The History of The Lodge
Back in year 1933, Björnstorps Manor built a hunting lodge at Väderkullen (‘The Weather Hill’), named Romelestugan. The cottage was very simple with turfed roof. Although it only had one large living room and a small kitchen, it soon became a popular coffee and waffle house.
During our work with hot air balloons in 1997/98 we got the chance to follow the sailing competition Whitbread Round The World Yacht Race with one of our balloons, as a sponsorship to Swedish Match. In this long and exciting journey, we saw many fabulous hotels and then the idea was born that at some point in our lives, we would build our own hotel. When we got the opportunity in 2003 to take over Romelestugan, we never hesitated to try to let our dream come true.
After spending some time in the United States, including Aspen in Colorado, we were inspired to build the hotel in the New England style. We also wanted the coziness you´ll find in many of the lodges in the Rocky Mountains and therefore the result was a combination of the two.
The construction, which we ourselves have been deeply involved in, took nearly three years to complete. We have built with so much local material as possible and almost exclusively used local craftsmen. The water comes from our own source, and our own recycling system contributes to make as small an impact on the environment as possible.
In order to stick to the past in a small scale, we have retained a small portion of the old Romelestugan, which is easy to see if you look at the floor in the restaurant.
Naturally, it has not been easy to build on a mountain peak and therefore we have been forced to make some ‘tailormade’ solutions along the way. We are very proud and pleased with what we have achieved. We hope you will enjoy our hotel, our commitment to the environment, and not least – our commitment to you as our guest.
Henrik Holmqvist, Mikael Goldner and Anders Holmqvist