Lejondal Castle – a class of its own

When the dot-com bubble burst at the turn of the millennium, an entrepreneur from Småland in southern Sweden found himself owning a castle. Everyone dreams of staying in a castle, so he opened it up for guests. It was such a good idea that he added more castles and manor houses over the years. Now the new arrival to the family is Lejondal.

We arrive at the beautiful estate outside Stockholm. In front of us rises the stately red castle with its round towers rising into the blue sky like in a fairy tale. Old, venerable trees cluster around the grounds while in back is the huge lake. Two saluki dogs run through the garden to greet us, while behind comes that man from Småland, Torbjörn Blomqvist.

Blomqvist founded the company Stockholm Meeting Selection, which today operates ten destinations with hotels, conference facilities and restaurants around Sweden’s capital. The newest addition is Lejondal, which is also one of Sweden’s newest castles, having been built by a baroness in 1892.

“We can offer a complete experience with castle hotels,” says Blomqvist. “It takes effort to manage large estates and buildings protected for their cultural and historical status, but this makes a large part of the experience. It gives us an opportunity to let visitors experience the good things in life.”

The good things in life are different from person to person, Blomqvist explains. It is not necessarily about a luxurious castle, but it could be something simpler, like when you are sitting on the edge of the pier in the evening, after a warm dip in the lake, and a beer with a perfect head of foam is placed in your hands. This is what Blomqvist envisages Lejondal Castle to be, a place where the experience will be simple and natural, but at the same time bloody good – just like their other destinations.

And bloody good it is. Once inside the castle we come to an incomparable open fireplace which warms the guests sitting on big sofas. They are waiting to be served a fivecourse dinner in the grand hall with crystal chandeliers, art and decorative stucco.

“Today guests have high expectations,” Blomqvist continues. “I believe that guest demands going forward will be about simple and genuine experiences, such as getting away from everyday life where you can unplug, spend time with each other, enjoy good food and drink – to have time for each other. Just like we see happening here.”

Blomqvist and Stockholm Meeting Selection want all their destinations to be like Lejondals Castle, more than just a pretty place. They are destinations where meeting, hotel and restaurant visitors can enjoy the good things in life, in their own way. Like taking a walk with two friendly dogs on a green estate. |

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