Iceland can be a difficult place to describe, says Dennis Jung, general manager of The Reykjavik Edition.
“Geographically, it’s so big when you compare it to the [number of] people who live here,” he told me during a recent visit to the hotel. “Guests come, and they think they can just drive over the island in half a day, but the reality is a little bit different.”
Iceland covers a total area of nearly 40,000 square miles, making it roughly the same size as the state of Kentucky, but the island’s population is only about 382,000. (For reference, more than 4.5 million people live in Kentucky.)
However, the country’s capital of Reykjavik, located on Iceland’s southwestern coast, features a population of just under 140,000 people. The Reykjavik Edition is one of the newest luxury accommodation options there, first opened late in 2021 as the city’s only five-star hotel.
Prime Location Within Reykjavik
One of the hotel’s main selling points? Location, location, location.
It was 2:30 a.m. in downtown Reykjavik, and I was standing alone under a bright streetlamp on Posthusstraeti — or, “post office street” — trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue.
Struggling with jetlag, I’d left the hotel about 10 minutes earlier, figuring a late-night stroll in search of the Northern Lights was probably a better use of my time than just lying awake in bed. And while the overcast skies scuttled any chance of witnessing the aurora borealis on that particular night, the persistence of the falling snow had enveloped the city’s streets in an inviting quiet. So, I decided to wander a while among some of Reykjavik’s beautiful old buildings.
Indeed, the Edition’s location, just a short walk from Reykjavik’s historic center, is a major selling point for my travel group (a mix of travel advisors and media).
“I really liked that it was right there on the waterfront and so close to shopping,” said group member Anna Bright Schulte, owner of Anna Bright Luxury Travel, a Travel Edge affiliate based in Nashville, Tenn. “I definitely thought that location was great.”
Protravel’s Donna Devore, another member of our group, agreed.
“Reykjavik’s a small town,” she told me. “Everything's really walkable — for the most part … And the hotel’s location really makes that easy.”
Home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera, the Harpa Concert Hall is right next door to the Reykjavik Edition.
Credit: 2024 Shane NelsonBoth Schulte and Devore also raved about the Harpa Concert Hall that sits immediately east of the hotel. A shimmering architectural wonder, the gorgeous performing arts center is home for the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera, and a guided tour through the sensational facility was definitely a standout highlight of our visit.
“That was just truly a stunning piece of architecture,” Schulte said. “It was really one of the prettiest I've seen around the world.”
Edition’s Jung noted, meanwhile, that music is a profoundly important component of Icelandic culture, and many of the country’s most anticipated concerts take place at Harpa, which partners regularly with the property on a number of annual events.
“We are actually connected [to the venue] through the underground parking [facility],” he explained. “So technically, if the weather isn't good, and you’re perhaps dressed in an elegant evening gown, you can go down to the hotel basement in the elevator and then just walk right into Harpa without going outside. We have so many different experiences under one roof,” he said. “And that attracts such a diverse crowd of clientele.”
The Roof restaurant and bar, located on the 7th floor of the Reykjavik Edition, is a great place to try and see the Northern Lights from October to March.
Credit: 2024 Nikolas KoenigProfessional Perspective
Although Devore has been selling Iceland for years, her first visit to the Reykjavik Edition was during our trip in February, and the overnight made a very positive impression on the New York-based Protravel International affiliate.
“I thought the Edition was lovely,” Devore said. “The rooms were appointed very nicely … And the entire hotel was just very natural. It’s a great five-star property.”
The rooms were appointed very nicely … And the entire hotel was just very natural. It’s a great five-star property.
I was also a big fan of my room, which featured a very contemporary aesthetic, but was also cozy. The natural wood furniture and paneling blended elegantly with the exposed concrete walls, but the woolen blanket and faux fur accents softened the room’s feel, making the notion of snuggling away from the ice and snow outside with a good book especially attractive.
Authentic Appeal
Featuring 27 suites, including a 1,377 square-foot penthouse, along with a full-service spa; a 24-hour gym; meetings and conventions spaces; three restaurants; three bars and its own nightclub, the Reykjavik Edition certainly greets visitors with a hip, cosmopolitan vibe.
“What's unique about the Edition is the diversification of the experience,” Jung told me. “You can have a Michelin-recommended dinner in our restaurant, and then have a cocktail with the local crowd in Tolt, which is our little speakeasy bar. Or, you can party at The Roof and see the Northern Lights, and then go down to the nightclub and party until 4:00 a.m. And all of this is in the same hotel.”
He was also quick to note that the hotel is a popular place for Reykjavik’s residents.
“Because of the music and the light and how we create that atmosphere, our guests stay in the hotel, but lots of local community people also come in,” Jung said. “That’s what differentiates us from so many other hotel brands. … The luxury travelers of today, they come here and say, ‘What fish is in the ocean? Oh, it’s Arctic Char? I want to try the Arctic Char.’ They want to have an experience that is relevant to the destination, and that obviously also comes from having Icelanders around, who also tell a story.”
Business at the Reykjavik Edition was especially strong last year, Jung says, thanks to the 2.2 million visitors Iceland welcomed in 2023. Jung noted that last year’s number of international visitors nearly reached the record total of 2.3 million arrivals set prior to the pandemic in 2018.
“Iceland is on the bucket list for a lot of people,” Jung said, adding that the average length of an Iceland visit is about seven total days, with two of those typically being spent in Reykjavik.
“The low population density, the cleanest water, the cleanest air, our focus on sustainability after what the world went through with COVID-19 … I think these things have maybe been reprioritized for people, especially for travelers who want to see something different,” he said.
