Snowhotel Kirkenes
Kirkenes, Norway
Snowhotel Kirkenes is rebuilt each winter in the far north-east of Norway, close to the Barents Sea. Rooms are carved and packed from snow, held at a steady sub-zero temperature regardless of the weather outside, and guests sleep on insulated beds in expedition-grade bags; warm buildings nearby hold the bathrooms, dining room and a fire. Carved detail changes from season to season because the structure does not survive the spring. The latitude also means the property sits under long polar nights in midwinter and continuous daylight in summer, when the site operates differently.