Lapland Hotels makes travel industry history
At present, the Lapland Hotels Group consists of 10 hotels and three skiing resorts located in various parts of Lapland: Äkäslompolo at Ylläs fell, Olos and Pallas. Read how it all began:
Traditions of travel in Lapland are known to go back a long way. Even in the 17th century, people had started to trek from Rovaniemi to the shores of the Arctic Ocean. The gold rush to Lapland at the end of the 19th century resulted in the Kittilä and Ivalo districts becoming familiar to many prospectors.
By the 20th century, trails had developed into roads and "Suomen Matkailuyhdistys" (the Finnish Tourism Association) built hotels for travellers in Rovaniemi and Pallas in the 20s. Tourism has gradually become a significant source of livelihood in Lapland. In one sense, the history of Lapland Hotels can be said to have begun when Hotel Pallas, a present-day member of the group, was built.
Strong roots in family enterprise
The Lapland Hotels chain was formed when two traditional, family-run businesses joined forces in September 2002. Marjut and Leo Pitkänen teamed up with Pertti Yliniemi to merge their holdings into a single business enterprise. This merger was one of the largest in the Finnish tourism sector at that time. Owned by the Pitkänens, the Levi, Rovaniemi and Ylläs hotels and the Ylläs ski resort were combined with the Olos, Pallas, Kilpisjärvi and Hetta hotels owned by Yliniemi.
In June 2005, Pertti Yliniemi's family business became the majority shareholder in the Lapland Hotels chain when Marjut and Leo Pitkänen sold their shares in the parent company Sirkan Tähti Oy. The chain was expanded to include Saariselkä in November of that year when Lapland Hotels and Lapin Safarit Oy jointly acquired Paavo Holopainen's entire share capital in Riekkoparvi Oy. In this way did the highly regarded Riekonlinna become Lapland Hotel Riekonlinna and the chain's ninth hotel.
At the same time, Lapland Hotels acquired 30% of the share capital in Lapin Safarit Oy, a tourism service company, from Reino Lehtoniemi and Seppo Sirén. Holdings were reorganized to allow Tunturijotos Oy from Northwestern Lapland to become a subsidiary of Lapin Safarit Oy and Tomi Kuosmanen, Tunturijotos Oy CEO and majority shareholder, to acquire partial ownership in Lapin Safarit Oy.
Lapland Hotels - tourist industry leader in Lapland
The merger in 2005 was the most significant in the history of tourism in Lapland. As a result, Lapland Hotels improved its competivity primarily in international markets and benefited from increased synergy in product development and marketing.
The next major step was taken in February 2008, when Lapin Safarit Oy and Arctic Safaris Oy merged to form the largest and most experienced tourism service company in the Nordic countries. Previously owned by Arctic Safaris Oy, the Arctic Hotel Pohtimo became the Lapland Hotel Bear´s Lodge and the tenth hotel in the Lapland Hotels chain.
At present, the Lapland Hotels chain is comprised of ten hotels, three ski resorts, restaurant facilities at Kittilä airport, and tourism services in all our locations from Rovaniemi to Kilpisjärvi. Today, almost 1200 rooms, suites and cabins can accommodate over 3000 guests in all.
In the words of Kullervo Kemppinen, author of several books on backpacking in Lapland:
"Lapland. Just the mention of its name arouses a strange wanderlust that is both fascinating and interesting, maybe for some people more than others, but it leaves no one untouched. Lapland is simply enchanting."
