Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Norway
There are 15 rooms at Klosterhagen Hotell.
Hotel of the Month, Norway
The humane hotel Despite being the smallest hotel in the city of Bergen in Norway, Klosterhagen Hotell employs 20 staff who are undergoing job training as a result of prior addiction, disabilities or immigration. Moreover, they claim to serve the best breakfast in town. By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos: Klosterhagen
“What we do is beneficial to society as a whole,” explains front office manager Annette Rimestad. “We give people a chance to come back into normal life – people who have experienced very different challenges in life.” The human aspect of the hotel is a big focus, and staff who attend training due to immigration also have the opportunity to attend language classes, and their progress is monitored closely. 120 | Issue 109 | February 2018
First job training hotel in Norway
also rank as number two among all hotels in Bergen on TripAdvisor, which is due to our friendly staff, clean rooms and great food,” explains Rimestad, adding that those are key demands from their guests.
“We’re unique in that we’re the first job training hotel in Norway. There’s another hotel in Oslo with a similar concept, but we started it,” says Rimestad. The hotel is run by the Centre for Work Life Preparation (ALF), who work with rehabilitation by providing people with new opportunities in their working lives.
“Our employees in job training are put to work in all areas of the hotel. When a room is cleaned, we make sure that it’s checked once and then twice to guarantee that it’s spotless for people upon arrival – which is something the majority of our guests confirm,” she says.
“I think people want to support us because we contribute to society, but we
The ambience of the hotel is very homely – it is not like staying in a big chain hotel,
Homely hotel close to the centre