From farm to hotel
It all started in the 1870’s, when Lord Wigram from England leased the fishing rights to the Flåm river. The first tourists to Flåm were sport fishers who came for the large salmon and trout in the river. The local farmer Christen Fretheim saw the potential and started renting out rooms in his house for the British lords.
After a while, Christen built a separate swiss-style house for the anglers and tourists. Popularly called the English Villa by the locals. From around 1900 this was operated as a hotel, with increasing tourism traffic. In 1909 the Bergen railway line between Norway’s two largest cities opened, with links to Flåm via the construction road that goes from fjord to mountain. This is when Christen Fretheim’s cousin, Marthe Fretheim came to assist.
After Christen Fretheim died in 1916, Marthe continued running the hotel until she died in 1933. The hotel stayed in the family till 1979. In 1997 Aurland Ressursutvikling AS purchased Fretheim Hotel as part of developing Flåm as a tourist destination.
A modern and sustainable conference hotel
Throughout the years Fretheim has been rebuilt and extended several times. In the 1960’s there was an increase in American groups travelling to Flåm in search for their roots. A new wing, called the America wing, with 12 rooms was built to meet the demand.
The largest extension was finished in 2000, when the millennium wing with 88 rooms opened. The part connecting the historical and modern parts of the hotel contains reception, Lobby bar, and Restaurant Arven, and has an eye-catching glass façade that offers stunning views to Flåm centre and the fjord landscape. A brand new, and top modern conference venue opens in spring 2021. Holding conference rooms in various sizes, mingling area with coffee and tea stations, and even a small gym for hotel guests.
We value our nature, climate and local community and strive to operate Fretheim Hotel in a sustainable manner. The hotel has been a certified Eco-Lighthouse since 2006, and in 2018 we also became a certified provider of Green Conferences – a sustainable conference alternative for environmentally conscious organizations.
Food and culture
Food is a vital part of our complete product. Not only do we aim to give all of our guests a proper food experience when visiting us, we also wish to teach them about local culture and traditions through our food concept. Everything we serve is based on produce made as locally as possible, and we work closely with farmers and producers in the region to ensure a sustainable income for them and participate in local economic growth.
Our menus follow the seasons, and our chefs use traditional cooking methods to conserve ingredients for the winter, when fresh vegetables are hard to find locally. Unlike in most other restaurants these days, you will find goat as a red thread in our menu. An animal which has been very important to the fjord region – and even pictured on our municipality’s coat of arms.
Throughout the year we have a varied events programme at the hotel, usually including both culinary experiences and entertainment.
Contact Fretheim Hotel:
fretheimhotel@norwaysbest.com | +47 57 63 63 00
