Where to Stay in Stockholm: JumboStay Hotel
I’m all about finding unique places to stay while traveling. From a ranch in the middle of the desert to a hotel that felt more like a castle in Quebec City, it is thrilling to find great lodging at a good price. When traveling to Stockholm, my friends and I not only had 24 hours to tour the city, but had to be up crazy early the next morning for a 7am flight back to the United States. Staying in the city center wasn’t the best option since our wake up time would be even earlier to commute back to Arlanda Airport. So in the process of finding where to stay in Stockholm, we stumbled upon the perfect place near where our plane would actually take off: a hotel in a REAL PLANE. Welcome to the JumboStay Hotel, built in an old Boeing 747 jet.
Why the JumboStay Hotel is the Best Place to Stay in Stockholm
The JumboStay Hotel turned out to be one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever stayed in. First of all, let’s talk about the super practical and convenient perks of staying in a hotel you can see from the tarmac of the airport. Five minutes away, JumboStay is its own stop on the free airport shuttle which means you can get to your gate easily and quickly. Because it’s so close to the airport, if you feel the need to take an uber into the city, you still are within the boundaries to get the flat airport rate. Finally, the best part of this place is not only that the continental breakfast is free, but it’s served as early 4 AM IN THE MORNING to accommodate people with early flights. That’s what’s up!
Now that the practical stuff is out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff…the airplane stuff! For the tech nerds, the plane is a previously used 747-212B from 1976 and for a time flew with the famous Pan Am Airlines. Later it was gutted, sanitized and built with permits like any typical hotel. The front door is up a flight of outdoor stairs while the rooms are down a long hallway, in the main cabin of the plane. Each room is small, but SUPER affordable, with a TV and wifi. Plus the airplane’s overhead compartments have been preserved in each to store your luggage out of the way and the round airplane windows have been kept to allow you to see outside. The shared bathrooms are much more spacious than I expected with full showers and plenty of room to move around.
What Classifies JumboStay as a “Stockholm Unique Hotel”
The best parts of the JumboStay Hotel are all its additions from the original airplane structure. The dining area/lobby makes you feel like you’ve stepped back into one of those 1960’s Pan Am flights with appropriate orange chairs and chrome tables and accents. In the warmer months, there’s additional outdoor seating on the patio which sits atop one of the massive airplane wings. From there you’ll spot the more isolated rooms located in the engine turbines accessible by stairs from the outside. But the most impressive room, of which there is only one, is the Cockpit Suite. Since it was unoccupied the night we were staying, we were able to walk up the spiral staircase from the lobby to this private section, where the bed is literally located in the cockpit of the plane, surrounded by fancy dials and controls. With an ensuite bathroom, private indoor lounge and private outdoor deck, this is definitely the coolest room in the hotel.
Of all the options and places to stay in Stockholm, the price of the JumboStay Hotel plus the insane convenience of it’s location makes it the best option if you have late night or early morning flights in and out of Arlanda Airport. Plus you get to sleep on a plane in an actual bed instead of a partially reclined seat! It’ll really add to the adventure of your trip and will definitely be a fun story to share with all your friends once you get home.