Many hotels in Norway are now for sale

June 28, 2010

Morgedal Hotel Telemark is one of many hotels in Norway is now for sale.

Many want to sell – few want to buy

Many of the country’s smaller family run hotels are struggling to bring the operation forward. Few will take over. And buyers are not queuing.

There are only 1200 people in Hornindal. But the municipal center Grodås has had hotels since 1867. Now the future is uncertain. Anne Raftevolds (60) is probably the last one in the family who will run the hotel.

“Generations are growing up today to think differently. None of the two children, now living in Oslo, want to move back here to run the hotel. They have grown up here and seen how much work it is,” she says.

This family’s situation is not unique. Many of the typical summer hotels in smaller towns – which are closed much of the winter months – stand at a crossroads. The reason may be a generational change, but also that it is increasingly harder to survive on just the summer traffic. Even in the tourist village of Geiranger has one of these summer hotels – Geiranger Hotel – which is also for sale.

“This is a development we have also seen. To survive increases, in order to keep open, to attract traffic in other periods than only from May to September,” said Tourism Director Per-Arne Tuftin of Innovation Norway.