Nordic Hotels & Resorts will open a 168-room lifestyle hotel inside the historic Frenckell paper mill in Tampere, Finland, in 2028. It will be the group’s first property in the city, and the building’s resident theatre will sit at the centre of the guest experience.
The hotel, simply named Frenckell, is being developed with property owner Aare Invest and will be operated by Nordic Hotels & Resorts. The project turns one of Tampere’s best-known industrial sites into a design-led hotel. Culture is built into the product rather than added on.
A paper mill with a theatre inside
The Frenckell paper mill site dates back to the 18th century, when a small paper factory was founded beside the Tammerkoski rapids. It was later taken over by the Finnish printer J.C. Frenckell, whose name the building still carries, and was rebuilt and transformed several times over the following centuries.
Its 1870 factory chimney survives as a protected monument. The building is also home to Teatteri Frenckell, and hotel guests will have direct access to the theatre within the same complex. That makes the Frenckell paper mill one of the few hotel conversions in the Nordics where a working stage is part of the address.
What the Frenckell hotel will offer
- 168 rooms and suites, each with its own character
- A 400 sq m social lobby combining reception, bar, lounge, co-working space and a boutique, which turns into a live stage at night
- Two restaurant concepts and a 1,400 sq m courtyard open from morning to late
- More than 600 sq m of spa and wellness space, with a gym, saunas and treatment rooms
- 800 sq m of flexible meeting and event space
Interiors are by the Finnish design agency Fyra. The brief draws on the mill’s industrial heritage: raw brick walls, solid materials and artisanal detailing set against contemporary hospitality.
Owner and operator perspective
Henrik Berghult, Chief Operating Officer of Nordic Hotels & Resorts’ Luxury & Lifestyle Division, described Frenckell as “a milestone in our expansion across Finland”. It is the group’s first hotel in Tampere.
Marko Kuusisto, founder and CEO of Aare Invest, called the property “one of Tampere’s most remarkable and iconic buildings”. He said the ambition is to preserve its history while opening it more fully to the people of the city.
Why it matters for lifestyle hospitality
Adaptive reuse has moved from niche to mainstream in upscale lifestyle hotels. Frenckell goes a step further by pairing a heritage conversion with a working theatre and a sauna-led wellness offer in Finland’s sauna capital, so local identity becomes the product itself rather than a decorative layer.
For hotel operators and people leaders, that model changes the job. A hotel whose lobby doubles as a stage and whose courtyard runs from breakfast to late-night events needs teams who can work across front office, food and beverage, events and cultural programming. Hiring and training for those blended roles will be as important to Frenckell’s success as the building itself.
Frenckell is scheduled to open in 2028.
Source: Nordic Hotels & Resorts
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