Rooms with history

During the 20th century, Akademihotellet had rich history before it became a hotel. When the hotel building was built in 1930, it was a milestone in Uppsala University’s history. The house was built by the Uppsala Student Union and came to accommodate the city’s first student dormitories. As only male students were welcome as tenants, the house was quickly nicknamed “Gubbhyllan”, meaning “old man´s loft.” The location of the student housing was strategic, in the middle of Uppsala’s cultural-historical center near the University House, the Cathedral, Uppsala Castle and the library Carolina Rediviva.

History is always present 

Many students have lived at Gubbhyllan over the years, occasionally to this day the hotel receives visits from former students who stay at the hotel to revive memories from their student years. In this way, history is always present at Akademihotellet.

– For us who work here, it is inspiring to meet guests who possess so much knowledge and can tell us about older times. It contributes to the homely atmosphere that we have in the hotel, says the Hotel Manager Helena Hammarberg of Akademihotellet.

In the 1960s, SIDA (Swedish Development Cooperation Agency) began using the house for training of staff members who were going abroad. Then, the rooms that we use as conference rooms today were set up as training venues for SIDA’s aid staff. The prestigious neighboring Clasonska gården has also been used as conference and teaching premises since that time as a conference and teaching hall. The international element that was established through the SIDA training has certainly lived on until this day thanks to visits from visiting researchers and international conference guests. After SIDA’s activities ceased in 1996, Uppsala University took over and called it Internationella kursgården (International Training Center).

A unique hotel project

When Internationella kursgården started shifting their focus towards hotel and conference, the name was changed to Akademihotellet in 2002.

– It was a unique project to establish a new hotel in collaboration with the university, says Staffan Ström, former CEO of Akademihotellet. For example, we were in contact with a hotel in Edinburgh for inspiration. We wanted to create a hotel that attracts visitors who enjoy the cultural Uppsala, appreciate our fantastic location and are looking for a hotel with picturesque charm. Here, we are close to everything tourists in Uppsala will want to see. Everything from the Cathedral to museums to the Botanical Garden, the University House, and Uppsala Castle. At the same time, we are close to many university faculties.

We want you to feel at home here at Akademihotellet

A crucial part of Akademihotellet is the cozy and family-like atmosphere.

– I’ve always thought that you should almost feel like in your own home here. And we can tell from the positive response we get from guests that they agree, that they appreciate our openness and the small hotel charm, says Staffan.

Part of the openness of the hotel has been the tradition of the Kulturnatten (Culture Night is a tradition where Uppsala’s cultural venues offer free entrance and special activities during one day. For many years, the hotel has opened all conference rooms for artists and artisans on a September evening in the autumn.

– It is a precious tradition where we welcome visitors and artisans, Helena Hammarberg says. Some show off their art and others sell their craft. It fits us well in the sense that we operate in the middle of Uppsala’s cultural-historical center. For example, we are located a stone’s throw away from where Karin Boye lived, and up the hill from Ingmar Bergman’s cinema. Not to mention that Queen Christina in the 17th century acted from Uppsala Castle just a few hundred meters away.

The next change for the hotel came in 2009 when it was decided that the hotel would become independent from the university.

The history of Uppsala is present in the hotel rooms

During the years from 2002 until today, the hotel has been renovated in stages. In 2018 we started working on updating all the hotel rooms.

– We have great freedom as a small and independent hotel. There is also the advantage of having a long-term owner in Uppsala Akademiförvaltning (which is part of Uppsala University). Now we have a clear plan for the future, where we will highlight more of Uppsala’s history in our hotel rooms. Without saying too much, we can promise that you will learn more about Uppsala and the city’s historical figures through a visit with us, says Helena Hammarberg.

Enjoy your conference in historic surroundings 

An essential part of the hotel’s activities has always been conferences, courses, and meetings. Today, Akademihotellet has four conference rooms, where you can meet and confer in the middle of historical surroundings. Having updated the technology in all our conference rooms, we now have better conditions for receiving small to medium-sized conference groups, for up to 40 people, says Helena Hammarberg, Hotel Manager at Akademihotellet.

Today, Akademihotellet has 42 hotel rooms and four conference rooms. In the middle of Uppsala’s cultural-historical center on Övre Slottsgatan, the hotel welcomes guests from all over the world.

Welcome!