First Hotels will take over the operation of AC Hotel by Marriott Stockholm Ulriksdal in Solna in early 2027, bringing the 223-room property into its directly operated portfolio under the name First Hotel Ulriksdal.
The Nordic group has signed a long-term agreement directly with property owner Vi Invest AB. First Hotels will become the tenant and operator, taking responsibility for both the hotel’s day-to-day operation and commercial management.
First Hotels targets Stockholm business demand
Opened in 2020, the hotel has rooms and suites, a restaurant, meeting facilities, a spa and a fitness centre. First Hotels plans to position it towards the upper end of its portfolio.
The location gives the group a larger presence in Solna, a business district within the Stockholm region. The company sees corporate agreements, meetings and business travel as the main opportunities, supported by connections to central Stockholm and Arlanda Airport.
For the operator, the immediate commercial task will be to bring an established full-service hotel into a different brand and distribution network while retaining its appeal to corporate customers. The announcement does not set out financial terms or a detailed transition timetable beyond early 2027.
A bigger role for direct operation
Ulriksdal will become First Hotels’ ninth directly operated hotel. It is also the second major Swedish addition to that part of the business since new owners arrived in 2025.
The group previously took over the full operation of First Hotel Planetstaden in Lund, where it also invested in the hotel property alongside Norwegian investment company Daimyo. At Ulriksdal, the announced structure is a long-term tenancy and operating agreement.
First Hotels continues to use franchise and partnership arrangements elsewhere in its Nordic portfolio. The Ulriksdal agreement therefore expands the part of the business where the group controls operations directly, alongside its role supporting independently run hotels through its brand, sales, loyalty and technology services.
For hotel leaders, that places the operational handover at the centre of the story: aligning teams, service standards and commercial systems will be central to delivering the planned positioning from 2027.
Related reading: Nordic Hotels’ planned Frenckell hotel in Tampere and WINC Wire’s upcoming hotel openings coverage.
Sources: First Hotels press release; First Hotels announcement on LinkedIn. Image: First Hotels press material.
