The desire to travel and escape the city is being compounded by travel restrictions triggered by the global pandemic. With travel confined to destinations accessible by car, we are launching a Staycation Series, to provide you with unique staycation options around the world, spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and beyond. Join us as we explore Amerikalinjen, Oslo’s top hotel offering a variety of culinary experiences inside one of the city’s most storied buildings.

Amerikalinjen occupies one of the city’s most recognizable buildings in Oslo, Norway, the 20th-century former headquarters for the former cruise ship company Norwegian America Line.

This 122-room property is layered with equal doses of subtle nostalgic references and forward-thinking design and is defined not only by its slick rooms but a standout offering of buzzy restaurants and bars. Home for both locals and visitors, this progressive hotel sets the bar for a new chapter in Oslo’s burgeoning hospitality landscape.

In prime position on Jernbanetorget Square, adjacent to the bustling Central Station in downtown Oslo, and just a short stride from the up-and-coming Bjørvika neighbourhood – where the new Munch Museum and the newly renovated flagship Deichman public library are soon to open – Amerikalinjen is in the best position from which to explore this flourishing city.

Prompting the hotel’s concept of ‘people in motion’ is its home inside the headquarters of the former cruise ship company, Norwegian America Line, which was designed by prolific Norwegian architects Andreas Bjercke and Georg Eliassen in 1919. Now, exactly a century later, the grand Neo-Baroque pile has been spruced up and polished by local firm Kritt Architects who, informed by the building’s decorative maritime trimmings, soaring vaulted ceilings, ornamental mouldings, and grand staircases, have carved out 122 rooms and suites and a series of humming public spaces that includes four restaurants and bars and Vista - The Heritage Room, a library and social space, where Amerikalinjen’s stories are shared.

HAVEN

In a first for Oslo, the ground floor and basement present a series of vibrant public spaces for guests and locals alike. At the center of the building, in a former open-air courtyard that, thanks to the addition of a glass ceiling, has smartly been transformed into a light, plant-filled indoor space, is the aptly named Haven. Here, while away the day tapping on your laptop with a cup of coffee and a tasty snack from the afternoon waffle trolley or, on weekends, tuck into the brunch menu.

PIER 42

Named for the first point of entry in New York, after immigrant hopefuls got the nod from the authorities, Pier 42, with its low-slung velvet furnishings, parquet flooring, and concealed lighting is the perfect setting from which to sip on classic cocktails, like the Bourbon whiskey-infused Old Fashioned made with recipes concocted by the former Head Barkeeper for the Norwegian America Line, Kåre Breiby.

ATLAS

With its own curb-side entrance, Atlas is an all-day brasserie that serves an eclectic blend of European favourites, like oysters rockefeller or steak tartare, that has influenced New York’s culinary scene, while its grab-‘n’-go corner offers accessible healthy options like house-made soups, quinoa salads or traditional Norwegian waffles topped with a savoury twist like fresh avocado, herbs, pickled onions, and eggs.

VISTA || THE HERITAGE ROOM

The interior design of the hotel retains important footprints from its past history. Vista, The Heritage Room, offers a calming city view but also an awe-inspiring ornament ceiling from 1919. Unique artifacts are displayed on the wooden shelves sharing the story of the hotel alongside specially curated books by The Deichman Library. Step inside this room to travel back in time.

Everything is bound together by a strong local tie that includes a uniform collection called In Motion, by Oslo-based fashion brand, Holzweiler; lighting fixtures and special-occasion champagne glasses – reproductions of the ships’ originals – by glassblowing company, Hadeland; revived Norwegian mid-century furniture and lighting classics from companies Eikund and Northern; and bathroom amenities from local cosmetics brand Sprekenhus. Meanwhile, an impressive art collection, curated by Sune Nordgren, takes its cues from America, with a vibrant and colourful offering that includes works by American figurative painter Alex Katz, former street artist Shepard Fairey, and a two-and-a-half-meter tall sculpture, called Towers – by British artist Julian Opie – which refers to the modernity of America.

GUEST ROOMS

Led by the building’s original façade and wide corridors, the rooms are appropriately defined by their high ceilings and commanding paned windows, which either look out onto Jernbanetorget Square and the surrounding neighbourhood, the fjords, or an internal courtyard, while the suites – the Norwegian America Line’s former board- rooms – boast original ornate ceilings. Helsinki-based studio, Puroplan has smartly created a sense of space by separating the bathroom with a decorative white opaque glass panel and adding a smoked-glass mirrored wall behind the bed.

These details also create a modern canvas for the collection of framed maps, photographs, and old dining menus from the ships – uncovered during the building process – and for the furnishings, most of which are reproductions of original mid-century classic, like Veng, an armchair designed by Torbjørn Bekken in 1960; Briger Dahl’s Birdie table lamp (1952); and pendant lamps by age-old Norwegian glassblowing company, Hadeland, who also provided the ship’s original glassware.

We can’t think of a better staycation getaway for those who reside within safe traveling distance from this splendid hotel brimming with history and stories. With a plethora of culinary experiences to choose from, one could satisfy every food craving and taste some of the finest cocktails, whether at the hotel’s sophisticated cocktail bar or handcrafted to be enjoyed in the comfort of your hotel room.

If a staycation visit to Norway’s capital is in the future for you, find out more about the welcoming and historic rooms at Amerikalinjen for an unforgettable stay.

Photos courtesy of Amerikalinjen