image
Search articles

Menu

The Ekspedisjonshallen at Sommerro, with its high ceiling and Per Krohg's mural behind the bar

Hotels

Sommerro hotel: the hotel in Oslo's old power works

The old headquarters of Oslo Lysverker, the city's electricity company, at Solli plass has become a hotel. On the roof there is a heated pool, and in the basement the old Vestkantbadet baths have been restored. This is the room to choose, who gets into the pools, and what a night costs.

Picolo

Picolo Editorial

 

The red brick facade at Solli plass is easy to recognise, with tall windows in strict rows. This was the city's electricity works. Now it is Sommerro hotel, and the high hall in the middle of the building has become a brasserie, with Per Krohg's mural behind the bar.

Short answer: Sommerro

Sommerro hotel opened on 1 September 2022 in the old headquarters of Oslo Lysverker at Solli plass in Frogner. The hotel has 231 rooms, a heated rooftop pool and a spa in Vestkantbadet, the public baths from 1932. A night for two cost around 2,800 kroner as of October 2026. The hotel suits couples on a city break best.

Facts about Sommerro (as of October 2026)

  • Opened: 1 September 2022.

  • Address: Sommerrogata 1, 0255 Oslo.

  • Rooms: 231 rooms and suites, plus 56 apartments in the same building.

  • Villa Inkognito: 11 rooms and suites in the neighbouring villa from 1870, which can also be hired in its entirety.

  • Operator: Nordic Hotels & Resorts, Petter Stordalen's hotel group.

  • The building: Designed by Bjercke and Eliassen in the 1930s. The interiors are by the design studio GrecoDeco.

  • Rooftop pool: Heated and open all year, for hotel guests only.

  • Vestkantbadet: A 12.5 x 10 metre pool, saunas and a cold plunge. Minimum age 16.

  • Restaurants and bars: Ekspedisjonshallen, TAK Oslo, Izakaya, To Søstre, Plah, Ahaan and Barramon.

The hotel links are partner links. If you book through them, Picolo may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Book your stay: See rooms at Sommerro

The red brick facade of Sommerro, with the hotel's name above the entrance at Solli plass in OsloHotels.com (Expedia Group)

The facade on Solli plass

The old headquarters of Oslo Lysverker at Solli plass. The 1930s building was restored before the hotel opened in 2022.

What was Sommerro before?

Sommerro was the headquarters of Oslo Lysverker, the city's electricity company. The architects Bjercke and Eliassen designed the building in the 1930s, and in the basement Vestkantbadet opened as a public bath in 1932.

The architects called the project «Two sisters» while they worked on it. The name lives on in To Søstre, the lounge where the hotel serves afternoon tea. Nordic Hotels & Resorts describes the conversion as the largest heritage preservation project in Norway.

The restoration of Vestkantbadet took five years. Per Krohg's mosaic of bathing women and seals is protected and was restored tile by tile, and the motif appears again in Sommerro's logo.

Which room should you choose?

The smallest room is 19 square metres, the largest suite around 90. The sizes are from Hotels.com.

  • Loft (19 m²) has two single beds and no minibar. It is enough for a night or two on your own.

  • Standard (20 m²) and Superior (24 m²) have painted walls and parquet floors. Superior also has wall panelling in cherry-stained ash.

  • Deluxe (26 m²) and Deluxe Premium (38 m²) give you more space, and are furnished like a 1930s townhouse.

  • The junior suite (40 m²) has a four-poster bed, its own seating area and a bathtub, which only the suites have.

  • The largest suites are around 90 m². The Heritage suites have velvet walls and windows onto Sommerrogata.

The junior suite gives you the most for your money. The travel agency Fora writes that the rooftop pool is included from junior suite upwards, while other guests have to buy access as part of a package or separately. If you want both a bathtub and the rooftop pool, the junior suite is the natural choice.

The smallest rooms are small for the price, according to several guests on Roomer, and rooms on the lower floors facing Solli plass can get street noise. If you sleep lightly, ask for a room higher up.

A suite at Sommerro with a red sofa, wood-panelled walls and tall windows onto the streetHotels.com (Expedia Group)

One of the suites

One of the suites. From junior suite upwards, the rooftop pool is included.

Who can use the spa and the rooftop pool?

Vestkantbadet is open to everyone, including people not staying at the hotel. The rooftop pool is for hotel guests only.

Vestkantbadet

Hotel guests and members bathe for free. Day visitors paid 325 kroner as of October 2026, with towels included. The minimum age is 16.

Hotel guests can use the baths every day. Outside visitors are admitted on weekdays and on Sunday afternoons, but not on Saturdays. That makes Saturday the quietest day if you are staying here.

The rooftop pool

The pool on the roof is heated and open all year, with a sauna and views towards the fjord. The hotel group describes it as Oslo's first rooftop pool that is open year round.

If you are staying in a standard room, you have to buy access as part of a package or separately, according to both Fora and the magazine Suitcase. The rules can change, so check what is included when you book.

The pool is small and fills up quickly, several guests report on Roomer.

The rooftop sauna at Sommerro with a window towards the city and the fjord at duskHotels.com (Expedia Group)

The rooftop sauna

The sauna by the rooftop pool looks out over Frogner and the fjord, and is open all year.

The restaurants in the building

Many Oslo locals come here without staying the night. Ekspedisjonshallen is the brasserie in the middle of the building, beneath Per Krohg's mural. This is where you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the hotel says jazz bands play here regularly. Check the programme on the hotel's website if you are coming for the music.

At the top is TAK Oslo, the Nordic-Japanese restaurant of the Swedish chef Frida Ronge. Just below, on the seventh floor, Izakaya has a bar and terrace with Japanese street food, sake and cocktails. DJs play there at weekends.

To Søstre serves afternoon tea in a bright lounge full of plants. Plah and Ahaan are the Thai restaurants of chef Terje Ommundsen, while Barramon serves pintxos, the Basque Country's answer to tapas. Ekspedisjonshallen is also on our list of cosy restaurants in Oslo.

TAK Oslo in glass on the roof of Sommerro, with the Oslofjord in evening light behindHotels.com (Expedia Group)

TAK Oslo on the roof

TAK Oslo was the only rooftop restaurant in the city when the hotel opened in 2022, according to the hotel group.

Location: Solli plass in Frogner

Sommerro is at Solli plass, where Frogner meets the city centre, and the tram stops right outside. Aker Brygge is around an 11-minute walk and Karl Johans gate 12, according to Hotels.com.

To Oslo Central Station it is around a 24-minute walk. By car you reach Oslo Airport in around 43 minutes.

How much does a night at Sommerro cost?

A night for two from 8 to 9 November 2026 cost 2,824 kroner including taxes and fees when we checked Hotels.com on 11 October 2026. That was the price for the cheapest room type that night.

The price varies a lot with date and room. Breakfast is served in Ekspedisjonshallen, so check whether it is included in the rate you choose.

Is Sommerro right for you?

  • Right for you if you want to eat, hear jazz and swim without leaving the building.

  • Right for you if there are two of you and you want a junior suite with the rooftop pool included.

  • Choose The Thief instead if you want to stay by the fjord on Tjuvholmen, with a spa and pool in the same building.

  • Choose Amerikalinjen instead if you arrive by train and want to stay by Oslo Central Station.

  • Choose Grand Hotel instead if you want to stay on Karl Johans gate, with the Royal Palace and the Parliament within walking distance.

You will find more options among the ten best hotels in Oslo.

Book your stay: See rooms at Sommerro

Worth knowing

  • The pool, sauna and gym have a minimum age of 16. With small children there will be little swimming.

  • You receive an email 48 hours before arrival with check-in information and a digital room key, according to Hotels.com.

  • The gym is 400 square metres and is for hotel guests and members.

  • The hotel has parking. Ask about the price when you book.

  • We have not been able to confirm whether you earn Strawberry points at Sommerro. If the points matter to you, ask the hotel before you book.

Frequently asked questions about Sommerro

How much does a night at Sommerro cost?

A night for two from 8 to 9 November 2026 cost 2,824 kroner including taxes and fees on Hotels.com, checked on 11 October 2026. That was the cheapest room type. The suites cost more, and the price follows date and demand, so check the dates you are actually travelling.

What was Sommerro before?

Sommerro was the headquarters of Oslo Lysverker, the city's electricity company. The architects Bjercke and Eliassen designed it in the 1930s. In the basement was Vestkantbadet, a public bath from 1932 that is now the hotel's spa, with Per Krohg's protected mosaic on the wall.

Who owns Sommerro?

The hotel is operated by Nordic Hotels & Resorts, Petter Stordalen's hotel group. Visit Oslo's press release from 2020 also names the property company Aspelin Ramm and Strawberry Brothers in the project. Who runs the hotel and who is behind the property are therefore two different things.

Who has an apartment at Sommerro?

The building has 56 apartments in addition to the hotel rooms, according to the hotel at the opening in 2022. The apartments are privately owned, and we do not name any of the owners. If you want more space than a hotel room, you can book a room or the whole of Villa Inkognito next door.

Is Sommerro worth the price?

Yes, if you use the building. In a junior suite you get a bathtub and the rooftop pool, and with the restaurants and Vestkantbadet in the same building you hardly need to go out. If you only want to sleep for a night, you get more space for your money at an ordinary hotel in the centre.

Enjoy Oslo

Picolo

Picolo Editorial