Hotels in Sweden

An authoritative 2021 figure found more than 3,300 hotels, hostels and holiday villages in Sweden, of which about 2,100 were classified as hotels. The booking website Agoda claims to offer more than 13,000 Swedish hotels, but this count includes all types of accommodation, including holiday rentals of various kinds.

At off-peak times until early May, the lowest-priced Stockholm single hotel rooms can be found from 400-500 kronor a night (see Money below), but a realistic minimum rate at most destinations and most times would be 700-800kr for advance fixed bookings. Budget hotels in Stockholm can be found at 900kr per night in mid-July. At true hotels, breakfast is usually included in the advertised rate.

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Making bookings

Bookings are described by day of arrival (ankomst) and departure (avresa) – hence the morning after the last night’s stay should be included. Expect to provide a credit or debit card number when booking direct online, by email or by phone. Cancellation (avbeställning) of bookings is often possible at 24 hours’ notice, but check terms – special deals tend to have restrictive cancellation rules or demand part or full payment. Note that the terms double and twin are often used interchangeably.

Visit accommodation booking websites for cheap deals but check terms and conditions carefully before booking. Cancellations or changes to bookings might forfeit any deposit or incur a fee. Major chains have their own central booking websites for which varying rates and associated conditions – such as no-cancellation discounts – might apply

Three strong booking principles are:

Book early
Compare hotel booking site rates with hotels’ own sites where possible
Check differences between weekday and weekend rates

Some last-minute bookings might be cheap as well, but the practice will overall likely turn out to be expensive.

For more details on how to save money on accommodation bookings, check out Raven Guides’ blog on How to get European hotels for cheap rates on your terms.

Apart from international hotel booking websites, there is the Sweden-based Swedentips.se option. There, hotels and other accommodation properties are bookable by region. Some tourist offices can assist with accommodation bookings, usually through their websites. Among big cities, Stockholm does not, but Gothenburg, Uppsala and Malmö do.

Parking at large hotels might come at a daily cost, while small hotels may not be able to offer parking.

Hotel stars in Sweden

Sweden is a signatory to the Hotelstars Union, an agreement to conform to criteria for hotel stars ratings, although the standard is voluntary. The hotel stars standards for Sweden. come under the European hospitality organisation HOTREC.

One star: There should be a shared toilet and bath or shower for every 10 rooms. A basin with hot and cold water should be in the rooms and central heating should be provided. Breakfast should be served and there should be 24-hour access.

Two stars: At least 40% of the rooms must have private toilets and bath or shower and there should be the opportunity to buy refreshments.

Three stars: There should be a private bathroom, telephone and TV in every room. There should be access to a guest PC and hotel staff should be available during office hours. The rooms must be non-smoking and multi-storey buildings should have an elevator.

Four stars: There should be an a la carte restaurant and minibars or room service. Hotel staff must available around the clock. There should be access to the internet in at least 50% of rooms and international TV channels. A copy machine should be available, as well as a laundry service. Interior design should be "of comfort standard".

Five stars: The hotel should have a pool, sauna and/or gym with staff, and airconditioning. Every room should have internet access and a safe box. There should be "exclusive interior design" and suites.