The world's first and largest hotel built out of snow and ice – ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden – has joined forces with car manufacturer MINI to create a unique deluxe suite for the 2013/14 winter season.

Those responsible for the design are BMW Group subsidiary DesignworksUSA and the chief designer of ICEHOTEL.

The suite will be available from December 20th 2013 until it melts back to Torne River in April 2014.

The thinking behind the suite was the curiosity to see what could come out of giving MINI, through DesignworksUSA, and the architects of ICEHOTEL, free reign to create a unique hotel experience.

The result is MINI Evolution – an upscale hotel and design experience, for which MINI’s familiar forms were combined with the environment of the ICEHOTEL and the evolution of housing – from ancient caves to today’s modern rooms. 

Head of Marketing MINI Nordic Countries Jens Reichert said: “Both us and the ICEHOTEL are known for challenging convention and putting a premium on design. That’s why it was so inspiring to see our two worlds meet, and how this design collaboration led to a unique suite.”

“The design collaboration with MINI is fully in line with our endeavor to develop and offer a unique experience in an exceptional natural environment. Although we work in completely different industries, we share the passion and high ambition of form and design,” stated Jens Thoms Ivarsson, Director of Design at ICEHOTEL.

The suite is being built by MINI’s design partner DesignworksUSA, a global design firm that since 1995 has been entirely owned by the BMW Group, as well as two prominent creators, designer Wouter Biegelaar and architect Victor Tsarki, who previously worked with ICEHOTEL on a variety of projects.

“With this art project DesignworksUSA was able to let pure imagination reign and to play with a challenging material, with the design DNA of MINI and with the perception of the hotel guests. We used design storytelling to create an experience that will preoccupy people´s minds and make the MINI suite in the ICEHOTEL a captivating experience beyond their stay“, says Sonja Schiefer, director Munich Studio of DesignworksUSA.

The suite measures 49 m² (445 sq. Ft.) and is the largest available suite at ICEHOTEL, with ceilings a meter higher than in other rooms, a private sauna and heated relaxation area. Guests who stay in the suite will receive courses in ice sculpting with professional sculptors and access to a four wheel drive MINI Countryman as part of their package.

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