Sweden is home to something few people know exists: an entire hotel furnished, decorated, and run in the spirit of a single furniture retailer. It sits in a town of roughly 9,000 people, and it started life not as a branding exercise but as a practical fix for a very Swedish problem - too many people driving too far to buy cheap furniture, with nowhere to sleep it off afterward.
From Motel to Meatballs
The story starts in 1958, when Ingvar Kamprad opened the first IKEA showroom in Älmhult. He was 32 at the time, and business was booming almost immediately - people were traveling from across Sweden, drawn in by catalogue offers, only to find there was nowhere nearby to eat or rest after a long day of shopping. Kamprad, sensing an opportunity, started thinking about solving that himself.
He reportedly found his inspiration on a work trip to the United States in 1961, where he toured retailers and warehouses in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas, and spent his nights in the motels that were booming alongside America's new highway system.
He came home with photos of neon signs and kidney-shaped pools, and by 1962 had commissioned a motel of his own back in Älmhult - low rows of rooms you could park directly outside of, just like back in the States.
Ingvar Kamprad at the opening of IKEA Motell in 1964
The build didn't go smoothly. The ground turned out to be soft and marshy, and installing the pool's plumbing meant digging through liquid mud, delaying the project by nearly two years.
When Motell IKEA finally opened on August 22, 1964, it had 25 rooms, a restaurant, and a swimming pool that would go on to define the place for decades. IKEA staff had been anxiously tracking its progress in internal newsletters the whole time, half-joking about developing webbed feet from all the mud.
The pool became something of a local institution. For years it hosted swimming lessons, staff parties, and - during IKEA's early "range presentation" events, where journalists came to preview new products - more than a few guests ending up in the water in full evening dress, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes not.
Local children swam there through the 1960s and 70s, buying admission with stamped multi-passes from a small kiosk by the entrance.
The name changed more than once as the decades rolled on: from Motell IKEA to IKEA Värdshus (Swedish for "inn") in 1974, reflecting a shift away from its American motel roots toward something cosier, and finally to IKEA Hotell in 2016.
The pool itself didn't survive the modern era - it was filled in around 2003 when the last of the original motel-style room rows came down, and the site became a green courtyard instead.
Today, IKEA Hotell has 254 rooms, a considerable jump from its original 25, and it sits right beside IKEA Museum, which opened in 2016 in the building that housed that very first store. The hotel is currently partway through a major renovation that began in spring 2026 and is expected to run through autumn 2028.
Once finished, the plan is for the hotel to have close to 300 rooms, along with a new conference and event space, a leafy courtyard designed to evoke a Småland forest, and - fittingly - a small indoor swimming pool, echoing the one that first put this place on the map.
Even mid-renovation, some of the original 1964 building survives. The old copper roof was reworked into part of today's reception desk, and the restaurant still has its original limestone floor and open fireplace.
Food, Småland Style
Breakfast comes included with your stay and is currently served across the street at Grillen, the hotel's barbecue-focused restaurant, while renovations are underway.
It's a hearty buffet built around Småland staples, and yes, that includes a version of IKEA's famous meatballs, standing alongside pancakes, eggs, and pastries.
Grillen also runs a dedicated hot dog bar, taking the humble IKEA hot dog and dressing it up with things like local sausages, pickled onions, and fig chutney - a playful, occasionally ambitious spin on something most people know from a food court.
Don't skip the cinnamon rolls either - Sweden's beloved kanelbulle makes an appearance here too, and it would feel wrong to leave without trying one.
The Rooms
Rooms here lean unmistakably Scandinavian: light oak, soft textiles, big windows, colorful curtains, and furniture pulled straight from IKEA's own catalogue. Every room includes a TV, a hair dryer, and smart storage for luggage, and pet-friendly rooms are available for an additional fee. Beyond the standard doubles and family rooms, there are also compact cabin rooms built for solo travelers, and accessible rooms with wider doorways, adapted bathrooms, and automatic doors.
Family Room
At 18 square meters (194 sq ft), the family rooms are built for four, with bunk-style beds set across two levels, each 90 cm (35 in) wide and fitted with its own reading lamp and curtain for a bit of privacy.
There's a private bathroom behind a sliding door, complete with shower, soap, shampoo, and a magnifying mirror, plus a TV and the same wall pegs and luggage storage found throughout the hotel.
Double Room
The double rooms measure about 18 square meters (194 sq ft) as well, built for one or two adults plus a child under 12 at no extra charge.
The bed is 160 cm (63 in) wide, made up with soft linens, and the room includes a private bathroom, a desk and chair, and an armchair positioned by the window to catch the daylight.
As with the family rooms, adjoining doubles can be booked if you need more space.
The Courtyard
Where the old swimming pool once stood is now a quiet green courtyard, planted with growing patches and a small cottage. It's a subtle nod to the pool parties and childhood summers that once defined this place, minus the chlorine. Once the current renovation wraps up, the courtyard is set to expand further, taking on the feel of a small Småland forest, with a new indoor pool nearby carrying that original spirit forward in a slightly different form.
Ikeagatan 1, 343 36 Älmhult, Sweden
