Hotel Ilves

Hotel Ilves (officially Sokos Hotel Ilves) is an 18-storey hotel in the centre of Tampere, Finland. It was designed by architect Maunu Kitunen and was completed in 1986.^[1] The hotel has a total of 336 guest rooms and five restaurants. At 63 metres (207 ft) tall, the hotel is one of the tallest buildings in Finland outside Helsinki metropolitan area. Hotel Ilves is part of the S Group's Sokos Hotels chain.

Sokos Hotel Ilves
Hotel Ilves
Location within Finland
Hotel chain	Sokos Hotels
General information
Location	Tampere, Finland
Address	Hatanpään valtatie 1, FI-33100 Tampere
Coordinates	61°29′46″N 023°46′00″E
Opening	1986
Height	63 m (207 ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Maunu Kitunen
Other information
Number of rooms	336
Number of suites	9
Number of restaurants	5
Website
www.sokoshotels.fi

History

The S Group, a large Finnish co-operative company, first proposed the idea of building a new hotel in central Tampere in the 1970s. The site chosen was an old redbrick baize-factory situated near the Tammerkoski rapids. Two redbrick buildings and the base of an old factory chimney next to the hotel are the only surviving remnants of the large industrial premises.

In 1983 the S-group's design team travelled to the United States to see how some of the world's most famous hotels, such as the Grand Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton, were built. The project architect Maunu Kitunen completed the design in March 1983, creating a highly visible landmark in the centre of the city. The architect's idea for the shape of the building came from a matchbox.^[2]

The hotel was completed in 1986 and named Ilves (lynx) following a public competition.^[2]

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Finland