Swedish ice hotel to install fire alarms

Unique ice hotel in Sweden Stockholm - Arab Today A famous hotel rebuilt every winter in northern Sweden using only ice said Thursday it would install fire alarms this year. The hotel, located in the small Arctic town of Jukkasjaervi, is following a request by the authorities to guarantee the safety of its guests. "We were a little surprised at first, but the reason is that there are things that can actually catch fire, like pillows, sleeping bags or reindeer skins," hotel spokeswoman Beatrice Karlsson said. "To us the most important concern is the safety of our clients, so we will comply," she added. The hotel will open from December 6 to April 13, with prices ranging from 1,900 kronor (212 euro, $285) for a single room to 7,500 kronor for the most expensive suite. Tourists come from all over the world to sleep on an ice bed in temperatures as low as minus eight degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit). The alarms, which were already tested last winter with the local fire department, have made construction of the hotel, conceived as a work of art, even harder than before. "The environment is humid, and ice and snow... move, so it had to be taken into account," Karlsson said. "It's been a challenge for our building team, but it made us one experience richer." Source: AFP