申し訳ありません。このコンテンツはただ今、英語のみとなります。 For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language.

The ION Adventure Hotel

Situated approximately 55 kilometers from the city of Reykjavik in Iceland, about an hour’s drive from the city, the ION Adventure Hotel perches at the base of Mount Hengill. Located in the southwest of Iceland, the hotel’s visual impact upon arrival is most obvious before turning into the hotel’s grounds, where one can read the architecture of the building. Arriving at the peak of the winter season, this was dramatically amplified as the grey concrete and black lava exterior stood out against the white snow.

The ION Adventure Hotel’s 10-meter outdoor geothermal water pool. Image by von chua

With Iceland’s second largest geothermal plant, Nesjavellir as the hotel’s neighbour, the sulfur smell strongly hits you upon arrival. However, after a quick 5 minutes of adjustment, the odour becomes completely unnoticeable. Previously an accommodation housing workers who worked at the nearby Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant, this building became abandoned. In 2011, the building was acquired by Sigurlaug Sverrisdòttir who took on the passion project, by upgrading and extending through the design of Minarc, a Californian-based design studio founded by Icelanders. The renovation took two years to complete; the ION Adventure Hotel officially opened in 2013. Over a decade after its opening (this article was written in 2024), this 45-key hotel within easy access by car from the UNESCO-listed Thingvellir National Park is still going strong.

Ageing particularly well, the hotel shows its age but does not appear tired. The decorative Christmas pillows on the lounge area’s sofa are slowly losing their weight and fluff, the ageing timber side table in the room shows it has been well used and oiled, and the staircases are showing minor scuffs from the usual daily wear are all merely a reminder that this is a space that was completed over a decade ago. Everything feels like they belong where they are. Through conversations, someone who worked as a decision maker for architectural proposals once mentioned that they’d rather not consume design when they are on holiday. Perhaps this reminded us too much of work, but it truly resonated with me because many hotels today are dotted with design cues which can wear out the human senses. They are especially consuming when design choices start to appear as if pieces were procured to satisfy the general public’s perception of what is good design, or worse, designed for social media. At the ION Adventure Hotel, hardly any iconic design pieces made an appearance, but yet, when I needed a place to place a glass or something minute like that, they were within easy reach. Is this the essence of true hospitality? In those small moments, one feels cared for and the considered designs are the key supporting actor that consistently delivers.

Sustainability as a word and an aspiration in architecture and interiors projects is thrown around frequently today. The word and what it represents has lost its weight, in my opinion. However, through glimpses of how the hotel is designed and operated during a three days two nights stay, I gathered a sense of true sustainability in the ethos of the ION Adventure Hotel. Over a decade after the hotel’s opening, the reception desk made out of recycled plastic and lava stone which is abundant in the region is still welcoming and quietly tells you about the approach to sustainability through its material choices upon arrival. Low carbon emission simply from choosing to use a material that exists within the grounds of the hotel. Now, that is real sustainability. Entering the hotel room, one is greeted by the vast landscape that is flat with just a few arid plants popping out from the snow. Did the space need art? No, not really and they kept it minimal. Felt bedroom slippers are prepared, and an empty water jug is present rather than bottled water - no plastic and no need for recycling glass bottles. My favourite? As the hotel was surrounded by hot springs in the Nesjavellir area, there is a 10-meter outdoor geothermal water pool that uses the natural resources of the land it sits on.

It is unknown if the hotel had a decent construction budget, but some of the choices made such as the window frames appear to work within standard sizes. The hotel’s owner did not opt for minimal frames to the glazed areas, which seems to add to the nonchalant charm that it has. After all, the view will impress guests; do they need to create a seamless inside-outside view? Moments before leaving, it appears that the picturesque views surrounding the hotel are starting to attract guests whose behaviour seems mismatched to the ethos of the hotel, but that’s another story for another day. The ION Adventure Hotel is a little gem under an hour from Reykjavik city centre that also hosts another brand of the ION hotel - the ION City Hotel, it would be great if the ION Adventure Hotel continues to retain its charms in the upcoming decades through timeless design, consideration of sustainability in a true sense, and genuine hospitality.