The sun shines on the pure white snow and soothes the mind as my journey takes me from Rovaniemi toward Saariselkä. There is a promise of the coming spring in the air, even though the temperature has dropped to nearly thirty degrees below zero. Trees coated in heavy snow appear in the landscape one after another, and the road that seems endless cuts through a winter scenery that feels almost unreal to a city dweller. Despite the long distances, tourism in Lapland is trending. What makes people travel even thousands of kilometers to the heart of Lapland? I set out to find the answer from one of Lapland’s leading tourism companies, Wilderness Hotels.
The story of Wilderness Hotels began in 2004 in the village of Nellim, on the shore of Lake Inari, when entrepreneurial couple Jouko and Mari Lappalainen bought a closed village school and decided to start an accommodation business. Wilderness Hotels' first destination, the then Erähotelli Nellim, was born.
Sitting across from me is Essi Lappalainen, the couple's eldest child, whose eyes shine with a flood of memories. "I was a pre-schooler at the time. Mari and Jouko certainly had their hands full with four small children and a wilderness hotel," Essi laughs.
Today, you can enjoy Wilderness Hotels' experiences all over Lapland. All destinations - Nellim, Muotka, Inari, Juutua, Nangu, Saariselkä, Kieppi and Kelo Lodge - are easily accessible whether arriving by air or by road. In Saariselkä, guests are served by the newly opened Wilderness Hotel Saariselkä, Wilderness Hotel Kieppi, Arctic Log Villas, as well as the accommodation option Kelo Lodge designed for adult guests.
Although Wilderness Hotels has many destinations, each place has its own atmosphere, leaving room for the surrounding nature. “Authenticity is our thing. We design high-quality products and experiences for our customers with the idea that we could enjoy them ourselves. We build accommodation that we would like to stay in ourselves,” Essi explains.
All destinations have been built in carefully chosen and stunning locations. “Nature is extremely important to us. We respect the environment and, for example, leave plenty of trees around,” Essi says while looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Wilderness Hotel Saariselkä.
The trees surrounding the building greet us with their solid and calm presence. Scandinavian interior design and natural materials form a natural continuation of the atmosphere flowing in from outside. I learn from Essi that Mari and Jouko have designed the new Saariselkä destinations together with an architect. My vision is spoilt by the harmonious choices - Mari and Jouko's experience in the field is almost tangible.
There is also no arguing with the beauty of the locations. Hotel guests get to be surrounded by nature at all Wilderness Hotels destinations. The surroundings offer wonderful outdoor routes and waterways, and there is no shortage of things to do regardless of the season. In winter, activities include sledding, watching the Northern Lights and husky safaris, while in summer there is hiking and cycling. The Wilderness Hotels website allows you to book a ready-made experience package before you go - the journey toward experiences can begin right from the sofa at home.
Nature and natural materials live both outside the hotels and in the interiors, but also on the menu. "There are many different types of restaurants in our destinations, but the main principle is to serve local food. Quality, sustainability and responsibility are important to us. Here at Restaurant Kaamos, where we are now, there is an incredible charcoal grill where different fish and meats are cooked. The guest can build their own dish, including sauce and side dishes," Essi explains.
A completely different kind of restaurant can be found at Wilderness Hotel Juutua in Inari. The award-winning fine-dining restaurant Aanaar spoils its customers with reindeer, fish from the nearby river and slightly more special ingredients that change according to the season. The theme "from forest to plate - from nature to glass" is conveyed just by looking at the menu. There are also quality options for gluten-free and vegan diets.
I can’t help but notice that Wilderness Hotels has taken inspiration from nature in more ways than one: there is room for growth, there is no standing still, and the direction is forward. Whether it's a cold winter or a challenging global situation, continuity is assured. This is reflected in the new destinations that I have now been able to admire for myself.
Even though tourism in Lapland is trending, its popularity is not a given. A lot of work has gone into it, along with the accumulation of extensive expertise. Essi encourages other entrepreneurs in the industry to invest boldly in the product, location and know-how: “Of course the most important thing is that you have a good product. If the product isn’t good, no amount of marketing will help. That’s the number one thing. If the product is good, word will spread and it will succeed that way. Secondly, location matters, and of course you need broad expertise in the field to make everything run smoothly.”
Credit also goes to the skilled staff who work with great dedication: “We have an amazing team here. The entire staff joined in at the last moment to furnish the spaces so we could open on time here in Saariselkä. Every employee feels that this place is their own.”
Essi speaks about the topic with the voice of solid experience, as a career in tourism has been clear since childhood: “I’ve worked alongside Mari and Jouko and done every job you can think of, like cleaning, serving, and reception.” During her tourism management studies, Essi traveled from Helsinki to Lapland to work during holidays and handled sales remotely. She has gained experience from several different destinations, and currently Essi works as the hotel manager at Wilderness Hotel Saariselkä as well as a regional manager.
For another company originating from Lapland, us at Feelment, it has been a pleasure to be involved in building the experiences at Wilderness Hotels. The background music in the hotels' restaurants is played through the Feelment app. "Background music has a really big role. It’s the cherry on top and brings the whole experience together. You notice background music the most when it’s missing or when it’s wrong. When it’s carefully thought out, it ties the atmosphere together,” Essi explains.
At Wilderness Hotels, ready-made playlists from Feelment’s music library are used, scheduled to play automatically: “I like that we can schedule the music. Feelment’s scheduling feature has worked well because you don’t have to switch playlists yourself.” The ready-made playlists have served the desired atmosphere well. “The playlists have been really good in terms of their content. At Christmas it was nice that you could mix different playlists,” Essi adds.
In addition to the music service, Wilderness Hotels also uses Feelment's device service, which means that in each property the music is played through a device rented from Feelment. In order to keep the whole system coherent and easy to use, it was decided to purchase the sound systems of Wilderness Hotel Saariselkä and Kiep also through Feelment.
From Feelment, our CEO Kalervo and AV installation expert Patrik were involved in the sound system project. The overall solution was designed in collaboration, and Patrik handled the practical installations on site. The sound systems in the spaces were implemented with high-quality Bose speakers, and the background music can be adjusted effortlessly through a tablet located in the staff area. According to Essi, the project went extremely well: “From my perspective everything was very clear and easy. Patrik walked around here with a smile on his face and got everything set up.”
Praise also comes from the other direction. “The flexibility from your side was excellent. Even though there was a tight schedule to get everything ready, nothing was impossible and there was room to adjust even in the moment,” Patrik says. The systems in Saariselkä and Kieppi have been designed to be similar to each other so that they are easy for all employees to use regardless of the destination. “It has been incredibly easy when the music control and everything else are in the same place. The system is user-friendly and the waiters find it an easy setup,” Essi comments.
Everything seems to be well in Saariselkä, and it is time to continue my journey. I pause for a moment to reflect on Wilderness Hotels’ promise of experiences that live on in memories. I am convinced that this is not just marketing talk. Sitting in a soft chair at Wilderness Hotel Saariselkä, with the fireplace glowing and nature speaking softly to me through the windows, I am certain that I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.
To think that such a small moment convinced me. What kind of deep memories can be created at the end of a day when you have been on a tour of the Northern Lights, enjoyed the restaurant's wonderful flavours and finished the day with a good night's sleep?
And how significant can such an experience be in the scale of an entire life? Memories are said to influence even identity, the way a person perceives themselves. So if you want a touch of peace, a dash of adventure and a touch of nature, Wilderness Hotels is the place to go. And when you lose yourself in the busyness of everyday life again, you can always come back here - to breathe in the magic of Lapland and rediscover yourself.
“Our destinations vary, of course, but the playlist would definitely include calm music. Music that takes you into a peaceful and relaxed holiday mood. It would also certainly include music by Sámi artists. In Inari we sometimes play joik. Here in Saariselkä it is played less, as this is a different area.”
"The top countries our guests come from are the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. The Northern Lights, snow and nature are attractive."
“The drink selection varies by destination, but here in Saariselkä our homemade mulled wine has been popular. We make a light, apple-based mulled wine ourselves, which can also be served spiked. People have really liked it.”
“In customer service. When we call to you, usually Kalervo or Patrik answers first of all, and there hasn’t been a moment when they haven’t known how to help. It’s wonderful when a real person answers who knows the place and what it’s about. Patrik and Kalervo can help over the phone and tell you what to press. It’s almost a luxury, because you so rarely get that kind of service anymore. Kalervo is also always in a good mood.”