Hotel Rival

I’ve had the pleasure of, at several separate occasions, enjoy shows, the café, the bar, the brunch and most recently a hotel room at Rival. All have been nothing short of wonderful. Our room for our stay was extremely cosy with a balcony over the treetops facing Mariatorget. Perfect for enjoying a morning coffee in late August. The room was ready in time and spotlessly clean. The staff were very friendly and helpful.
Both the breakfast and brunch holds a very high standard and have a good selection of cold cuts, yoghurt and granola, as well as bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs et cetera. Pancakes, french toast and more is included and prepared on order. For afternoons, the café is available with coffee and teas, pastries and more.

Quiet and comfortable room. Small but with everything you need. Wonderful location. Overslept breakfast due to jet lag and Susie in the dining room was kind enough to quickly put a plate of food together and even help me carry it to the room.

Unexpectedly awesome. Fast free wifi. Very close to the Mariatorget T-​bana station. Easy access to all of Södermalm, including Hornsgatan and Götsgatan. Nearby lots of great international restaurants and husmanskost. Breakfast is really good, and they have their own smoked salmon preparation that is buttery amazing. Friendly staff. En suite bathrooms with doors.
Also if taking the Millenium Walking Tour it is very close to the starting point.
Times visited: 1

A long-​overdue follow-​up review… This hotel is dope. The rooms are impossibly cute and Ikea-​tastic. If the hotel isn’t fully booked ask to explore the available rooms (which have different floor plans) and settle on the one you like best. The staff is incredibly helpful. The location, near a subway station and overlooking a city park, is fantastic. And the killer breakfast buffet… holy crap. I’m 37 years old and I will remember the breakfast buffet on my death bed.

I loved this hotel, it’s in the trendiest area of Stockholm, city rental bikes are right outside and the concierge was super helpful for guidance. My room was perfect I loved the décor and there was plenty of space. Walkin distance to great restaurants shopping and cafés, as well as an underground stop nearby. Can’t wait to visit again!

This is a six-​star hotel. Benny from ABBA is an amazing hotelier. One of the top five hotels I have ever stayed at anywhere in the world and certainly the best hotel I’ve stayed in Northern Europe.
First, the staff — an intangible — are amazing. All have a great, friendly attitude. They love working at the Hotel RIval. And that makes every interaction with them pleasing. We got great restaurant ideas for outside the hotel (Da Luigi and 8T8). Good help with transportation and getting around.
Second, the room design is superb. Not large rooms, but amazingly well-​designed. The closets are huge — with room for a his and a hers separate closet (nice!). Each nook has outlets and lights and books or another wonderful touch. Bathroom was great with a heated floor, dimmable lighting. Shower was awesome — great pressure, the overhead waterfall thing as well as a wand. Best room design I’ve seen in the last 15 years of travel. Very well thought out. Way to go Benny. We stayed in Room 222. And had 224 and 225.
Third, Mariatorget is just a hop over the locks to Gamla Stan and then beyond if you are on business to the central business district in Ostermalm. Mariatorget itself is a great quiet area on the island of Sodermalm. And Saint Eric’s Cathedral was nearby for a Catholic mass option (in English); Sunday schedule and Saturday night vigil mass at 5pm. Da Luigi Italian is nearby (cozy) as is raw food emporium/​grocery store/​café 8T8. Great area. Outside the hotel’s front door is a beautiful little park with fountains.
Fourth, the rest of the hotel deserves special mention. They have a 24-​hour coffee bar on the fourth floor. Always stocked with cookies, teas, and cups, etc. and next to the courtesy computers. Thoughtfully there is both milk and soy — this is such a wonderful touch. The bar is hopping on a weekend night (but no noise in our room thank you!!). Bar staff is great: we arrived back one night at 11pm and just wanted burgers — they set us up in the comfortable couches in the lobby and we were well-​fed while the bar crowd hit the hotel. A very thoughtful accommodation for a family with children.
The Rival boasts a bistro-​café attached with great service. Had two croque-​monsieur grilled cheese sandwiches over the course of my stay (yum!). Excellent bakery. Beers on tap. I like the Swedish tradition of good water always offered for free.
I liked the whole vibe of the place too. Three Andy Warhol Ingrid Bergman works greeted me on the way to the lobby each morning. Superb. I really liked the art design of the Rival wallpapering. I liked the free maps with that artwork on it. Awesome.
In short, I could go on and on. This is a really special hotel. It is amazing and telling that there are rave reviews for this hotel just from folks who’ve seen the public spaces.

Super hôtel!
Mon épouse et moi étions à Stockholm pour quelques jours et nous avons adoré l’hôtel Rival.
Très très bien situé, de nombreuses petites boutiques et restaurants dans les alentours. Le métro est à côté. Très prôche d’une vue imprenable sur la ville. Parfait!
Le service était super et relax; Ils nous ont permis de faire le check out à 17h sans supplément. Le déjeuner est également très bien avec un généraux buffet et de nombreux choix.
Les petits plus? Le système audio dans la salle de bain et l’ambiance globalement rétro chic modernisé.
Très très bien. Je retourne dans cet hôtel lors de mon prochain passage à Stockholm sans hésiter!

Spent a weekend in Stockholm in March and stayed at the Hotel Rival. I reserved one of their economy single rooms. It was perfect for one person. The bed was comfortable, the desk and wifi were fine. Even a safe in the room that can hold a laptop. Even though it was a small room, there was plenty of storage and even an iron and ironing board. DVD’s are available to watch in the room if you are so inclined and the Teddy Bear was a fun touch.
The staff is very friendly and informative. Providing information on attractions and the best way to get to them. There is a metro station close by and plenty of choices for eating nearby. It is also an easy walk to the Gamla Stan.
There is a terrific view of Stockholm up the hill to the North of the hotel.
The one drawback was the DJ playing in the bar on Friday and Saturday nights. I was on the second floor and could hear the music from the bar. Not really loud, but noticeable. I will request a higher floor next time I am in Stockholm.

This is overall a very good venue! I’ve enjoyed everything from shows, the bar, the bakery, the restaurant and a good nights sleep. I have nothing bad to say at all!

During our recent visit to Stockholm, my husband and I stayed at Hotel Rival and enjoyed it so much that when we were supposed to move to a second hotel we reserved, we canceled the reservations so we could stay at the Rival for the remainder of our time in Sweden. We did not regret the decision.
Located in the trendy but quiet area of Mariatorget, the hotel is situated with close access to the metro station, wonderful restaurants, great cafes, bakeries, and other points of interest. We appreciated the neighborhood feel of the general area and how quiet it was at night.
Our room was well-​appointed and fairly spacious with beautiful views of the courtyard and the roofs the nearby buildings (I believe we stayed in room 609). Each room is outfitted with a teddy bear whose whimsical presence will greet you when you enter. There is a mini bar, ironing board, blow dryer, wifi, and other basic amenities you would find in any and all hotel rooms. If you need access to a teapot or a computer, there is a coffee station and a small business center on the 4^th floor.
Depending on the type of room you stay in, breakfast is included which I would encourage you to take advantage of as the food is absolutely delicious. It is served from 7 – 11 a.m. daily. It is a buffet but there is a menu you can order from free of charge and the pancakes from that menu are not to be missed.
The service at the Rival was some of the best we’ve experienced on our travels. Everyone was so friendly and went out of their ways to make sure we were satisfied with our experience there. The concierge, Sean, was especially helpful in pointing out different restaurants, giving us directions on how to get to the hotel via the airport train, and any other questions we had. The blog he maintains is also a great source to look into before you arrive–
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Overall I couldn’t recommend the Rival more. It was located in an area that was easy access to other parts of the city, the customer service was excellent, and the rooms were well laid out and met all our needs. And again, don’t miss out on breakfast and those pancakes should you choose to dine there in the morning!

Great hotel. Loved the service and the atmosphere. Location is fantastic. Steps away from Gamla Stan (old town) and in a cute neighborhood of Stockholm (Sodermalm). By far the best service and the best breakfast we had in Scandinavia re: hotels. At the breakfast buffet, we had a lot of options AND a menu we can order off of? Amazing! The pancakes were amazing! From an American perspective, the ‘Swedish’ pancakes were even better than the ones in the States, and the ones in the States are pretty tasty to begin with. The amount of butter and flavor in the ones at Hotel Rival were to die for. I fear we’ll never be able to replicate the taste here, but we’ll certainly try.
The service was also top notch. As soon as we arrived, we were given a short tutorial on the taxis in Stockholm and the fact that the taxis are not regulated so we have to be careful about what taxis to take and what not to take. It was a strange realization and we’re glad that they warned us about it, because I never in a million years would have guessed that any taxis in any city would be deregulated.
The staff also gave us some good suggestions on what to do in Stockholm and how to get around, where our hotel was located in relation to the rest of the city, and other insider tips.
Only complaint is that the bathroom was tiny. I mean tiny. I realize that the hotel is probably working within existing room constraints, but come on. We’re paying a decent amount of money to stay here, so would have definitely appreciated a larger bathroom. We probably should have upgraded to a superior room so that may be our only regret.

Call me a super nerd, but I was über excited when I found out that Benny from ABBA owns this hotel – alas, I was glad we «took a chance.»
Rival is located in Mariatorget, a very trendy and cool area of Sodermalm. I’d say this is a more «posh» area of Sodermalm, unlike SoFo (think lower east side in NYC). The hotel looks like a movie theater from the outside. The interior of the lobby and bar is very retro, and the Rival café outside seemed to be always popping. The service was excellent. The staff is very friendly and hip. They were able to hold our luggage while we explored the city as we got there before the regular check-​in time. They also accommodated our request for a single bed instead of two bunk beds which we appreciated.
As this is a boutique hotel, it is quite pricey so I was glad to see that we were not given a tiny room. It was actually quite spacious and it had big floor to ceiling windows on one side, which added to the aesthetic of the room. The design is cool, and of course, there were ABBA CDs. There is a music button in the washroom, where you can listen to whatever station your TV is on for some extra privacy. The use of space was brilliant when it came to the ironing board, which was installed in the closet and could easily be slid in an out without taking it out. The blow dryer’s power was industrial strength so I was very VERY happy about that.
There is no kettle in the room, but on the fourth floor, there is a coffee station as well as a mini business section. I liked that they had cups so that I could take the coffees to my room every morning. I actually thought they could have done a better job with the line of shampoos/​soap line they have (Crabtree and Evelyn). It would have been cool to see a Swedish line like Byredo.
Note: The concierge of Rival, Sean has his own blog about Stockholm etc. and it is indeed very useful. Check it out here:

We stayed here for 5 nights. As suggested by other reviews, we upgraded to a superior room. Everything was in order. Room was not large, but nicely appointed. Bathrooms had full shower doors, heated floors and rainfall shower.
Helpful staff, charming neighborhood, pretty good location, fun/​trendy atmosphere.
Breakfast was included in our room rate and was excellent, far better than what most hotels provide. We also had dinner there the night we arrived, and everything was very good.
This place is #1 for Stockholm hotels on Tripadvisor, and I think it deserves its rank. There are more luxurious hotels if that is what you are after, but we really liked this one and thought it provided great value.

Hotel Rival is located in Mariatorget in Södermalm. Södermalm used to be the old poor working class hoods but have now turned into a über trendy area. Södermalm is full of restaurants and a busy nightlife.
Hotel Rival is a boutique hotel where a lot of effort has been put on the design of the rooms. Or lets say, the signature rooms. The standard rooms, at a boutique price level, are not worth the price, and they are not suited for business travellers e. g no hairdryer, no bodylotion or other amenities that you normally would find, no kettle in the room, instead you have go to the coffee/​tea centre on the 4^th floor. (The whole idea with an in room kettle is that you do not have to leave the room.)
So, if you are in Stockholm for a holiday Hotel Rival is a really good place to stay at in a busy area of Stockholm. Just remember to spend some extra money and upgrade your room.

Benny of Abba owns this hotel… so it does beckon «take a chance on me.» I did.
My room? Tiny tiny tiny. I dont know why. Super chic, super efficient, no natural light from the tiny prison window, but damn… I’ve never been in a hotel with the bathroom larger than the rest of the place… and no that’s not a spectacular comment. The TV had like 9 channels, mostly Swedish. And the chip card didn’t really work well to get me to my floor in the elevator.
The bar + lounge is nice and they have great food + included breakfast (the croissants are spectacular… like crazy good). But I can’t help thinking there’s a cheaper, cuter hotel somewhere nearby.

I was in town for 3 hours on a layover and met with a friend that lives in the area. He suggested we try this place for lunch, as they have tables outside and the weather was nice. The place is really busy around lunch time, but once you placed your order the food gets served pretty quickly. My friend had the salad with goat cheese and I opted for the chicken sandwich (it’s pretty much the only dish they have sans cheese, and I don’t like cheese, so). The prices were also very reasonable, considering the quality of the food, which is great. All in all a nice place with great food, but also great coffee and pastries.
PS: if you plan on using the bathrooms downstairs keep your receipt as it has a password on it for the toilets (4-​number code).

We decided to go for dinner fairly late (that is late to be in Sweden, so after 9) and had not made any reservations. It is not that easy to get a table on a Saturday night the same weekend that people have gotten their salaries but the very friendly staff at Rival managed to find us a table.
The food was very good, especially the ‘Wallenbergare’ (a veal patty) was very good but all the food was high quality. Service was knowledgeable and it managed to be both friendly and professional. Even on a busy night there were no real waiting times and things went really smooth.
Good wine list and also some decent options for beer would make it possible to just drop in for something to drink as well.