Scandic Hotels, the leading hotel group in the Nordics and present in 7 European countries, operates a portfolio of midscale hotels. The group went public at the end of 2015 and recently made a number of acquisitions which are strengthening its presence in key markets.
Key figures
Originally known as Esso Motor Hotels, the chain opened its first hotel in 1963 in Laxå, Sweden, and began expanding nationally before entering Denmark and Norway in 1972. It was acquired in 1984 by the Swedish investment company Ratos, and was renamed Scandic Hotels.
From 1995 onwards, its development in the Nordic countries accelerated, notably thanks to the acquisition of the Swedish activities of Reso Hotels, followed by Finland's Arctia Hotels in 1988 and the Swedish company Provobis in 2000. Scandic was taken over the following year by the Hilton International group, before being passed on to the Swedish investor EQT in 2007.
In 2014, the group strengthened its presence in Norway with the acquisition of its rival Rica Hotels, which would be followed three years later by the acquisition of Restel from Finland. The group began trading on the Stockholm stock exchange at the end of 2015 and currently operates a portfolio of 216 establishments and nearly 40,000 rooms in 7 countries, mainly in Northern Europe but also in Belgium, Germany and Poland. It is the 33rd largest hotel group worldwide and 16th in the European Union.
