don't know how to explain it better.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22The mine is surrounded by the town of Kiruna.
0:53:22 > 0:53:23Of the population of 18,000,
0:53:23 > 0:53:28more than 2,000 work at the mine and many more in related businesses.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31We are basically the second richest city in Sweden.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33It's all because of the mine.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Earn quite a lot of money down there.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39But, for Hannes, a life underground has never appealed.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50The Icehotel now provides him with a permanent alternative.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06After six weeks of working day and night,
0:54:06 > 0:54:08the big day has finally arrived for Hannes
0:54:08 > 0:54:10and all his hotel colleagues -
0:54:10 > 0:54:13the launch of the 27th seasonal hotel.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15There's only two hours to go until the opening of The 27,
0:54:15 > 0:54:16the original Icehotel.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19Frankly, in parts, it still looks like a bit of a building site.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23There is a terrific sense of urgency - even Arne is mucking in.
0:54:23 > 0:54:24It's all hands to the pump.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27So what can I do? Can I genuinely be any use?
0:54:27 > 0:54:29I think you can because we are in a hurry
0:54:29 > 0:54:32and we've got to fix the reception desk before we open.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36I would like it to be a little bit wave, like water.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38You go like this. Can you see?
0:54:38 > 0:54:39I can see.
0:54:39 > 0:54:44You take a firm grip and, you see, I have to like...
0:54:44 > 0:54:45- You know.- Oh, dear.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48- Not stop.- You've got to sort of...
0:54:50 > 0:54:51And you go straight.
0:54:53 > 0:54:54Gosh! If I go too far,
0:54:54 > 0:54:57you're going to end up with no reception desk, aren't you?
0:54:57 > 0:54:59- Is that OK?- That's OK.
0:55:01 > 0:55:02He trusts me with this tool.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04This is the reception desk of The 27,
0:55:04 > 0:55:07the big house that people have come from all over the world to stay,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10and he's just handed me... I don't even know what it's called.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13And set me to try and create a water effect on the reception desk.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15It's quite stressful.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20As guests begin to gather outside the hotel,
0:55:20 > 0:55:22Lisa's still battling to finish her room.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25I love the idea you just put a carpet down.
0:55:25 > 0:55:26How long before the guests arrive, Lisa?
0:55:26 > 0:55:29Apparently, five o'clock, and I think it's about four o'clock now.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31- You've got an hour?- Yeah.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Did you think it was going to be this last-minute?
0:55:33 > 0:55:36No, I really did not think it would be this last-minute.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38So it's just the lighting and the bed can go down?
0:55:38 > 0:55:39Just the lighting, yeah.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50I'm very much getting the hang of it.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52It's all about the motion, bend the knees,
0:55:52 > 0:55:55kind of swivel at the hips and then just smooth movement.
0:55:55 > 0:55:56I may have found my calling.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00I've never been an artistic type, but this may be it.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02Maybe next year, I'll come back and do a room.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08Getting the snow in is easier than getting it back out.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11- Give it a good kick. - Is it always a rush like this?
0:56:11 > 0:56:13When you have a premiere, when you have an opening,
0:56:13 > 0:56:15it's always like that and it's been,
0:56:15 > 0:56:18all the years I've been working with the Icehotel, last-minute.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20- So, what do you reckon? - Yeah, look at it.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23- It's got a lovely shimmer. - We've got a reception desk, OK?
0:56:23 > 0:56:25Get in there.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28With only moments to spare, the hotel is complete.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32The guests gathered tonight will be the first of 12,000
0:56:32 > 0:56:35that will stay here before the hotel melts.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Everyone, we've got cold drinks here.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42For founder Yngve and Arne, it has been a monumental year -
0:56:42 > 0:56:45the opening of the world's first permanent ice hotel
0:56:45 > 0:56:47and the completion, just in time,
0:56:47 > 0:56:49of the 27th seasonal hotel.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51So, welcome!
0:56:51 > 0:56:54- Hello!- Welcome to the Icehotel.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58It's an amazing work, it's an amazing job.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03- 27!- That's it - 27.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06And welcome inside.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15We are building dreams, in a way, and making dreams come true.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19When people are heading in for the first time and you see...
0:57:19 > 0:57:24- like a man 50 years old, like this. - Yeah.- This is amazing!
0:57:26 > 0:57:30If people, artists, guests, anyone who comes here
0:57:30 > 0:57:32who can contribute to a beautiful experience,
0:57:32 > 0:57:34in some way, then you are happy.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37You know the best feature in this room?
0:57:37 > 0:57:39That wall.
0:57:44 > 0:57:46It's been a fascinating experience
0:57:46 > 0:57:49to work in these two radically different ice hotels.
0:57:50 > 0:57:5327 - what an achievement.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55They got that done just in the nick of time.
0:57:55 > 0:58:00And it really is remarkable to create artworks, stunning rooms,
0:58:00 > 0:58:03whole buildings out of frozen water alone,
0:58:03 > 0:58:05and to do it to a deadline year after year.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10Oh, come on! It's little more than an igloo when you compare it with 365.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12What an achievement! All-year-round ice hotel.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Yeah, but is it as special?
0:58:14 > 0:58:17'Perhaps it's not as romantic as its elder brother,
0:58:17 > 0:58:19'but its technical brilliance, its ingenious use of the sun
0:58:19 > 0:58:22'and its incalculable value for local people
0:58:22 > 0:58:23'make it a towering accomplishment.'
0:58:23 > 0:58:26They're both special. They're both enormously special.
0:58:26 > 0:58:30They both reflect the amazingness of this crazy frozen part of the world.
0:58:30 > 0:58:31I have to agree.
0:58:31 > 0:58:35But maybe the greatest triumph of all is to have taken somewhere
0:58:35 > 0:58:38so apparently inhospitable, so alienating to most humans
0:58:38 > 0:58:42and made it warm, welcoming and utterly magical.