Hotel Tornedalia becomes Matarengi Lodge

After months of intensive renovation, the new Matarengi Lodge opened its doors at the end of November, welcoming a fully booked winter season. French guests are flown in via Paris for an activity-filled and long-awaited vacation week in Övertorneå.

“This feels fantastic! The business will be open all year round and focus on different guest categories and markets during the different seasons of the year,” says the new owner Johan Väisänen, who already runs several facilities in the company Explore the North.

The hotel property was built by the municipality of Övertorneå in the 1980s and for many years housed the business Hotell Tornedalia, but has also served as an asylum accommodation for some time. Explore the North bought the hotel from the municipality two years ago with the aim of opening as early as December 2023.

“Interest rate increases and inflation meant that it took an extra year to implement our plans. We also needed to take the time to find the right long-term business partner, in the form of an international tour operator, who wanted to book their European travelers here in Övertorneå in winter”.

At the opening ceremony, municipal councillor Tomas Mörtberg spoke about the importance of the Väisänen family’s investment in the new Matarengi Lodge for new jobs and the increased attractiveness of the resort, but also how the business will hopefully contribute to additional values for the municipality, the local business community and the residents.

“An attractive hotel and conference facility is important for a central town from many aspects. More visitors to the community provide many ripple effects in the business community and hopefully this can also contribute to increased migration, opportunities for skills provision and continued investment for a developed tourism industry with more activity companies in the form of nature and culture entrepreneurs, but also additional bed capacity”.

The day after the internal inauguration, which was held for partners and suppliers, Övertorneå residents were invited to free coffee, gingerbread and a house tour.

“The winter season is fully booked, but we look forward to welcoming regional visitors – private individuals as well as companies and organizations – who want to hold conferences and meetings here”, says Johan Väisänen.

On the outside, the facade and windows have been given new colors and inside, most everything is new. The lounge and restaurant on the ground floor have been given new colors and new decor.

“We have made a brand new spa that both the lodge’s guests and Övertorneå residents can book. Here you will find relaxation furniture, a soothing bath and a glazed design sauna”.

Matarengi Lodge has 45 newly renovated double rooms spread over three floors. Some of the rooms have a door directly to the adjoining room to meet the family’s need to connect more beds. The restaurant and lounge will be open seven days a week all year round.

There is a convenient entrance leading directly to conference facilities in the same building, with several different room types for different group sizes and functional needs. In total there is capacity for 180 conference guests.

“Our employee Sofi Holmgren, has selected a large series of local historical photographs that we have had made into paintings. They now adorn the entire hotel and we hope that this will also contribute to local pride by showing the rich and unique living history that has its roots in the area”.

French guests who have booked in for the winter stay for a week and have a wide range of activities to choose from. They can book guided tours, but they can also discover Övertorneå’s shops and attractions on their own. If they want to get out into nature themselves, snowshoes and cross-country skis can be borrowed from the hotel.

Matarenki is the Finnish name for Övertorneå while Matarengi is Meänkieli and also an older Swedish name.

Read more about Matarengi Lodge at Explore the North: https://swe.explorethenorth.se/vara-lodger/matarengi-lodge