Hotel Rival

Class: First

Style: Stylish alternative

Rooms: 99

Widely hailed as Stockholm’s first boutique hotel, the newly rehabilitated Hotel Rival is in the heart of the hip Södermalm district and comes complete with an entertaining pop culture connection in the person of owner Benny Andersson, of ABBA fame. Some say Andersson is the reason the Rival has been such a hit with visiting pop stars and the like, while others more soberly point to the thoughtful and extensive facilities, as well as the comfortable and accessibly stylish Art Deco décor—as attractive as you’d expect from Stockholm, with nothing cold or formalist about it.

Not every hotel has its own cinema—certainly the big chain hotels don’t—and very few have not just a bistro and a charming little café but an on-site bakery as well. The cinema is something of a theme here; the bistro’s walls are papered with a mosaic of nearly a thousand portraits of international film stars, and over each bed hangs an enlargement of a frame from a Swedish cinema classic (or, in some cases, ABBA: The Movie). 32” flat-screen televisions are standard, and the hotel’s extensive and well-curated DVD library replaces the usual pay-per-view arrangement.

The Södermalm island location is convenient and picturesque, right on the Mariatorget square, and the neighborhood adds a number of dining and entertainment options to the Rival’s already overstuffed list. The Rival is a social hub, something every boutique hotel with a bar aspires to, and though the bustle is enjoyable you don’t have to worry about being crowded out, as one of the two hotel bars is set aside for guests.