Surrounded by fjords, mountains and glaciers in Loen, Hotel Alexandra is a family-owned hotel with a history dating all the way back to 1884.

What began as a small hotel with 20 guest beds has, through five generations, developed into an extensive tourism business. Much has changed over more than 140 years, but one thing has remained constant: the desire to create memorable experiences, develop Loen as a destination, and welcome our guests with warm, personal hospitality.

Hotel Alexandra today

Today, Hotel Alexandra is a modern, year-round hotel – still independent, family-owned and unaffiliated with any hotel chain. The hotel has 206 rooms and offers a wide range of facilities and services, including accommodation, food and drink, a pool and spa, meetings and conferences, celebrations and leisure stays.

But today, Alexandra is also part of something bigger. Over several decades, the family has invested in hotels, activities and experiences that have helped develop Loen into an internationally renowned travel destination. The group includes Hotel Loenfjord, Loen Skylift, Hoven Restaurant & Bar, Loen Active, Via Ferrata Loen and Loen Apartments, among others.

What these ventures have in common is their close connection to nature and a desire to make it easy for our guests to experience Loen – from the fjord to the mountains.

At the same time, Alexandra remains a hotel where the family is closely involved. The fifth generation now carries the family business forward, with Richard Grov as CEO of the group and Ingri Grov Kämpf as General Manager of Hotel Alexandra.

Our history

It All Began in 1884

The story of Hotel Alexandra began in 1884, when Anders Markusson Loen opened Loen's Hotel. Tourism in Nordfjord was still in its infancy, but the spectacular landscape of fjords, mountains and glaciers had begun to attract travellers from Norway and abroad.

Around 1889, his son Markus Loen returned home from America with his Swedish wife, Ida. The family continued to develop the hotel, and a few years later it was renamed Hotel Alexandra, after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who later became Queen of the United Kingdom.

Markus was a forward-thinking hotelier who recognised the potential of international tourism at an early stage. He worked to attract tourist ships to Loen and, together with local residents, organised onward transport into the Lodalen valley and across Lake Lovatnet. The hotel was extended several times and gradually developed into one of the prominent tourist hotels in Western Norway.

Following Markus's death in 1929, Ida and their nine children continued to run the hotel through challenging times. Their eldest daughter, Kari, played a particularly important role. In 1934, their son Richard Loen took over as director, and together with his wife Jenny, he carried the family tradition forward through a period of major change in Norwegian tourism.

Inger and Eivind – A New Era

Richard and Jenny's eldest daughter, Inger, married Eivind Grov, and in 1965 they took over the running of the hotel. Together, they would shape Hotel Alexandra for decades to come.

Inger and Eivind were owners, managers and hosts. They were closely involved with the guests, the employees and the day-to-day operation of the hotel, continuing the tradition of personal hospitality that had characterised Alexandra from the very beginning.

At the time, Alexandra was still largely a traditional tourist hotel, with summer as its most important season. Inger and Eivind saw the potential to develop Alexandra into a year-round hotel – while at the same time creating more year-round jobs in Loen.

The first swimming pool opened in 1975, marking the beginning of a long-term commitment to year-round operation. Over the following decades, the hotel was expanded and modernised, while increasing its focus on the Norwegian market, meetings and conferences, restaurants, celebrations and leisure stays.

Inger played a central role in the day-to-day operation and in shaping the hotel's culture of hospitality, while Eivind was a driving force behind investment and development – both at Alexandra and within the tourism industry in Loen and Nordfjord. He strongly believed in the importance of continuous renewal and in creating new reasons for people to visit Loen.

Hotel Loenfjord opened in 1996. In 2004, Alexandra Bad & Spa opened, representing the largest single investment in the hotel's history at the time. That same year, Eivind Grov was appointed Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in recognition of his contribution to Norwegian tourism.

The Fifth Generation – New Experiences in Loen

In 2012, Richard Grov succeeded his father Eivind, bringing the family business into its fifth generation. Richard had already been actively involved in the company for many years and became a key driving force behind the development of adventure tourism in Loen, including Skåla Opp, Loen Active and Via Ferrata Loen.

The largest investment came with Loen Skylift, which opened in 2017. The cable car from the fjord to Mount Hoven, 1,011 metres above sea level, became a new landmark for tourism in the region and has played an important role in developing Loen as a year-round destination. Hoven Restaurant, Loen Play, Loen Apartments and Loen Marina are also part of the group.

Today, Richard Grov is CEO of the group, with overall responsibility for the business, investments and long-term development. His sister, Ingri Grov Kämpf, is General Manager of Hotel Alexandra and oversees the hotel's day-to-day operations. In doing so, she continues the tradition of close, personal hospitality that has been part of Alexandra for generations.

Local Ownership – Rooted in Loen

Local ownership has been an important part of Hotel Alexandra ever since 1884. When the owners themselves live and work in the local community, development takes on a long-term perspective. In many ways, the hotel and Loen have grown together, and investments have not only been about developing the hotel, but also about creating jobs, activity and new experiences in the village.

Major decisions are still made locally – by people who know the hotel, its employees, its guests and the community.

From 20 guest beds in 1884 to today's extensive tourism business, there is a clear thread running through the story: each generation has built on what the previous generation created. To develop and innovate – without losing the personal hospitality, family tradition and strong roots in Loen.

More than 140 years later, Alexandra remains locally owned – rooted in Loen, with our sights set on the future.

Long-Term and Sustainable Development

For us, sustainability is about preserving what makes Loen an attractive place to visit, live and work – also for generations to come. As a locally and family-owned group, we take a long-term approach to development and invest in solutions that reduce resource consumption and environmental impact.

Hotel Alexandra and the other businesses in the group are Eco-Lighthouse certified, and the hotel's operations make use of locally generated hydropower, heat pumps drawing energy from the fjord, seawater for cooling and heat recovery.

At the same time, sustainability is about more than energy and emissions. It is also about creating year-round employment and local economic benefits, and developing tourism in Loen in a way that respects nature, the local community and future generations.