Our story and what we can do together

It all begins on this page so we’re happy you found your way here!

Do you have a property you want to transform into a destination, a piece of land that can be a reason for travel, or maybe you are looking for the most exciting hotel operator of the Nordics? Or maybe you’re a great supplier or consultant who wants to be a part of our journey? Do you need more information about our finances or are curious about our upcoming projects? No matter the reason, we believe it all starts with knowing a bit more about us.

Hopefully the following short text gives you just that, further down you’ll find contact details depending on what kind of collaboration you’re interested in.

So, here’s the short story of how it all started and what we believe in. ESS Group was founded in 2007 when we purchased Ystad Saltsjöbad. The hotel was, just like numerous other Swedish beach resorts, a sleepy conference hotel returning to life only during the summer months. At that time, business was sustained by market segments: meetings and conferences and business accommodation. The occupancy was somewhere around 56%. But why can’t conference and business hotels be fully booked all year round and why do they have to be so boring? And what if we focused all our work, effort and money in trying to get our guests to return?

These questions became the start of ESS Group’s destination journey. A journey that now has developed into 10 destinations and 15 restaurants. From Ystad Saltsjöbad, MJ’S and Villa Strandvägen in the south of Sweden to Falkenberg Strandbad along the west coast, followed by Hotel Pigalle and Hotel Bellora in Gothenburg and The Steam Hotel just by lake Mälaren close to Stockholm. We have also stepped outside of Sweden and opened Fýri – Resort of Hemsedal in Norway, followed by Marienlyst in Helsingør, Denmark. Our last love Ellery Beach House, is situated on Lidingö in the Stockholm archipelago and our upcoming hotel will be in the neighbourhood Gårda in Gothenburg. Brasserie LIPP, Port du Soleil, Köket, 8ight, Barabicu, Tranquilo, Zamenhof and Excet are restaurants and clubs that we’re also super proud to be part of.