Norwegian Hospitality Group

What Norwegian Hospitality Group does

Norwegian Hospitality Group (NHG) is a privately held, family-owned Norwegian multi-franchise hotel operator and property owner founded in 1991 and headquartered in Lysaker, Akershus. The group operates a portfolio of nine hotels totaling 1,323 rooms and approximately 100,300 m² of owned real estate across Norway and Sweden, including Farris Bad, Son Spa, Strömstad Spa & Resort, Hotel Riviera, Dalen Hotel, Home Hotel Park, and three Thon Hotels properties. All hotels operate under franchise agreements with either Strawberry (Petter Stordalen's group) or Thon Hotels/Olav Thon Gruppen, with several properties also aligned to the Nordic Hotels & Resorts brand. NHG additionally operates cruise and yachting experiences through M/S Henrik Ibsen (historic Telemark Canal vessel, 1907) and the Centaurus luxury yacht on the Oslo Fjord, and holds the registered trademark for M/S Henrik Ibsen.

The company's business model combines hotel room revenue, spa and wellness services, food and beverage, conference and event services, and cruise/yachting experiences, all anchored by direct real estate ownership that gives it integrated control over property economics. NHG serves three principal customer segments: leisure and wellness travelers (spa retreats at Farris Bad, Son Spa, Strömstad), corporate and conference guests (notably via Thon Hotel Linne's 394-room conference capacity and Son Spa's new 'The View' meeting facility), and heritage/cultural travelers drawn to historic properties such as Dalen Hotel (1894) and the M/S Henrik Ibsen cruise experience. Distribution is dual-channel: direct booking through each hotel's own website and corporate channels, plus franchise-platform bookings through Strawberry and Thon Hotels' global systems. The group employs approximately 1,000 people across its portfolio and is led by CEO Jarle Moen under the ownership of Thor Halvorsen Holding AS.

NHG's underlying technology stack is not disclosed as a competitive differentiator; operations rely on franchise-managed booking platforms, standard hotel management systems, and smart building sensor infrastructure deployed for energy efficiency and heat pump integration. Sustainability is positioned as a core operational discipline, anchored in the parent company's compliance with Norway's Transparency Act (Åpenhetsloven) and GDPR. The group also offers consultancy services to the broader hospitality industry, suggesting limited asset-light revenue diversification beyond its owned-and-operated portfolio.

Name

Norwegian Hospitality Group

Legal name

Norwegian Hospitality Group AS

Website

https://nhg.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Norwegian Hospitality Group owns and operates a 9-hotel, 1,323-room portfolio of waterfront spa, conference, and heritage properties across Norway and Sweden under Strawberry and Thon Hotels franchise agreements, supplemented by cruise and yachting experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Services

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Traveler Accommodation (7211), Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (721110), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Accommodation (721)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Hotels & Motels (7011), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Resort-Area Full-Service Hotels (Non–All-Inclusive) (THAGAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Large-Scale Headquarters Convention Hotels (THAGALAH), Beachfront & Island Luxury Resorts (THAGACAA), Hospitality (Hotel) Property Management (BPAJAGAG), Business & Corporate Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAE)

Keywords

• Hotel operations
• Spa resort management
• Property development
• Cruise experiences
• Franchise hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Lysaker

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hotel room revenue: NHG generates primary revenue from room bookings across its 9 owned hotels operating under franchise brands (Strawberry and Thon Hotels). Revenue is driven by leisure, spa, and conference stays with pricing varying by hotel category and season.
2. Spa and wellness services: Revenue from spa treatments, thermal experiences, and wellness facilities at Farris Bad, Son Spa, and Strömstad Spa & Resort, as well as the spa at Hotel Riviera.
3. Restaurant and food & beverage: Revenue from on-site restaurants, bars, room service, and catering at all NHG hotel properties, including Dalen Hotel's acclaimed culinary offerings.
4. Conference and event services: Revenue from meeting rooms, conference facilities, and event venues across the hotel portfolio, including Son Spa's new 'The View' meeting room with panoramic fjord views.
5. Cruise and yachting experiences: Revenue from operating M/S Henrik Ibsen on the Telemark Canal and Centaurus luxury yacht experiences on the Oslo Fjord, including combined hotel+cruise packages.
6. Property ownership and development: NHG owns and manages approximately 100,300 m² of real estate across its hotel properties, creating value through ownership of the physical assets housing hotels, restaurants, and conference venues. Hotel Riviera was purchased for 550 million NOK.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Norwegian Hospitality Group owns and operates a portfolio of 9 hotels (1,323 rooms) across Norway and Sweden under franchise agreements with Strawberry and Thon Hotels, complemented by spa and wellness, conference and event venues, restaurants, and cruise/yacht experiences aboard M/S Henrik Ibsen and the Centaurus luxury yacht. The group combines hotel operations with property ownership of approximately 100,300 square meters of real estate, while also offering consultancy services to the broader hospitality industry.

Product overview

Norwegian Hospitality Group (NHG) is a multi-franchise hotel operator and property owner established in 1991. The company operates a portfolio of 9 hotels with 1,323 rooms across Norway and Sweden, totaling approximately 100,300 m² of property. The portfolio includes Farris Bad, Son Spa, Strömstad Spa & Resort, Hotel Riviera, Dalen Hotel, Home Hotel Park, Thon Hotel Vettre, Thon Hotel Halden, and Thon Hotel Linne. NHG also operates cruise and yachting experiences including M/S Henrik Ibsen (historic Telemark Canal cruise ship from 1907) and the Centaurus luxury yacht. The company functions as a multifranchise operator with franchise agreements with Strawberry (Strawberry Hotels) and Thon Hotels (Olav Thon Gruppen), operating under the Nordic Hotels & Resorts brand for some properties. The company also offers conference venues, restaurant experiences, and consultancy services to the industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farris Bad Spa hotel in Larvik combining modern design with mineral-rich natural springs, offering spa experiences with fjord views between the sea and forest. Recognized as Europe's best spa in 2025.
• Son Spa Spa destination by the water's edge near Oslo offering thermal wellness, tranquility, and fresh sea air, including the 'The View' meeting room with panoramic fjord views for groups of 20-50.
• Strömstad Spa & Resort Complete spa and experience resort by the archipelago in Bohuslän, Sweden, offering spa, restaurant, and nature access for holidays, conferences, and weekend trips.
• Hotel Riviera

Quantifiable outcome

• Farris Bad recognized as Europe's best spa in 2025

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Höegh EiendommajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHöegh Eiendom co-developed Hotel Riviera with NHG starting in 2018. The hotel opened in May 2023. In late 2025, NHG purchased full ownership from Höegh Eiendom for 550 million NOK, transitioning from operating partner to sole owner. Höegh Eiendom described NHG's expertise in destination hotel operations as making them the right player to continue developing the property.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Scandic Hotels: Scandic is the largest hotel operator in the Nordic region with 280+ hotels across 7 countries. While Scandic is a broader incumbent with a different operating model (owned/branded rather than franchised like NHG's model), it competes directly for the same leisure, conference, and spa traveler segments across Norway and Sweden.

Direct peers

• Strawberry (Nordic Choice Hotels): Strawberry is NHG's largest franchisor and the dominant Nordic hospitality brand (Petter Stordalen group), operating Clarion, Quality, Clarion Collection, and Comfort hotels across the Nordics. NHG operates 5 of its 9 hotels under Strawberry franchise agreements, making Strawberry both a critical partner and the most directly comparable operator in the Nordic hotel space.
• Stenungsbaden Yacht Club: Stenungsbaden Yacht Club is a Swedish waterfront resort on the Bohuslän coast near Strömstad Spa & Resort, sharing similar leisure, spa, and nautical positioning. NHG hired its former CEO (Erica Hultmark) in early 2026, underscoring the direct peer relationship and competitive overlap in Sweden's west coast hospitality market.
• Nordic Hotels & Resorts: Nordic Hotels & Resorts is the Strawberry sub-brand under which Hotel Riviera operates. It focuses on sustainable, design-forward hotels and shares NHG's premium positioning in the Norwegian hospitality market, making it a brand-level peer in the luxury/spa segment.
• First Hotels: First Hotels is a Norwegian hotel chain with full-service and conference properties across Norway, comparable to NHG's Thon-operated conference hotels (Thon Hotel Linne, Vettre, Halden). Both operate in the mid-market business and conference segment of the Norwegian hotel market.
• Thon Hotels (Olav Thon Gruppen): Thon Hotels is NHG's second-largest franchisor and one of Norway's largest hotel chains with a nationwide footprint of business and conference hotels. NHG operates Thon Hotel Vettre, Thon Hotel Linne, and Thon Hotel Halden under Thon franchise agreements, with Thon Hotel Linne (394 rooms) being a direct conference-hotel comparable to NHG's larger properties.
• Norlandia Hotels & Resorts: Norlandia is a Nordic hotel operator focused on conference, spa, and resort properties, comparable to NHG's spa/resort portfolio (Farris Bad, Son Spa, Strömstad Spa & Resort). Both serve leisure, wellness, and corporate conference guests in similar Norwegian and Swedish locations.

Emerging players

• Quality Hotel (Strawberry brand): Quality Hotel is Strawberry's meeting and conference-focused brand, directly comparable to Thon Hotel Linne's 394-room conference offering. Both target the corporate meetings and events segment in Norway, though Quality operates as a Strawberry-owned brand while NHG's Thon properties operate under Thon franchise.

Others

• Rica Hotels: Rica Hotels was historically a major Norwegian hotel chain before being integrated into Nordic Choice/Strawberry; former Rica properties share geographic and positioning overlap with NHG's Norwegian portfolio. While no longer independent, the brand legacy is a relevant historical peer for NHG's Norwegian hotel portfolio structure.

Regional players

• Profil Hotels: Profil Hotels operates a portfolio of design-forward hotels primarily in Sweden, including properties in coastal and spa destinations. Strömstad Spa & Resort (NHG's Swedish property) directly competes with Profil's positioning in the Swedish leisure/wellness segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norwegian-hospitality-group

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Norwegian Hospitality Group