360 Hotel – rooted in Icelandic heritage

360 Hotel has opened its doors onto the farmlands of South Iceland, offering a different idea of luxury rooted in Icelandic heritage, warm hospitality and the freedom to slow down. Created and owned by two Icelandic families, the 31-room hotel combines individually designed rooms and suites with geothermal wellness, seasonal cuisine and wide views across the surrounding countryside. Here, the changing weather, vast skies and open landscape are part of the experience.

Image credit: 360 Hotel Iceland

The hotel’s location is one of its greatest advantages. Just one hour from Reykjavík and 15 minutes from Selfoss, it provides an ideal base for exploring some of Iceland’s most celebrated landscapes and attractions, from the Golden Circle and South Coast to Vík, with longer journeys possible towards Jökulsárlón. Guests can make day trips in different directions and return to the same welcoming base each evening rather than packing up and moving on. It is a way to see more of Iceland while travelling at a slower pace, with time to enjoy the hotel, the landscape and the experience in between.

The South Iceland experience begins at the hotel itself. The extraordinary Icelandic light and uninterrupted views across the countryside are part of everyday life here, and an afternoon by the fire can be just as much a part of experiencing Iceland as a day spent exploring the landscape.

Family history runs through the hotel in many small and unexpected ways. Each guestroom features a poster inspired by Rafskinna, an electrically operated ‘magic book’ created by Gunnar Bachmann, the grandfather of one of the owners, for a Reykjavík shop window in 1932. It was a working advertisement as well as a novel piece of technology, with automatically turning pages illustrated by Icelandic artists. The display became a beloved local holiday tradition, offering a glimpse into everyday life and the way Icelanders experienced Christmas in the 1930s. Today, that piece of Icelandic history and the owners’ family story lives on in every room.

The hotel’s tree ring identity is another expression of this connection to family, representing history, growth and the links between generations. Fittingly, the two families who created and own the hotel can trace their family trees back to the same great-great-great grandparents.

The sense of home and the freedom to slow down is central to the hotel’s philosophy. “360 Hotel is, first and foremost, a family-owned hotel,” discussed owner Hrefna Bachmann. “We never wanted to create a hotel that felt intimidating or overly formal. We wanted to create the kind of place we would want to come home to. Guests can spend the day exploring South Iceland and return somewhere calm and intimate, to sit beside the fire, enjoy a long dinner, read a book or simply watch the landscape and sky change outside. 360 Hotel is designed to provide the luxury of not having to rush to the next thing.”

Like so much of 360 Hotel, its design begins with family. Interior designer Guðbjörg Anna Árnadóttir, the sister of one of the owners, has been drawing and designing since she was a child. For 360 Hotel, she brought together her own ideas with the personalities, memories and travels of the two families, taking inspiration from the character, materials and traditions of Iceland.

Timber panelling takes its inspiration from older Icelandic buildings and settlements, while turf, fireplaces, natural materials, colour and tactile textures bring a sense of warmth and shelter. The result is a contemporary interpretation of Icelandic design that feels comfortable, personal and connected to the landscape.

There is no standard room at 360 Hotel. Each of the 31 rooms and suites has its own character, with individual colours, furniture, textiles and details, inviting guests to return and discover something different each time. Accommodation ranges from Terrace Rooms from 27 square metres, where private terraces extend the living space into the surrounding landscape, to the 100-square-metre 360 Suite, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom retreat with panoramic views. Families can feel at home in three Junior Queen rooms with two queen beds from 47 square metres, and three sets of connecting rooms. Premium Norwegian beds and mattresses from Jensen, heated floors, and nightly turndown service complete the experience.

Image credit: 360 Hotel Iceland

The interiors bring together handmade pieces found on the owners’ travels with contemporary Icelandic design, creating rooms that feel personal and lived in. Some feature Moroccan wool rugs made by women artisans near the Atlas Mountains, using patterns designed especially for the hotel by Árnadóttir. At Hnaus Restaurant, handmade pottery comes through an Icelandic foundation that teaches pottery skills to women in Sierra Leone and helps them sell their work.

This sense of connection continues into the way guests experience the rooms. There are no televisions in the guestrooms. Instead, guests are encouraged to talk, read, listen to music or simply look outside. Guests who want to watch a film can visit the hotel’s cinema Otherwise, they can simply sit and watch the landscape change outside.

In South Iceland, food is closely connected to the land. The farms, the changing seasons and the people who produce what is on the table all play a part. At Hnaus Restaurant, this connection comes through in a farm-to-fork approach, with local and seasonal ingredients shaping the menu throughout the year. The restaurant takes its name from the Icelandic word for “mound”, referring to the land on which the hotel stands. The connection between the place and the food is simple and direct, with dairy coming from the local family-run farm Gunnbjarnarholt and lamb from neighbouring farms. As the seasons change, so does the menu.

Image credit: 360 Hotel Iceland

Led by award-winning Executive Chef Hinrik Örn Lárusson, Icelandic Chef of the Year 2024, the 80-seat restaurant brings contemporary cooking together with the agricultural traditions of the region. The menu changes with the seasons and what is being grown and produced nearby, giving guests a chance to taste South Iceland at different times of the year. For Lárusson, the connection is a personal one. He grew up at his family’s Hotel Hekla in South Iceland, learning to cook alongside his mother. Returning to the region to lead the kitchen at 360 Hotel feels like a natural continuation of that story.

Hnaus is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with private and bespoke experiences also available. Guests can sit down to a chef’s table dinner or take a gourmet picnic with them when heading out to explore South Iceland. In both cases, the idea is the same. To experience the region through what is grown, raised and produced here.

When conditions are right, the Northern Lights can appear above the hotel and across the surrounding countryside. Guests do not need to spend the evening watching the sky or setting alarms through the night. With the Northern Lights Wake Up Service, the 360 Hotel team keeps an eye on the sky and will let guests know if the aurora appears. They can simply enjoy their evening and decide whether to step outside when the lights arrive.

Image credit: 360 Hotel Iceland

There is also something very Icelandic about choosing to stay in. Long, dark winters have traditionally made reading, conversation, cards and games an important part of Icelandic evenings. There was a time when television was not broadcast on Thursdays and, until the early 1980s, went off the air altogether each July. Evenings were spent together instead. That tradition has found its way into 360 Hotel. Books and games are available throughout the hotel, from classic board games and backgammon to mahjong, and guests can simply pick one up whenever they feel like it. The owners and team are often happy to sit down and join in, a gesture of welcoming guests into their very special home.

There is something wonderfully simple about ending a day in South Iceland with a soak in warm geothermal water. At 360 Hotel, the 350-square-metre wellness sanctuary has two geothermal hot pools, fed by water from a nearby farm, with views across the surrounding countryside. Guests can also use two saunas, including an infrared sauna, cold plunge facilities, treatment rooms and quiet spaces for relaxation.

After a day exploring glaciers, waterfalls, volcanic landscapes and black sand beaches, guests can come back, warm up, cool down and take their time. There is also a gym and yoga studio for those who want to keep active, but there is no need to do anything at all. Sometimes the best part is simply sitting in the warm water and watching the landscape.

360 Hotel is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ L.V.X. Collection and the brand’s first hotel in Iceland.

Main image credit: 360 Hotel Iceland