"That I, I love Frida". By choosing the new hotel opened by the lifestyle brand Ruby for their next trip to Stockholm, business travellers will no doubt have a tune by Brel in mind, picturing themselves in this house "where it will be good to be". And if it's not certain, it's still perhaps... This hotel, in any case, does everything to please its guests with its designer spaces and its creative spirit inspired by the "swinging sixties", its 187 rooms as well as its bar open 24/7.
Accustomed, since its beginnings in 2013, to giving its hotels a feminine persona – Ruby Lucy in London, Ruby Giulia in Rome – the contemporary, upscale brand, incorporated into the IHG group last year, has settled with Ruby Frida in a dynamic district of the Swedish capital, Kungsholmen, within an iconic 1960s building, the Väktaren building, which has been completely transformed.
Located 10 minutes from the central train station by public transport and about forty minutes from Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, this former office building retains this function in part, while also adding a hotel component. Le Ruby Frida is closely linked to Stockholm's creative spirit, with a design and atmosphere shaped by the city's musical heritage. ", stated Michael Struck, CEO and founder of Ruby Group.
Crossing the Atlantic and the Marseille accent
While Michael Struck still heads the brand, continuing to manage the present and future hotels under a master franchise agreement with IHG, Ruby's entry into the British group's brand portfolio opens new horizons for it, particularly in the United States. In early June, the premium lifestyle brand's New York debut was announced, with a 187-room hotel on Sixth Avenue, in a fully transformed 18-storey historic building from the 1930s.
Scheduled to open in 2027, will this hotel be the first Ruby to appear across the Atlantic? Nothing is less certain as an opening is also planned for next year in the heart of Chicago, one block east of Magnificent Mile. The result of the complete renovation and repositioning of the historic Inn of Chicago, whose building dates back to the late 1920s, this hotel will feature 412 rooms, a redesigned lobby and bar, as well as a terrace and a rooftop bar offering views of the "Windy City" skyline.
" With two establishments now planned in iconic and strategic cities, we are only just beginning to reveal Ruby's growth potential. ", said Jolyon Bulley, IHG's Chief Operating Officer for the Americas. For all that, with 40 establishments currently open or planned, the brand has not forgotten its European roots with several openings expected on the Old Continent, notably in Marseille at the end of this summer, with the Ruby Lilou. Located in La Joliette, between the Old Port and the Euroméditerranée business district, this hotel, which reinvents a former office building, will offer over 230 rooms, a lively bar, and a co-working space, all topped off with a rooftop suitable for professional events with a view of the sea and "La Bonne Mère".
Among other destinations in the pipeline are new hotels in Scandinavia, in Malmö and Copenhagen, a first for the German-origin brand in Berlin, and an upcoming arrival in the Belgian market, in addition to an expected establishment in Milan. These are all openings that align with Ruby's ambition to exceed 120 hotels worldwide over the next decade.
