IKEA Welcomes In-Store Hostel
IKEA in Norway is making customers feel right at home by offering them a bed at night and some breakfast, too.
The furniture giant in Furuset, Norway—located in the outskirts of Oslo—is offering free overnight lodging to shoppers as part of a promotional effort to become a temporary in-store hostel.
IKEA shoppers in Furuset, Norway now have the unique opportunity to stay overnight in the store. |
“A large number of beds are not being used at night, and we think it is nice to be able to offer people free accommodation—especially at the end of the summer when a lot of people have little left of their holiday budgets,” company spokesman Frode Ullebust said.
From July 23 to July 27, shoppers can spend the night in special rooms set up in the store, with a choice of a bridal suite, complete with hanging chandelier and a round bed, or a luxury suite that includes breakfast in bed.
Others can share a bunk in the dormitory, while parents and children can stay in a family room.
Children can stay in colorful and vibrant bunk bed rooms. |
Guests, which were required to make reservations through the store directly or on its Web site, can bring back souvenirs. The company will provide bathrobes with the IKEA Hostel logo, slippers and bed sheets for guests to take home afterward.
The stay also includes a free breakfast and dinner. And to make getting to the location easier, IKEA is offering a free bus from Oslo to its Furuset location.
Ullebust said the store will be open as usual and the promotion shouldn’t affect the shopping experience of its regular customers.
Living room areas are also available for in-store hostel guests. |
“However, you may end up meeting our guests in the bedroom department from 10 p.m., and perhaps see a few sleepyheads in their beds when the department store opens in the morning,” Ullebust said.
Customers might also run into IKEA's own hostel staff, which will be busy making the beds and getting ready for the company’s nighttime experience.
Ullebust said the company expects the promotion to have a positive impact on IKEA’s in-store experience.
The bridal suite is for romantic couples. It comes with a hanging chandelier and a round bed. |
“We are hoping for a lot of interest,” Ullebust said. “We expect even more smiles than usual on the week of the IKEA-hostel.”
The company said that if the run is successful, it would consider increasing the number of days for the promotion next year and possibly launch several other IKEA hostels in Norway.