Interview with Monica Egeberg, General Manager at Scandic Vulkan from Oslo

Lifestyle - Interview

by Melisa Kaya

Scandic Vulkan is located in one of Oslo's most interesting new city development projects, Vulkan. With practically self-sufficient energy sourcing and social responsibility activities, Scandic Vulkan offers different experiences to its' guests. Another special feature of Scandic Vulkan is Room 201 which is dedicated to charities. I talked with Monica Egeberg, General Manager at Scandic Vulkan, about special features and services that Scandic Vulkan offers to leisure and business travelers.

Monica, before start talking about Scandic Vulkan, could you tell us about your background and your career in Scandic Hotels?

Photo : Monica Egeberg, General Manager at Scandic Vulkan

I have a diverse background from the hotel and restaurant industry, where I have worked with everything from small restaurants, hospitals to hotels. I have a professional letter as a chef, and a master of management in strategy and branding. I started as General Manager at Scandic Vulkan in 2013.

Scandic Vulkan

I would like to learn more about your location first. Scandic Vulkan is located in one of Oslo's most interesting new city development projects, Vulkan. Could you briefly tell us about Vulkan and advantages of being there?

Vulkan is the name of the former industrial area on the western bank of Akerselva river, north of Møllerveien road. Since 2004, the area has been transformed and revitalized.

The area is a fusion of culture and creative businesses with schools, hotels, Oslo’s first food market hall, restaurants, bars, residential blocks, offices, and shops, plus premises for concerts, dance, and sport. This blend of people and activities makes Vulkan one of Oslo’s most vibrant and exciting new areas.

Vulkan is a full-scale example of sustainable urban development. Built upon the idea of sharing localities, equipment, and resources, the area is virtually self-sufficient in energy for heating and cooling.

Scandic Vulkan Lobby

Could you tell us about Scandic Vulkan and the overall concept?

The hotel is medium sized, with 149 rooms spread over 9 floors. We have 5 conference rooms with a maximal capacity of 150 people, and our own Italian restaurant, Ristorante Ferro, on our bottom floor.

Scandic Vulkan is Norway's first energy class A hotel.

With its own energy plant connected to the hotel, in 2011 Scandic Vulkan became the first hotel in Norway to achieve Energy Class A. With the help of solar panels, heat recovery and geothermal energy pumped from 300 metres underground, the hotel has been officially placed in Energy Class A, a classification that means the hotel is practically self-sufficient in energy.

The hotel also has a host of smart solutions to make the most of all the energy available. The heat produced by the cold store, fridges, and freezers are used to heat the rest of the building, windows are triple glazed and lights automatically switch off.

The hotel has its own bees and is self-sufficient with honey. As a guest, you can also buy honey back home.

Vulkan collaborates with PS: Hotel - Oslo's most innovative learning area. PS hotels serve as a learning area for people who need extra guidance, knowledge, and experience on the way (back) for permanent work.

Vulkan was first out in Norway with the new swan certification that came in 2014.

The Hotel Recycle Bag, made by Kitchen for Fretex and Scandic Vulkan, encourages guests to provide clothes that are not used to Fretex. The hotel also gives forgotten clothes that are not desired to be returned to the owner. In each room, you find the smart bags you can donate your clothes in.

Scandic is committed to reducing food waste, and Vulkan was first in Norway as a partner with Too Good To Go, which sells food too good to go for a cheap price.

Scandic Vulkan Room 201

Room 201 in the hotel is used to charity. The hotel has collaborated with Fretex, WWF and the Cornelia Foundation, and the idea is to give the guest a different hotel experience based on Scandic's value CARING. Each charity project has a different look, and the room changes style according to the project.

Scandic Vulkan Room

What type of different rooms and suites do you offer to your guests? Could you tell us about your rooms and suites? What are their features?

We do not have many different room categories, with standard rooms, superior rooms, and superior extra rooms. Because of our energy class a level, you can only find refrigerators and kettles in some of our rooms.

In Scandic Vulkan, there are special Superior Extra rooms with forest view. What are the features of Superior Extra rooms?

The superior extra rooms have FACE products, a nice view, kettles with coffee and tea, bathrobes and a voucher of 50 NOK to use in the hotel.

Scandic Vulkan Ristorante Ferro

Scandic Vulkan is host to Ristorante Ferro. Could you tell us about Ristorante Ferro and its concept?

In Italy, the meal is all. That's where the family meets, friends meet and love occurs. Our love is declared to all of Italy. We have therefore picked up our favorite raw foods - the simple pure flavors, and our best memories of traveling, the good Italian atmosphere. Everything we make together to give you a good experience. With us, you can come for a full menu of Italian dishes or a quick homemade pizza.

Scandic Vulkan Meeting Room

Could you tell us about Scandic Vulkan meeting and conference rooms? What kind of services do you offer to companies that would like to organise their meetings in Scandic Vulkan?

The rooms are flexible; from boardrooms to group rooms, and a large conference room for up to 150 people. All our conference rooms have the modern technical equipment and excellent ventilation. All our conference rooms are equipped with WiFi, a loop system, projectors, and other audio-visual equipment. We can tailor your arrangement to suit your requirements and help you find the best solutions. And we have a really nice conference lunch.

Please tell us about your services and amenities. How could your guests spend time at Scandic Vulkan?

Our guests use our small but very well equipped fitness room, the read a book in the lobby or they have a nice Italian meal in Ferro.

What can your guests do when they step out of the Scandic Vulkan and step into the streets of Oslo?

Scandic Vulkan is centrally located by the river Akerselva, close to Grünerløkka. Right next door is Mathallen, a mecca for anyone interested in food and drink experiences. There are more than 30 shops and restaurants here, each with a focus on using the best ingredients from Norway and abroad. If you're looking for urban design, culture and some hipster shopping, Grunerløkka is only a 5-minute walk away. If you follow the river Akerselva to the north, you’ll soon be in the more rural setting of Maridalen. It takes 5 minutes by bus from our hotel to Oslo central station.

Scandic Vulkan Ristorante Ferro

Which services and features of Scandic Vulkan make it different from other hotels in Oslo?

Our green profile is our trademark.

What kind of additional services do you offer for business travelers?

Free wi-fi and an app where you can read newspapers and magazines. And of course our Scandic Friends programme, where we eat and drink together one evening each month.

How can travelers make their individual or business/group reservations? Do you have any advantage packs that you offer to your regular and long-term guests?

Yes, you can book an early booking and save up too 30% of the rate on our own website. Or you can contact our destination sales desk to make a conference or group reservations.

Which is the top season for travelers who want to visit Oslo? What is the reason?

Every season has its own reason to visit Oslo, so 365 days a year :)

What are the most famous attractions near you?

Grünerløkka, Dansens Hus, Jakob Kirke. But Oslo is a small city so you can pretty much visit all the attractions here.

If you have only one weekend in Oslo as a first-time visitor, in this limited time, what are the best things to do?

See the Opera house, the Fjords, Holmenkollen and the Munch museum.

How do you describe Oslo in one sentence?

30 minutes between the fjords and the Oslo Marka, with a pleasant pulsating center in the middle.

Thank you Monica.

For more information, please visit website of Scandic Vulkan

This interview was conducted in a Question-and-Answer format. The answers were checked for grammar and punctuation and published without any additional editing. Monday, September 17, 2018. All photos are the property of their respective owners.