IKEA Hotel Have you fantasized about a sleeper at one of the IKEA stores, but unlike those people in the news, you were too afraid to hide under a bed and wait until the staff locked the doors and left?
Good news! You can do it now legally without the fear of being busted. The only minor issue is that you have to travel to Sweden... Yes, there is only a single IKEA Hotel in the world.
The hotel is in Älmhult, a little Swedish town with only 9,000 inhabitants.
It was here where the first ever IKEA store was opened in 1958 by Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of the world's most famous "put together" furniture retailer.
The successful concept of selling modern pieces of household goods at a cheap rate attracted buyers from all over Sweden. Ingvar saw great potential in visitors driving from far to come to IKEA.
So in 1964, he opened Motell IKEA, which offered exhausted buyers to sleep in one of the 25 rooms, a swimming pool, and food in its restaurant. It was the first time IKEA served the now iconic meatballs.
Predictably, a couple of decades later, in 2016, IKEA's first location was turned into a museum, while the motel was upgraded into a 250-room hotel, or as in Swedish, they say, "hotell".
The hotel is on IKEAgatan, which stands for "IKEA street" - obviously.
In line with Ingvar Kamprad's philosophy and typical IKEA style, everything from the motel (that was possible) was saved or repurposed.
The former copper roof was turned into a reception desk, but the limestone floor is still the same, and so is the fireplace in the restaurant.
If you are here for a full IKEA experience, then the family packages are for you. For a discounted single fare, you get one night at the hotel, breakfast in the restaurant, and a ticket to the IKEA Museum.
The hotel's restaurant has classic IKEA dishes served as if you were at a high-class establishment.
So, you can have posh meatballs, salads, and kanelbullar (cinnamon roll).
There are some exclusive dishes you cannot find at IKEA stores, though, like the fish wallenbergare with lingonberries or the grilled fennel salsiccia from Småland.
Breakfast is included in your stay, but you must wake up early because the buffet closes at 9 am (weekdays; weekends at a more reasonable 10:30). Swedes don't like to waste their mornings!
You can also drop by without booking a night and get a tasty breakfast for only about 9 dollars.
The hotel's family-oriented approach means you can bring your four-legged friend for a small extra fee. The family rooms are prepared to host your cuddly friends.
The hotel prides itself on stating that your room comes fully assembled. Hallelujah!
Rooms range from tiny 43 square feet (4 square meters) cabins to family rooms with two bunk beds offering space for a family of four.
Plus, there are classic double bedrooms equipped with POÄNG armchairs and LISABO desks.
IKEA's strict pricing policy (if it's not affordable for the masses, then it's not democratic) applies to the hotel too.
For example, they don't raise the prices of popular dates. It's a fixed rate, no matter the season. So, New Year's Eve party at IKEA, then? Great idea, except it wasn't so original, and it's fully booked months ahead!
