Strawberry
Strawberry is a Scandinavian hotel and hospitality group operating hotels, restaurants, spas, gyms, conference facilities and arenas across the Nordic and Baltic region.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Strawberry is a Norwegian-founded hotel and hospitality group formerly known as Nordic Choice Hotels and, before that, Choice Hotels Scandinavia. The company operates one of the largest hotel networks in Scandinavia, with a portfolio spanning Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Lithuania. The reference material describes approximately 240 to 242 hotels, more than 16,500 employees, over 120 restaurants, around 20 spas, and additional gyms, conference venues and arenas. Its business is therefore broader than a conventional hotel chain: it combines accommodation brands with food and beverage, wellness, meetings, events and destination-oriented hospitality assets. The group began in Norway in 1990 as Choice Hotels Scandinavia. In 1994 it entered into a franchise agreement with Choice Hotels International, gaining rights to market hotels under the Comfort, Clarion and Quality brands. Although the franchise relationship provides access to those brand systems, Strawberry is operated independently from Choice Hotels International in most other respects. This arrangement allowed the company to build a substantial regional platform while using internationally recognized hotel identities. Choice Hotels Scandinavia became a public company on the Oslo Stock Exchange in 1997. In 2005, Home Invest, owned by Norwegian businessman Petter Stordalen, acquired all of the company's stock, taking it private. The group subsequently developed under the Nordic Choice Hotels name and expanded its portfolio beyond the core franchise brands. Its hotel architecture includes branded chains as well as a more independent collection associated with Nordic Hotels & Resorts and, in many cases, the Ascend Hotel Collection. In 2006, Torgeir Silseth became chief executive of the Nordic Choice Hotels Group. The supplied reference identifies him as continuing in that role in 2024, making him the longest-serving specifically identified chief executive in the available material. In 2018, Petter Stordalen transferred ownership of the company to his three children, Emilie, Jacob and Henrik Stordalen. This represented a significant ownership transition while preserving the group's association with the Stordalen family. The company faced a major cybersecurity incident in 2021 when it was hit by a Conti ransomware attack. The attackers demanded a ransom reported in the reference material as $5 million, and sensitive customer and employee information had previously been leaked to the dark web. Following the incident, Strawberry adopted ChromeOS across its computers, presenting the technology change as part of its response to the attack and an effort to strengthen operational resilience. On 22 May 2023, Nordic Choice Hotels was renamed Strawberry. The new identity reflects the group's attempt to present itself as a broader hospitality ecosystem rather than only a conventional hotel operator. Its principal hotel brands are Clarion Hotel, Home Hotel, Quality Hotel and Comfort Hotel, complemented by Nordic Hotels & Resorts and independently named properties. In January 2024, the company entered into a sponsorship agreement for Stockholm's Nationalarenan, which was renamed Strawberry Arena. The agreement illustrates the group's expansion of its brand presence into major venues and experiences as well as hotels.
History
Strawberry's corporate history began in Norway in 1990, when the business was established as Choice Hotels Scandinavia. Its early development was closely connected to Choice Hotels International. In 1994, the two companies signed a franchise agreement under which the Scandinavian operator received the right to market hotels using the Comfort, Clarion and Quality brands. The agreement gave Strawberry access to established international hotel concepts while leaving the regional company operationally independent in most respects. The company pursued public-market financing during its expansion phase and was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in 1997. That status ended in 2005, when Home Invest, owned by businessman Petter Stordalen, purchased all of the company's stock. The acquisition placed the hotel group under private ownership and associated its development with the Stordalen business interests. The company later operated under the Nordic Choice Hotels name and expanded from a franchise-led hotel portfolio into a broader hospitality group. In 2006, Torgeir Silseth became chief executive of Nordic Choice Hotels Group. The available reference identifies him as remaining chief executive in 2024. During the following years, the group maintained its principal hotel brands while also developing a collection of more independent properties under Nordic Hotels & Resorts. Some of those properties operated with an additional individual identity and, in many cases, an association with the Ascend Hotel Collection. A family ownership transition took place in 2018, when Petter Stordalen transferred the company to his three children, Emilie, Jacob and Henrik. The change marked a generational handover without changing the group's basic regional focus on hotels and related hospitality services. The group experienced a serious operational and reputational challenge in 2021. A Conti ransomware attack disrupted the organization, with attackers demanding a reported $5 million ransom. The reference also states that sensitive customer and employee data had been leaked on the dark web. In response, the company adopted ChromeOS across its computers. The technology decision became one of the clearest documented strategic responses in the company's recent history. On 22 May 2023, Nordic Choice Hotels adopted the Strawberry name. The rebranding positioned the organization as a wider hospitality group rather than a company defined solely by its Choice-affiliated hotel chains. At the time described in the reference material, its portfolio consisted of Clarion Hotel, Home Hotel, Quality Hotel and Comfort Hotel, together with Nordic Hotels & Resorts and independently branded properties. Across the Nordic and Baltic markets, the group operated approximately 240 to 242 hotels, more than 120 restaurants, approximately 20 spas, gyms, conference facilities and arenas, and employed more than 16,500 people. In January 2024, Strawberry signed a sponsorship agreement for Stockholm's Nationalarenan. The stadium was subsequently renamed Strawberry Arena, extending the brand into sports, entertainment and major-event infrastructure. This move is consistent with the group's broader model of connecting accommodation with restaurants, wellness, meetings, events and destination experiences.
- 2024
Nationalarenan renamed Strawberry Arena
[1]A sponsorship agreement led to the renaming of Stockholm's Nationalarenan as Strawberry Arena.
- 2023
Nordic Choice Hotels renamed Strawberry
[1]The group adopted the Strawberry name on 22 May 2023.
- 2021
Conti ransomware attack
[1]The company suffered a ransomware attack and subsequently adopted ChromeOS across its computers.
- 2018
Ownership transferred to the Stordalen children
[1]Petter Stordalen transferred ownership to Emilie, Jacob and Henrik Stordalen.
- 2006
Torgeir Silseth became chief executive
[1]Torgeir Silseth became CEO of the Nordic Choice Hotels Group.
- 2005
Taken private by Home Invest
[1]Home Invest, owned by Petter Stordalen, acquired all of the company's stock and the business left the Oslo Stock Exchange.
- 1997
Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange
[1]Choice Hotels Scandinavia became a publicly listed company in Oslo.
- 1994
Franchise agreement with Choice Hotels International
[1]The company obtained rights to market hotels under the Comfort, Clarion and Quality brands.
- 1990
Choice Hotels Scandinavia established
[1]The company was established in Norway as Choice Hotels Scandinavia.
Products and positioning
A broad Scandinavian hospitality platform combining franchised and independent hotel brands with restaurants, wellness, meetings, events and destination venues.
Hotel brand
Clarion Hotel
One of the principal hotel brands in the group's franchise portfolio. Clarion is marketed as part of Strawberry's regional hotel network across the Nordic and Baltic markets.
Hotel brand
Home Hotel
A Strawberry hotel brand included among the group's four main branded hotel concepts. The available reference identifies Home Hotel as part of the active portfolio but does not provide further positioning or launch details.
Hotel brand
Quality Hotel
A core hotel brand used within Strawberry's Nordic network. It originated in the company's franchise relationship with Choice Hotels International and remains one of the group's principal marketed brands.
Hotel brand
Comfort Hotel
A principal economy and midscale-oriented brand in Strawberry's hotel portfolio, operated under the franchise rights established with Choice Hotels International.
Independent hotel collection
Nordic Hotels & Resorts
A collection within the Strawberry group that includes more independently positioned properties. Many properties are associated with the Ascend Hotel Collection, while others operate under additional individual names.
Arena and event venue · 2024
Strawberry Arena
The renamed Nationalarenan in Stockholm. The venue carries the Strawberry name through a sponsorship agreement signed in January 2024 and extends the brand into sports, entertainment and large-scale events.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Strawberry Arena naming partnership
Sweden
Strawberry entered a sponsorship agreement for Stockholm's Nationalarenan, linking the hospitality brand with a major sports and events venue.
Outcome. Nationalarenan was renamed Strawberry Arena.
Brand decisions
2024
Nationalarenan naming-rights agreementOtherBackground
The group sought visibility beyond lodging through a major Stockholm sports and events venue.
Action taken
Strawberry signed a sponsorship agreement for Nationalarenan.
Aftermath
The Stockholm venue was renamed Strawberry Arena.
2023
Rebranding from Nordic Choice Hotels to StrawberryStrategyBackground
The group operated hotels as well as restaurants, spas, gyms, conference facilities and arenas, giving it a business scope broader than a single hotel-chain identity.
Action taken
Nordic Choice Hotels was renamed Strawberry on 22 May 2023.
Aftermath
The Strawberry identity became the group's umbrella brand across its hotel and hospitality activities.
2021
Company-wide adoption of ChromeOSStrategyBackground
The decision followed the Conti ransomware attack and the reported exposure of customer and employee information.
Action taken
The company adopted ChromeOS across its computers.
Aftermath
The move became part of the group's documented response to the cyberattack and its information-security concerns.
2005
Home Invest acquired the entire companyM&ABackground
The hotel group had been publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange since 1997.
Action taken
Home Invest, owned by Petter Stordalen, acquired 100 percent of the stock.
Aftermath
The company was removed from the Oslo Stock Exchange and continued as a privately owned group.
Sources1 sources
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