Smarthotel

What Smarthotel does

Smarthotel AS is a privately held Norwegian budget hotel chain headquartered in Oslo, operating hotels in five Norwegian cities — Oslo, Bodø, Tromsø, Hammerfest, and Forus (Sandnes) — with a sixth property under development in Stavanger and a partner hotel (Banken Hotell) in Haugesund. The company offers compact rooms (6-40 sqm) equipped with DUX or Wonderland beds, private bathrooms, Chromecast-enabled TVs, and free Wi-Fi, priced from approximately 1,000 NOK per night with breakfast included on direct bookings. All properties are Eco-Lighthouse (Miljøfyrtårn) certified and the company is subject to Norway's Transparency Act (Åpenhetsloven).

The chain is built on a digital-first operating model: guests can pre-check-in via mobile or SMS, complete check-in at self-service kiosks in the lobby, and access rooms using digital keys stored in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet on compatible smartphones and smartwatches. Additional digital infrastructure includes the Smartshop 24/7 self-service convenience kiosks, express check-out, a digital food-waste measurement tool, and an in-lobby activity desk at the Tromsø property. The company markets directly through smarthotel.no, social channels, the Smartfriends loyalty program (operated by third-party Loyall AS), an affiliation with SAS Eurobonus, and a Status Match partnership with Go Hotels in Copenhagen.

Smarthotel's revenue is generated primarily from nightly room rentals, with secondary streams from breakfast add-ons (NOK 195), the Smartshop, bar/lobby services, ancillary fees (pet NOK 300 per stay, parking, gym access at NOK 75 drop-in), corporate agreement programs, and meeting & events (up to 100 guests at the Oslo property). Distribution combines direct website bookings (with a best-rate guarantee), corporate agreements, third-party booking platforms, and a per-property front desk. The customer base spans business travelers, leisure tourists, families, and adventure tourists, with no publicly disclosed revenue, funding history, or institutional ownership.

Name

Smarthotel

Legal name

Smarthotel AS

Website

https://smarthotel.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Smarthotel AS is a privately held Norwegian budget hotel chain operating digitally enabled properties in five Norwegian cities, with a sixth under development in Stavanger, serving business and leisure travelers with compact rooms, included breakfast, and mobile self-service check-in.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Budget Hotel Accommodation

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011)

akta.pro primary industry

Select-Service Hotels (THAGABAD)

Keywords

• Budget hotel chain
• Digital hotel services
• Self-service check-in
• Hotel loyalty programs
• Eco-lighthouse hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Room Accommodation: Primary revenue stream from nightly room rentals across 5-6 hotel properties in Norway. Rooms range from compact 6-8 sqm units to studio apartments up to 40 sqm. Direct booking through website includes breakfast in the room rate.
2. Food & Beverage: Revenue from breakfast buffet (included in room rate for direct bookings, available as add-on for NOK 195), Smartshop convenience items, bar/lobby services, and casual dinner buffets at select properties.
3. Loyalty Program (Smartfriends): Loyalty program operated by third-party Loyall AS. Members earn points per stay that can be redeemed for future bookings. Program generates repeat customer revenue and data insights.
4. Corporate Agreements: Dedicated corporate rate programs for business travelers and companies, offering negotiated pricing, priority access, and loyalty benefits for frequent corporate guests.
5. Ancillary Services: Additional revenue from pet fees (NOK 300 per stay), parking fees, gym access (NOK 75 drop-in), and luggage storage services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Smarthotel operates a chain of budget-friendly, digital-first hotels across central locations in major Norwegian cities. Each property features compact rooms with premium beds (DUX or Wonderland), included breakfast, smart TVs, self-service check-in kiosks, mobile/wallet room keys, 24/7 Smartshop lobby retail, and Eco-Lighthouse sustainability certification. Ancillary services include a meeting room at Smarthotel Oslo, an Activity Desk for excursions, and a Smartfriends loyalty program integrated with SAS Eurobonus.

Product overview

Smarthotel operates a portfolio of budget-friendly, digitally-enhanced hotels across six Norwegian cities (Oslo, Tromsø, Hammerfest, Bodø, Forus, Haugesund as partner). The core offering centers on compact, high-quality rooms with DUX beds, digital check-in/out, and included breakfast. Supporting products include the Smartfriends loyalty program, Wallet Key mobile room access, 24/7 Smartshop kiosks, meeting & event services, and corporate travel agreements. All hotels share a common digital-first operational model emphasizing self-service, while the Smartfriends loyalty program (operated by Loyall AS) and digital key integrations (Google Wallet, Apple Wallet) connect guests to external platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hotel Accommodation (Room Categories) Nightly-stay hotel rooms in six compact categories (Mini, Standard, Superior, Studio, Family, XL) sized 6-40 sqm, featuring DUX or Wonderland beds, smart TV with streaming (ChromeCast), free Wi-Fi, and included breakfast. Available across properties in Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø, Forus (Stavanger), Gardermoen, and Drammen for individual travelers and corporate guests.
• Meeting & Events (Smarthotel Oslo) Hire of a meeting/event space at Smarthotel Oslo for small groups and corporate events, available as an add-on to accommodation bookings or as a standalone venue hire.
• Smartfriends Loyalty Program Free-to-join loyalty program where members earn points on every stay, receive exclusive offers and member-only discounts, and can earn/convert points with SAS Eurobonus. Provides direct communication channel for offers and member rates.
• Smartshop 24/7 Round-the-clock self-service retail kiosks in Smarthotel hotel lobbies offering snacks, beverages, travel necessities, and basic items for guest convenience.
• Activity Desk Services (Smarthotel Tromsø) On-site excursion booking service at Smarthotel Tromsø, helping guests arrange local activities including northern lights tours, dog sledding, whale safaris, fjord cruises, and other Northern Norway experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rooms priced from 1,000 NOK per night with breakfast included in direct bookings
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Banken Hotell HaugesundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanken Hotell in Haugesund operates as a partner hotel listed on the Smarthotel platform. It is displayed alongside Smarthotel's own properties but is not owned or operated by Smarthotel AS. Listed as a partner location on the main website navigation.
• Go Hotels (Go Friends Loyalty Program)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerStatus Match partnership allowing Smartfriends members to match their membership level with Go Friends, the loyalty program of Go Hotels in Copenhagen, Denmark. The match works both ways - higher status in either program qualifies for highest level in both. Benefits are program-specific (Smartfriends benefits apply at Smarthotel, Go Friends benefits apply at Go Hotels).
• SAS EurobonuscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSmarthotel is affiliated with SAS Eurobonus program. Guests earn 50 Eurobonus points per 100 NOK spent on hotel stays. Points accumulation supports traveler loyalty but cannot be redeemed directly at hotels.
• Balanz Treningssenter (Forus)minorOthersBalanz fitness center located 500 meters from Smarthotel Forus. Hotel guests receive discounted drop-in rate of NOK 75 for gym access. Partnership provides added amenity for health-conscious travelers.
• Treningshuset (Oslo)minorOthersTreningshuset gym located across the street from Smarthotel Oslo. Gym passes can be purchased at the hotel, providing convenient fitness access for guests.
• Loyall AS (Smartfriends)coreTechnology or IntegrationLoyall AS provides and operates the Smartfriends loyalty program platform. Members register through Loyall's system and earn points for stays that can be redeemed for future bookings. Smarthotel is integrated with Loyall's loyalty infrastructure.
• Arctic Tour Operators (Various)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSmarthotel Tromsø maintains an activity desk in the lobby to help guests book Arctic adventures including Northern Lights tours, whale watching, dog sledding, and reindeer safaris. Partnerships with local tour operators facilitate bookings and provide commissions.
• Magic TromsøminorGTM or Marketing PartnerActivity booking partner for Smarthotel Tromsø, enabling guests to book local experiences and tours directly through the hotel's recommended booking channel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Citybox: Norwegian budget hotel chain using self-service kiosks, keyless entry, and compact rooms at lower price points. Operates in Oslo, Bergen, Kristiansand, and other Norwegian cities, directly contesting Smarthotel's budget-digital niche.
• Comfort Hotel (Strawberry): Strawberry/Choice's budget-focused Norwegian brand emphasizing self-service check-in, central urban locations, and compact rooms. The closest direct competitor to Smarthotel on positioning: budget rates, digital-first operations, and presence in Oslo and other major Norwegian cities.
• Go Hotels: Danish budget hotel chain in Copenhagen, explicitly tied to Smarthotel via the status-match loyalty partnership. Comparable on compact-room, self-service, budget positioning, with Smarthotel already recognizing it as a like-for-like peer.
• Thon Hotels: Norway's largest domestic hotel chain, operating a broad portfolio of limited-service and full-service hotels across all major Norwegian cities. Directly comparable as a multi-city Norwegian operator competing for the same business and leisure guests, with a wider footprint but typically positioned at a different price point.

Others

• Booking.com: Largest online travel agency globally and a primary distribution channel for Norwegian hotels. Not a competitor in lodging operations, but a key indirect relationship: Smarthotel relies on Booking.com for incremental demand while incentivizing direct bookings to avoid its commission structure.

Broad incumbents

• Radisson Blu (Norway): Upscale Nordic/EU chain with hotels in Oslo, Tromsø, Bodø, Stavanger and other Norwegian cities. Comparable on geographic overlap, though positioned at a higher price tier; defines the upper-bound competitive set in key Smarthotel markets.
• Scandic Hotels: Largest Nordic hotel group with extensive presence in Norway across multiple brands, including midscale and select-service properties. Comparable on geographic overlap, Norwegian city coverage, and target business/leisure segments, though Scandic spans more tiers and offers broader F&B and meeting services.
• Strawberry (formerly Nordic Choice Hotels): Major Nordic hotel group operating multiple brands (Clarion, Quality, Clarion Collection, Comfort) in Norway. Indirect competitor through its Comfort sub-brand but broader in scope, with full-service and upscale offerings alongside budget.
• Park Inn by Radisson: Radisson's mid-scale/select-service brand with select-service hotels in Norway including Oslo Airport-area and other key locations. Comparable on select-service positioning, breakfast-included model, and corporate-traveler targeting.
• Best Western Norway: Norwegian arm of the global Best Western network, operating franchised midscale and select-service hotels across Norway. Comparable on multi-city Norwegian footprint and budget-to-midscale target segments, though typically less digital-first than Smarthotel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smarthotel.no
• Instagraminstagram.com/smart_norge

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smarthotel