Norway’s newest it place is here to make a statement. The long-anticipated Hobo Hotel Oslo opens amid growing buzz. With 181 rooms and no less than four different restaurant and bar concepts, it carries forward an idea inherent to the Hobo concept: that a hotel should be as alive and unpredictable as the city it is born from.
Hobo Hotel is no stranger to those who travel the Nordics. Hobo Stockholm—the eldest of the soon-to-be four siblings—has been a magnet for creatives and the culturally curious since its inception in 2017. A space that functions as a hangout, home, music venue, and popup space, its disruptive approach to hospitality proved to be a recipe for success. In 2024, the sister hotel Hobo Helsinki opened to great acclaim in the heart of the Finnish capital, quickly becoming an institution on the culture scene of Finland.
Now Oslo can boast its very own Hobo Oslo. True to its core idea, the concept finds a new form in the Norwegian capital. Here, its free-spirited DNA expresses itself through a city known for its architectural precision and understated sophistication.
From Guest Rooms to Gathering Grounds
Behind the interiors of all Hobo Hotels is Berlin-based studio aisslinger. For Oslo, studio aisslinger has evolved its signature “Architecture of Optimism”, a design philosophy rooted in the 1960s utopian communes of the U.S., where collective idealism shaped how people lived and worked together.
Translated here with a Norwegian sensibility, the concept manifests in spaces that are statements in and of themselves—but which are also meant to be filled with creations by local artists. Unlike the uniformity of chain-hotel polish, each Hobo Hotel is inspired by its hometown. A continuation of the design language of Stockholm and Helsinki, Hobo Oslo’s iteration has its own rhythm. Signatures like raw textures, curated peg-walls, and a bold yet warm materiality threads all public and private spaces.
The interiors aim to reflect Oslo’s shifting identity: a city balancing modern confidence with a deep respect for nature and craft.
With 181 rooms in five categories, there is plenty of accommodation to choose between. The rooms range from the compact Snug, a cozy little gem that packs a punch, up to the two-storey Corner Suite, a formidable playground fully equipped with vinyl players and karaoke machines.
It is, however, in the shared spaces that Hobo’s purpose comes to life. On the lower floors, a constellation of restaurants, bars, and social nooks invite both guests and locals in. The idea is not to observe Oslo from the comfort of a hotel lobby, but to feel part of its everyday life. Here, guests have no less than four different venues for dining and drinking to move between.
A natural focal point of the building, the Hobo Bar is the glass-roofed hall at the heart of the hotel. It fronts a curated beverage program that highlights craftsmanship and sustainability. Think honest cocktails with fresh ingredients, “kortreist” (Norwegian for “short-travelled”, referring to regional) wines, and a rotating selection of beers from local breweries. All of this is paired with bar classics that have received what the staff calls “a little attitude adjustment”.
Go past the Hobo Bar and you’ll soon find Kreatur, a conceptually rotating dining experience that is small in size but with a larger-than-life character. Each year, Kreatur launches four distinct themes, drawing inspiration from whatever is the kitchen’s latest obsession. For their inaugural team of 2025, Kreatur takes on “Conspiracy Cooking”. Expect a culinary journey through the hidden world of conspiracy theories.
For a more casual dining experience, the hotel’s pizza joint Yeast is the perfect choice. This lively dining spot serves up pizza al taglio together with an array of natural wines and home-canned cocktails. Like the name implies, Yeast is a celebration of all things fermented and preserved. The scissor-cut slices are innovatively accompanied by small plates and preserved Mediterranean seafood, and the wine list is constantly evolving.
Last, but certainly not least, is the Space By Café. Space By is a Hobo Hotel signature; a dedicated space at each Hobo Hotel, often found in the lobby, Space By is a prime popup area that is given to niche artists or companies to showcase something unique. Rent-free, hassle-free. At Hobo Oslo, Space By has been reimagined as a full-scale café concept, going from a coffee and waffle hangout by day to a bar specializing in coffee cocktails by night.
A Meeting Point in Beta Mode
Hobo Oslo didn’t wait for perfection before opening its doors. True to its philosophy of “always in beta mode,” the hotel has treated its development as an ongoing process of trial and error. Beta mode is a cornerstone concept of each Hobo Hotel, encouraging constant play and elaboration. Even before completion, Hobo Oslo hosted pop-up events in its unfinished spaces—a construction-site Christmas party among them—testing out new food and beverage programs with future guests.
More than a branding exercise, this experimental spirit is a reflection of a wider cultural shift. In an era when cities evolve faster than ever, Hobo positions itself as a living system rather than a finished product. It’s a place that listens, adapts, and grows alongside its community.
Oslo’s transformation over the past decade has been remarkable. The emergence of the Barcode Project, and the re-opening of both the new Munch Museum and the new National Museum have all contributed to the city’s growing popularity. Yet amid this architecture of ambition, there’s been a craving for places that feel human-scale, textured, and hyper-local. Hobo Oslo arrives as an addition to an evolving city—not as a counterbalance, but as an active participant. It aims to contribute to Oslo’s ongoing conversation about what a modern Nordic city can be: inclusive, curious, and perfectly imperfect.
Hotel website
Hobo Hotel Oslo
Dronningens gt. 23
Oslo, 0154
Norway
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