The stories at Grand Hotel

It is Thursday morning in Oslo and the sun shines down on the main street Karl Johan. The lamps inside the Parliament building shine through the windows, tourists have gathered outside taking photos. As we stand outside the door of the prominent Grand Hotel Oslo, the city hall carillon tells us that we're right on time. We have an important meeting here at 10am sharp.

Our stomachs flutter as we walk through the double glass doors of the hotel. Beautiful, long branches with flowers and butterflies rest on a table in the middle of the reception area. Everything seems to float in harmony. Everything is shining, polished, and fresh.

Well-dressed guests are entering the doors, as hotel manager Sonja meets us at the table with the inviting flower arrangement. She will soon be giving us a keyhole into the past, to the many stories that live inside the hotel. She shakes our hands with a warm smile.

– We're having a large conference here today, so the hotel may become a bit crowded, she politely warns.

 

A man approaches us and asks if he may take our coats. We thank him as he disappears with our clothes through a door only returning empty handed.

Sonja whispers.

– His name is Jaume and he's our concierge. He makes the impossible possible.

We look over at him. He is answering the phone and helping all who approach him. Sonja elaborates.

– He provides recommendations for our guests and books restaurants, theatre tickets, and even limos.

She looks at us.

– Opens stores that are supposed to be closed.

We look at each other. A real in-house sorcerer!

Sonja tells us that Jaume is a member of Les Clef d'Or, which translates to 'the golden keys'. It's an organization of elite concierges with the magic to open doors that no one else can.

We politely ask if we may take his photo.

 

Jaume lights up. He tells us he likes having his picture taken and poses nicely in front of the camera.

The receptionists smile in admiration. Sonja introduces them to us.

– We call them the hotel’s heart, since everything circulates through the reception.

Behind them hangs a beautifully organised wall of keys, where every room key has its own light. We nod to the receptionists as Sonja leads the way into Palmen Restaurant, which is part of the original hotel structure from 1874.

– The hotel started with Grand Cafe, which opened as a restaurant, and where we stand now actually used to be a stable. Back then, Grand was located a bit outside Kristiania, so people could only get here by horse and carriage.

We chuckle as we look around the restaurant. A glass ceiling, silver classical heating plates, and a warm velvet interior make it difficult to envision that horses once stood here.

 

The restaurant exhibits various art works, some commissioned by the hotel, some borrowed by hotel owner Christian Ringnes, such as the beautiful chandelier that hangs above us.

Sonja looks up.

– It is made by Cerith Wyn Evans. She made it with Murano glass blowers in Venice. The lights pulsate with the music.

We stand there quietly, fixed with admiration.

 

Sonja smiles and moves further into the restaurant to its prestigious Hall of Fame. Well-known faces line the walls in ornate frames: Oprah Winfrey, Spice Girls, Tom Cruise.

– Everyone who has his or her picture on the wall has been a guest of the hotel and has signed the guest book. A special greeting is included below each picture.

She stops in front of the picture of Chuck Norris.

– This is very nicely written. He stayed here last September.

We move closer to inspect the framed sheet of paper. In black handwritten pen, it reads:

"Your staff is some of the finest we have ever been taken care of."

Sonja continues to walk along the wall, past the many international presidents, the Nobel Peace Prize winners, until we stop in front of the legendary Rolling Stones.

– The Rolling Stones was here last in 2014. They stayed with us for ten days, the whole band, without press or media being aware of it until the last day, when Mick Jagger himself posted something on Instagram.

Our jaws drops as we imagine the logistics in how many people needed to remain quiet and secretive. This is most impressive and on the level of CIA or Secret Service.

Sonja laughs.

– Yes. We're very proud of that. They came in from Asia and were starting their European tour in Oslo, so they held their band rehearsals here.

We head towards the bar area and come across a neon work created by Tracey Emin. Sonja tells us that it is a tribute to Evdard Munch's famous art work Scream.

 

– The Ylvis Brothers claimed that they wrote What Does the Fox Say in here. As you know, it became a global hit. The song was meant as a joke, but got 100 million views in a little over a month and ended up as the most watched video on YouTube in 2013.

We laugh and hum a few bars of the song as we exit Palmen, only to notice a golden sculpture.

It’s called Boy on a Rocking Horse, Sonja tells us, and is by the Danish-Norwegian artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset.

They wanted to make an alternative to war monuments and to shed light on less spectacular events in people's lives, which often turns out to be the most significant ones.

The sculpture depicts a little boy on a rocking horse, and pays tribute to the everyday struggle of growing up.

 

We move towards an elevator with polished golden doors. Sonja pushes a button, and we enter with excited expectation. As the doors open and we follow Sonja into the hallway, we do not know what floor we're on. But Sonja casually stops outside a door and unlocks it.

We immediately recognise the room inside. It is Arild Fröhlich's set from his film Grand Hotel, a famous Norwegian drama comedy from 2016. She has brought us to the iconic Tower Suite.

We have entered the suite's bedroom, a comforting space with wall-to-wall carpeting. A bathroom lies at the far end. Everything looks so new and clean that we dare not touch anything.

Sonja ascends the staircase to the suite's second floor. It rises along a wall covered in mirrors. We follow her. She nods along as we speak about the film and how much we enjoyed it.

– The crew was here filming for a few weeks, and it was a lot of fun. Many of the hotel employees were used as extras.

 

When we reach the second floor, she opens the hatches in front of the windows.

– We often have newlyweds staying here. We serve them a special champaign breakfast on the top floor before their late check-out.

We go up the stairs to the top floor, known as the clock tower, with its panoramic views of Oslo. The Tower Suite's three levels and abundance of light is like nothing we have ever seen. It's like a little bit of heaven.

Sonja smiles.

– There were many skeptics who said that Julius Fritzner lacked judgement in opening Grand Cafe back in the day. That it was way too far outside Kristiania.

We look out over all the rooftops with a view all to the Royal Palace, and down at the Parliament Building. Today, the hotel is centrally situated, as if Oslo was built around Grand Hotel. Sonja nods.

– You have to look up to the ceiling here as well. This chandelier is new.

Once again, we look up in awe.

 

The Tower Suite is not easy to leave, but Sonja manages to get us out into the hallway.

We move between the floors of the hotel undetected. The outside is all forgotten as we are lost in a world filled with secret doors and full service. Our sense of direction has vanished.

It feels as if we have disappeared into a beautiful maze. But we have Sonja as a trusty guide as she knows all the secret doors and byways, and her keys can open every one of them. She giggles at how lost we are.

– It takes a while to get to know this place. I think I spent half a year.

 

She has worked here for eight years. Grand has 284 rooms, almost all of them unique. There are 54 suites and 130 employees at the moment.

– The hotel actually consists of three buildings, which have been merged. When you enter the front from Karl Johan Street, you think it is only the one building. But the hotel also incorporates the two adjacent structures, which explains the difference in ceiling heights.

We hadn't even noticed the ceiling heights, but this may at least explain our difficulties with orienting ourselves. For instance, we have no idea what floor we are on now! Sonja laughs again.

– Eighth floor. It's a bit complicated.

We interject that that's what makes it so exciting. The joy of travelling is all about exploring and going on quests, even inside your own hotel.

Sonja now leads us along a deep hallway and around a corner. She unlocks a door, and we are immediately confronted by a gigantic vase. She playfully introduces us.

– This is made by Her Majesty Queen Sonja.

 

As our jaws drop, Sonja smiles and hurriedly rushes up yet another stairway. We follow in step.

We stand inside a large apartment with a library, fireplace, and a spacious terrace.

– This is the Royal Suite. It is very popular when we have famous artists or politicians visiting.

She moves further into the room.

– And then there is this gigantic bed.

Sonja is not joking. A gigantic bed stands in front of us.

– It’s funny. It's here only because Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones stayed here once. We needed special beds for them.

We look at her for explanation.

– They requested one 120 cm bed each. It had to be possible to put them next to each other, but also to pull them apart. They bought these two beds for us before their visit. We just left them here afterwards.

 

It takes some time for us to process this explanation. But nonetheless, we enter the bathroom with its private sauna and staircase descending into the tub.

Holy cow! Is this what it feels like to enter the Royal Palace?

On our way out of the royal suite we pass an unassuming door in the same hallway. Sonja explains that it is attached to the suite, as a place where servants, assistants, or security for the main guests can stay. We nod, like we're familiar with those kinds of needs.

She takes us right into the Penthouse Suite, and at this moment we realise how Grand Hotel manages to hide superstars like the Rolling Stones for several days. In addition to a gigantic rooftop terrace which can host weddings with its large industrial kitchen, the suite also has its own secret. Sonja takes out her keys and opens a door to yet another hallway.

– What is special with this suite is that the guests can drive a car into the garage below, get into this private elevator, and take it all the way up here without being seen.

Seemingly on command the elevator opens, and we enter it. Sonja pushes the button, and upon exiting we find ourselves in an altogether new hallway – still without any sense of direction. But as we approach the next staircase, another beautiful chandelier appears.

 

Sonja tells stories about the Junior Suites that are popular on the Norwegian Constitution Day. These suites are inherited through generations. When the parents get too old, the children assume the leases. Consequently, they cannot be rented out to anyone else.

– They have a view of Karl Johan, the guests love that.

To stand there on the balcony on 17 May. Some families have hot dogs at 10am and meatballs at 10.30, so we have chefs preparing hot dogs with ketchup and all the fixings, and of course ice cream and other fun traditions.

Sonja laughs.

This hotel truly is a different world.

 

Our next leg takes us down a decorated staircase. Artworks follow us the whole way. For the first time we realise where we are, because we can see the reception area. But Sonja walks us straight passed it towards the staircase to the Mirror Room. She takes out her keys to gain access. We are in a hallway just outside. She smiles at us and looks towards the ceiling.

– Madonna wanted to bring these chandeliers home with her. She tried to buy them from us.

 

Madonna was so spellbound, rumour has it, that she hired someone to make an exact replica when the hotel declined her offer.

– She also wanted us to turn off the city hall carillon because she thought it was too noisy.

Sonja walks toward the Mirror Room, dangling her set of keys.

– The city refused.

We are surprised they even tried.

– Sure, we had to try.

Sonja shrugs her shoulders and puts a key in the door. The Mirror Room is dark and quiet, no parties here today. We are standing in the room that hosts the Nobel Peace Prize dinner.

– I’m not sure I can even find the light.

We laugh.

 

But her worries turn out to be real.

– I think I have to call someone.

She makes a quick phone call commanding the lights to be turned on. Suddenly we are faced with an array of beautiful chandeliers, wall to ceiling mirrors and long luxurious curtains, all combined with stucco work. A hall of dreams.

– The Mirror Hall burned down in 1957. No one knows why. But as the story goes, the head waiter was seen sitting on his knees in the middle of the floor, crying, while the large chandeliers were falling down around him.

Sonja speaks somberly. She tells us that the Mirror Room was rebuilt and reopened in 1961. Today it is used for everything from weddings to the Nobel Peace Prize Dinner.

 

– The Nobel set-up is very special. The Royal Family, the Nobel Committee, and the Laureates sit on traditional red chairs in the middle, chairs that are only used for this one occasion.

Sonja now leads us to The Rococo Banquet hall, located right outside the Mirror Room. It is completely dark and quiet, save for Sonja's footsteps echoing in the hall.

She once again hunts for the light switches to no avail, and resorts to placing another call. As we wait, we feel like mischievous children who have snuck into a forbidden room.

The light turns on and reveal a truly beautiful painting in the ceiling.

 

Sonja explains.

– This ceiling painting wasn’t here five years ago. It was painted in 2016 or 2017. Scaffolding was mounted right in the middle of the floor, reaching up half a metre beneath the ceiling. The workers lay on top of it and painted by hand. It took them half a year.

We look at her wide-eyed and amazed as she dims the lights.

– We can alter the colours, too.

She shows us a picture of how the room looked one time in December.

 

– This is my absolutely favourite room. The wallpaper is made from silk. Come feel it!

She encourages us to experience the touch and moves her hand over it.

– It is made the old-fashioned way although the paper is only five years old.

It is clear that Sonja has many fond memories from her eight years at Grand.

– When the Dalai Lama visited the hotel was without a doubt my greatest experience working here. He handed out white silk scarves in thanking us, and I got one. And he blessed my belly. I was pregnant at the time. That was big, even though I didn’t understand the prayer being said.

Tears well in her eyes.

– These meetings, you never really get used to them.

Sonja turns the lights off in the Rococo Hall, only for us to pass a Warhol painting in the Champagne room along with several works by Tim Walker in the hallway, before we head towards the lobby and reception area.

People have congregated around the flower arrangement now, coffee cups and plates are rattling. The conference has started.

Sonja points to the wall of keys, and to the only one that is red.

– We say that’s the secret Henrik Ibsen key, which only he is allowed to pick up.

 

She smiles with pride.

– Would you like to visit Grand Cafe?

Her invitation is eagerly accepted, and she walks in front of us and opens its doors. Waiters in stunning uniforms are busy circling the space. Tables are being set and light bulbs changed and some guests are still enjoying breakfast by the window. We sense that we are here, where it all started.

Sonja tells us that Grand Cafe has been a popular hangout for Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Munch, and many other notables. Munch was particularly fond of good steak and highballs, and found alternative ways of funding his consumption - his own paintings. At some point, a waiter at the Grand Cafe was the lucky owner of Munch's Madonna.

Sonja looks at us with a crooked smile.

– But the poor guy sold it long before Munch became famous.

She laughs out loud.

– It's terrible to think about, but what can you do.

 

A large painting is taking up the whole wall in the back of the café. Sonja tells us it is painted by Per Krogh. It’s called The Kristiania Bohemians, and shows the interior of Grand Cafe and some of Norway’s best-known artists, whom Krogh grew up with. Their names are engraved in a silver plate beneath the painting.

Sonja goes all the way to the left of the large canvas and points to a man with a large beard and a top hat.

– Look, here’s Ibsen.

She moves towards the middle of the painting.

– And here’s Munch.

We stand there for a while, admiring the painting. Here they are, after all these years. The memory of them literally fixed to the wall.

The little boy on the rocking horse is still there when we return to the reception area. Doesn’t this child sum up our visit here in a beautiful way? Isn’t it much like a child’s fairy tale world, filled with wonder and an adventurous spirit? Every room with its own personality, every banquet hall with its own secret. Even the hallways have seen more than they let on.

From the moment we entered the hotel's welcoming doors, we have had nothing less than an enchanting experience, giving us a unique glimpse into Oslo’s soul and history. It is the sum of all this that makes Grand such a wonderful place to be.

 

Jaume comes over with our coats, which have been in his safe care, and assists in getting us dressed to face the cold. For it is time for us to bid farewell to the honourable Grand Hotel Oslo.

Until we meet again.