Scandic Hotels
A Swedish hotel group focused on accommodation, meetings, food and beverage, and related hospitality services across the Nordic region and selected European markets.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
Scandic Hotels is a Swedish hotel group headquartered in Stockholm and primarily associated with the Nordic hospitality market. Its business developed from a roadside-motel concept created during the expansion of automobile travel in Europe. The first property in the chain was an Esso Motor Hotel opened in Laxå, Sweden, in 1963. The concept combined accommodation with road access and was designed for both business travelers and people traveling by car for leisure. The chain expanded rapidly, reaching 59 hotels across Europe by 1972. After Esso divested its non-Scandinavian properties, the remaining Scandinavian operation became the foundation of the business that would later be known as Scandic Hotels. The company adopted the Scandic Hotels name in 1984 after being acquired by a Swedish consortium led by Ratos. Its subsequent development was shaped by a series of ownership changes, acquisitions, and geographic expansions. The first Scandic-branded property outside Scandinavia opened in Koblenz, Germany, in 1986. The group later strengthened its Nordic position through the acquisition of Reso Hotels in 1996 and Arctia Hotels in Finland in 1998. These transactions helped establish operations across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, while the company also expanded into Estonia in 1999. Scandic became part of the London-based Hilton Group in 2001. In 2007, Swedish private-equity firm EQT acquired the hotel chain. Scandic continued to broaden its portfolio during this period, including through the acquisition of Rica Hotels in 2014, which added properties in Norway and Sweden. The company also experimented with a separate compact-hotel concept, HTL, launched in 2014. That brand was discontinued in 2016, and its four hotels in Stockholm and Oslo were converted back to the Scandic brand. In 2015, Scandic returned to the Stockholm stock market. The company expanded further in Finland through its 2017 agreement to acquire all 43 hotels operated by Restel, including properties associated with the Cumulus and Holiday Inn brands. The transaction increased Scandic's presence in the Finnish market and added hotels with varied locations and customer propositions to its network. Scandic's core activities include hotel accommodation, meeting and conference facilities, restaurants, bars, breakfast services, event hosting, and loyalty-related customer services. Its hotels serve business travelers, leisure guests, groups, and conference customers. The group operates under a broad Scandic proposition rather than relying solely on a collection of narrowly differentiated consumer brands. Its portfolio includes city-center hotels, airport and transport-oriented properties, resort and leisure locations, and hotels serving corporate and event demand. The COVID-19 pandemic produced a severe disruption. In March 2020, Scandic announced extensive employee layoffs and reductions after travel restrictions and the collapse in demand affected hotel operations. Occupancy fell to 6% in April 2020, described by the company as its lowest level ever at that time. The sharp decline in occupancy and revenue resulted in a reported loss of slightly more than SEK 6 billion for 2020. The group has also emphasized environmental and operational sustainability, including work on carbon reduction, waste reduction, and food-waste prevention. In 2019, it partnered with Too Good To Go and Karma in efforts to reduce food waste at its hotels.
History
Scandic Hotels traces its origins to the Esso Motor Hotel opened in Laxå, Sweden, in 1963. The property was established during a period when automobile travel was becoming more common in Europe, and the roadside-motel format offered travelers a combination of convenient access and overnight accommodation. The concept proved scalable: by 1972, the chain had reached 59 hotels across Europe. Esso subsequently sold its non-Scandinavian hotels, leaving 32 properties, including hotels in Norway and Denmark, as the core of the Scandinavian operation. In 1983, Esso sold the Esso Motor Hotel company to a Swedish consortium headed by Ratos. The company was renamed Scandic Hotels in 1984, and Ratos became its sole owner in 1985. A year later, Scandic opened its first hotel outside Scandinavia in Koblenz, Germany. The business encountered difficult conditions during the 1990–1991 Gulf Crisis, and its management was replaced in 1992. A major corporate development came in 1996, when Scandic acquired Reso Hotels and became a publicly traded company on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The acquisition was followed in 1998 by the purchase of Finland's Arctia Hotels group, giving Scandic operations across the principal Nordic countries. In 1999, the group also entered Estonia. In 2001, the London-based Hilton Group acquired Scandic. The chain changed ownership again in 2007 when Swedish private-equity firm EQT purchased it for EUR 833 million. Under the subsequent ownership structure, Scandic continued to expand its Nordic hotel base. In 2014, it acquired Rica Hotels, adding 72 properties in Norway and Sweden. The same year, Scandic introduced HTL as a separate hotel concept. HTL was discontinued in 2016, and its four hotels in Stockholm and Oslo were rebranded as Scandic properties. Scandic returned to the Stockholm stock market in December 2015. In 2017, it announced the acquisition of all 43 Restel hotels in Finland for EUR 114.5 million. The assets included hotels operating under the Cumulus and Holiday Inn names, further increasing Scandic's Finnish scale and diversifying its portfolio. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the most severe operational shock in the company's modern history. In March 2020, more than half of Scandic's permanent employees were notified of layoffs. In April, room occupancy fell to 6%, its lowest reported level, and the company recorded a loss of slightly more than SEK 6 billion for 2020. Alongside its commercial operations, Scandic has developed sustainability initiatives focused on carbon emissions, waste, and food waste. Its 2019 partnerships with Too Good To Go and Karma were intended to help reduce surplus food from hotel operations. As of 31 December 2018, Scandic reported 283 hotels, 51,693 guest rooms, and 11,560 employees. Its 2018 EBITDA was reported as SEK 1,957 million. The group remains primarily a Nordic hotel operator, with additional operations in Germany and Poland.
- 2020
COVID-19 causes unprecedented operating disruption
[1]Layoffs, occupancy of 6% in April, and a loss of slightly more than SEK 6 billion for the year mark the pandemic impact.
- 2017
Restel hotel portfolio is acquired
[1]Scandic agrees to acquire all 43 Restel hotels in Finland.
- 2015
Scandic is relisted
[1]Scandic returns to the Stockholm stock market in December.
- 2014
Rica Hotels acquisition and HTL launch
[1]Scandic acquires Rica Hotels and introduces the separate HTL hotel concept.
- 2007
EQT acquires Scandic
[1]Swedish private-equity firm EQT purchases the hotel group.
- 2001
Hilton Group acquires Scandic
[1]The London-based Hilton Group becomes the owner of Scandic Hotels.
- 1998
Arctia Hotels is acquired
[1]The Finnish acquisition gives Scandic a presence across all of the principal Nordic countries.
- 1996
Reso Hotels is acquired
[1]The acquisition expands Scandic's hotel base and accompanies its public listing on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
- 1986
First hotel outside Scandinavia opens in Germany
[1]Scandic opens a hotel in Koblenz, marking its first expansion outside Scandinavia.
- 1984
The business adopts the Scandic Hotels name
[1]Following its sale by Esso, the company is renamed Scandic Hotels.
Products and positioning
A broad, accessible mid-market to upper-midscale hotel proposition centered on Nordic hospitality, practical city and transport locations, business travel, leisure stays, meetings, and conferences.
Hotel accommodation · 1984
Scandic hotel accommodation
The core Scandic offering is overnight accommodation across city-center, airport, transport-oriented, leisure, and conference properties. Hotels serve business travelers, tourists, families, groups, and event guests, with the exact facilities varying by location. The network is concentrated in Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark, with additional properties in Germany and Poland.
Meetings and events
Scandic meetings and conferences
Many Scandic properties provide meeting rooms, conference facilities, catering, and group accommodation. This offering supports corporate meetings, training sessions, conventions, and private events, allowing the company to combine room revenue with food, beverage, and event services.
Food and beverage
Scandic restaurants and breakfast
Restaurants, bars, breakfast operations, and other food-service facilities form an important part of the hotel proposition. These services serve staying guests as well as, depending on the property, local customers and event participants. Scandic has also pursued food-waste reduction through external partnerships.
Discontinued hotel brand · 2014
HTL
HTL was a compact hotel concept introduced by Scandic in 2014. It was applied to four hotels in Stockholm and Oslo, but the company discontinued the brand in June 2016 and converted those properties back to Scandic Hotels.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Food-waste reduction partnerships
Nordic countries
Scandic partnered with Too Good To Go and Karma to help reduce food waste generated by its hotel operations. The initiative connected surplus food with consumers through food-rescue platforms.
Outcome. The partnerships supported Scandic's broader waste-reduction and sustainability program; a quantified outcome is not specified in the cited material.
Brand decisions
2020
Implement pandemic workforce reductionsStrategyBackground
COVID-19 travel restrictions caused hotel demand and occupancy to collapse.
Action taken
Scandic notified more than half of its permanent employees of layoffs in March 2020.
Aftermath
Occupancy reached 6% in April 2020, and the company reported a loss of slightly more than SEK 6 billion for the year.
2020 reported loss. Slightly more than SEK 6 billion loss (Fiscal year 2020)
2017
Acquire the Restel hotel portfolioM&ABackground
Scandic aimed to strengthen its scale and coverage in Finland.
Action taken
Scandic announced the purchase of all 43 Restel hotels in Finland, including properties associated with Cumulus and Holiday Inn.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened Scandic's Finnish presence and added properties with multiple pre-existing brand identities.
Acquisition price. EUR 114.5 million (2017)
2016
Discontinue HTLStrategyBackground
Scandic had launched HTL in 2014 as a separate compact-hotel concept.
Action taken
The company ended the HTL brand and returned its four Stockholm and Oslo properties to the Scandic brand.
Aftermath
The group reverted to a more unified brand architecture centered on Scandic Hotels.
2014
Acquire Rica HotelsM&ABackground
Scandic sought to increase its scale in the Nordic hotel market.
Action taken
The group acquired Rica Hotels, adding 72 properties in Norway and Sweden.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded Scandic's portfolio and reinforced its position in Norway and Sweden.
1984
Rename the company as Scandic HotelsStrategyBackground
After Esso sold the Scandinavian hotel operation to a Swedish consortium, the business required a new corporate identity.
Action taken
The company changed its name from Esso Motor Hotel to Scandic Hotels.
Aftermath
The Scandic identity became the basis for subsequent expansion across Scandinavia and other European markets.
Recent events
- 2020
Scandic announces extensive layoffs during the COVID-19 crisis[1]
Other
More than half of Scandic's permanent employees were notified of layoffs as travel restrictions and the collapse in hotel demand disrupted operations.
- 2020
Scandic records exceptionally low occupancy during the pandemic[1]
Other
Room occupancy fell to 6% in April 2020, the lowest level reported for the chain, as the pandemic sharply reduced travel.
- 2020
Scandic reports a large loss for 2020[1]
Other
Reduced occupancy and revenue during the COVID-19 period resulted in a reported loss of slightly more than SEK 6 billion for the year.
- 2017
Scandic expands in Finland through Restel acquisition[1]
M&A
Scandic announced the purchase of all 43 Restel hotels in Finland, including properties operating under the Cumulus and Holiday Inn brands.
- 2016
Scandic discontinues the HTL hotel brand[1]
Product generation
The company abandoned its HTL concept and returned four Stockholm and Oslo properties to the Scandic brand.
- 2015
Scandic returns to the Stockholm stock exchange[1]
Other
Scandic was listed again on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in December 2015.
- 2014
Scandic acquires Rica Hotels[1]
M&A
The acquisition added 72 properties in Norway and Sweden and strengthened Scandic's Nordic portfolio.
Sources2 sources
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