The anticipated release of Sony Pictures’ upcoming adventure/mystery/comedy, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, will hit movie theater screens worldwide on March 22nd, 2024, and reunites fans with the paranormal pest control, who everyone knows to call. The latest installment of this iconic franchise sees the Spengler family return to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an army of ghosts that casts a death chill upon the city, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.
For fans of the film who are keen to drop everything to immerse in a frosty experience, what about a frozen escape? With over half (56%)* of travelers wanting to use their vacation to cool down in 2024, Booking.com, promotional partner of Sony Pictures’ Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and global leader in connecting travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, has called up five of its coolest igloos and ice hotels to inspire a chillingly unique getaway.
Icehotel – Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
Best for: Intrepid explorers and nature lovers
Tucked away in the mystical lakes and hills of Sweden, more than 100 miles (160km) north of the Arctic Circle, this ice hotel is rebuilt each winter entirely from snow and ice from the nearby Torne River. Not just any frozen dwelling, it was the first ice hotel in the entire world and it remains the largest to this day. Reincarnated from December to April for the past three decades, unique rooms are delicately carved anew and melt away come spring. The inspiration behind this year’s rendition is fairy tales and nature with intricate designs of desert landscapes, a beaver dam and the goddess of chocolate. The temperature inside hovers between a chilling 17 to 23°F (-5 and -8°C), so guests sleep in thermal sleeping bags on ice covered in reindeer hides, and have access to amenities including a sauna and a wood-burning hot tub. The area in and around Jukkasjärvi is popular for outdoor winter activities such as reindeer sledding, snowmobile safaris and a Dogsled Adventure. Visitors can book a Kiruna Northern Lights Tour with a Photographer just a short drive away in pursuit of the northern lights to experience a natural phenomenon as mysterious as a Ghostbusters Proton Pack Stream.
Hotel of Ice Transylvania – Cârțișoara, Romania
Best for: Big kids and spiritualists
A chilling adventure awaits travelers in the central Romanian region of Transylvania. Nestled in the Făgăraș Mountains, this remote ice hotel, accessible only by cable car, features cozy igloos, an ice restaurant and a majestic church blessed by priests with a cross on its roof. Hand-carved by local craftsmen, the frozen waters of Bâlea Lake are transformed into this intricate dwelling each year where travelers can hunker down for the night wrapped in warm blankets. For adrenaline junkies, the hotel’s winter park includes a raft of activities from thrill-filled tubing down the surrounding slopes to a chill-filled banana ride across the frozen lake. Back at the ranch, the Ice Restaurant dishes up traditional cuisine on ice tables made with local ingredients including Transylvanian trout tartar and buffalo cream cheese, or guests can raise their spirits in the Ice Bar and savor the hauntingly beautiful scenery of snow-capped mountains and frosty forests. While there are no ghosts in sight at this icy stay, visit the nearby medieval fortress of Bran Castle, perched high atop a cliff, to discover its ominous history wrapped up in the legend of Count Dracula.
Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel – Alta, Norway
Best for: Arctic adventures and aurora hunters
Norway takes its lead from nature when it comes to the country’s most unique sleeps, and an igloo hotel freshly sculpted out of the first big shower of winter snow is no exception. With nearly half (48%)** of travelers picking destinations based on whether they have unique accommodation options, the Arctic town of Alta offers the world’s northernmost ice hotel, a majestic masterpiece with ice chandeliers, towering frozen sculptures and a bar where even the glasses are made of ice. Built anew each year, this seasonal marvel boasts handcrafted igloos and offers a range of experiences from snowshoeing and tobogganing to reindeer and dog sledding. Guests can spend a surprisingly cozy night in an ultra-warm sleeping bag, while this welcoming Booking.com Travel Proud haunt features a restaurant with a wood-burning stove, a sauna and an outdoor hot tub. In the pristine white wilderness of the high Arctic, the mystical aurora regularly dances around the clear night skies, and maps and tours are provided for guests to explore the northern lights. For another once-in-a-lifetime experience, the Ice Chapel can be booked for wedding ceremonies for those wanting to commit until death do us part.
Iglu-Dorf Innsbruck Kühtai – Kühtai, Austria
Best for: Ski enthusiasts and creatives
The epitome of cool, this ice village nestled in the Tyrolean mountains presents an exclusive stay high in the Austrian Alps surrounded by over 49 miles (80km) of ski slopes. Offering live music, ice skating and tobogganing, the only strange thing in this neighborhood is the igloo hotel splashed with snow art and graffiti. A stay in this cold spot isn’t just about braving a night sleeping on the ice, with the experience boasting a Swiss fondue dinner, a guided nighttime snowshoe tour under the stars, and access to a toasty whirlpool and sauna. In the morning, guests will enjoy hot tea served to them in their sleeping bags and a hearty breakfast at a mountain restaurant before hitting the slopes, with après-ski hosted in an ice bar full of enough potent spirits to keep warm until sunrise. Guests can even get creative and build their own igloo under the direction of an experienced guide, or carve snow sculptures, turning compact ice blocks into works of art. The hotel is just a short drive to the city of Innsbruck, a popular destination for winter sports, and travelers can book an Innsbruck Cable Car Round Trip to experience unparalleled views of the Nordkette range from above.
Lapland Hotels SnowVillage – Kittilä, Finland
Best for: Luxury lovers and history buffs
For an Arctic thrill, this snow village offers travelers an otherworldly retreat in the western part of Finnish Lapland close to Ylläs and Levi ski resorts. Created from 350 tons of natural ice and 20,000 tons of snow, each year a frozen wonderland emerges with igloos that sleep up to five guests and a restaurant made from glacier-clear ice, all decorated with ice sculptures lit up in the swirling colors of the northern lights. The theme this year is Nordic mythology with enchanting elves lining the interior corridors, rooms guarded by Norse gods, and a chiseled ice bar featuring Odin’s throne where every drink is served on the rocks. Those bedding down for the night can snuggle into a fleece-lined sleeping bag, while a nearby heated lounge features bathroom facilities, a sauna and a restaurant serving warming soups next to a roaring fire, guaranteed to bring any guest back to life. Just a short drive away in Levi, winter wonderland lovers can enjoy Reindeer and Husky Sleigh Rides, including a tour of an Arctic animal farm before zooming across the countryside making fresh tracks in white powder. RIP boredom.
To book a haunted stay on Booking.com please take a spooky scroll here and see what happens…
*Travel Predictions 2024 research commissioned by Booking.com and conducted among a sample of adults who plan to travel for business or leisure in the next 12-24 months. In total, 27,730 respondents across 33 countries and territories were polled (including 1008 from Argentina, 1012 from Australia, 505 from Austria, 1001 from Belgium, 1002 from Brazil, 1009 from Canada, 1009 from China, 1002 from Colombia, 508 from Croatia, 504 from Denmark, 1011 from France, 1011 from Germany, 1016 from Hong Kong, 1004 from India, 510 from Ireland, 504 from Israel, 1014 from Italy, 1004 from Japan, 1009 from Mexico, 1014 from The Netherlands, 1015 from New Zealand, 500 from Portugal, 502 from Singapore, 1010 from South Korea, 1009 from Spain, 502 from Sweden, 507 from Switzerland, 504 from Taiwan, 1003 from Thailand, 502 from the UAE, 1007 from the UK, 1005 from the US and 1007 from Vietnam). Respondents completed an online survey in July 2023.
**Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 42,513 respondents across 33 markets (2,000 from USA, 1,008 from Canada, 2,000 from Mexico, 1,000 from Colombia, 2,000 from Brazil, 1,000 from Argentina, 2,000 from Australia, 1,000 from New Zealand, 2,000 from Spain, 2,000 from Italy, 2,000 from France, 2,000 from UK, 2,000 from Germany, 1,000 from Netherlands, 1,000 from Denmark, 1,000 from Sweden, 1,000 from Croatia, 1,000 from Switzerland, 1,000 from Belgium, 1,000 from Ireland, 1,000 from Portugal, 1,000 from Israel, 2,000 from India, 1,000 from China, 1,005 from Hong Kong, 1,000 from Thailand, 1,000 from Singapore, 1,000 from Taiwan, 1,000 from Vietnam, 1,000 from South Korea, 1,000 from Japan, 500 from UAE). In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have traveled at least once in the past 12 months, and planning to travel in 2023 and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place in January and February 2023.
