Scandic and Hilton have signed a multi-year development agreement covering Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, with a 284-room hotel near Copenhagen Airport the first project announced under the partnership.
The agreement, announced on 19 October, brings together Scandic’s Nordic operating expertise and Hilton’s international brands and distribution. It gives the two groups a framework to pursue individual hotel opportunities across the four countries.
Scandic and Hilton plan Copenhagen airport hotel
Scandic has signed a Hilton Hotels & Resorts property at Scanport, adjacent to Copenhagen Airport. It will operate the hotel under a franchise agreement with Hilton, with opening expected in 2029.
Construction is due to begin once outstanding conditions have been satisfied. The announcement does not say that building work has already started.
The full-service hotel is planned to include a restaurant and bar, meeting and event spaces, wellness facilities, a fitness area and an executive lounge with views over the Öresund Strait. Its mix of accommodation and supporting facilities points to an operating brief extending across rooms, food and beverage, meetings and wellbeing.
A project-by-project Nordic agreement
The companies said the partnership concerns individual development opportunities rather than a broad conversion of Scandic’s existing hotel portfolio. The announcement names the Copenhagen property but does not set out a total number of hotels to be delivered under the agreement.
For hotel owners and operators, the distinction matters: the framework combines an established regional operating platform with global brand and commercial reach, while leaving the scale and timing of further projects to subsequent announcements.
Scandic president and chief executive Jens Mathiesen linked the agreement to the group’s long-term growth strategy and its experience operating Hilton hotels in Helsinki. Hilton president and chief executive Chris Nassetta described it as a route to expanding the company’s brands across the four Nordic markets.
Helsinki relationship and loyalty plans
The partnership builds on a relationship spanning more than two decades. Scandic currently operates Hilton Helsinki Airport, Hilton Helsinki Strand and Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa.
A multi-phase refurbishment is also being planned for Hilton Helsinki Airport, focusing on key guest-facing areas. The release does not provide a completion date for that work.
The groups intend to announce benefits for Hilton Honors and Scandic Friends members later. Details of how those benefits will work have not yet been published.
For hospitality teams following the expansion, the next milestones are the outstanding conditions for the Copenhagen scheme, further project signings and the eventual loyalty arrangements. No recruitment timetable or staffing numbers were included in the announcement.
Source: Scandic Hotels Group’s announcement, 19 October 2026. Read more hospitality news from WINC Wire.
