Review: Sheraton Stockholm

Outside, Sheraton Stockholm lands with a thud. The brown-red chamotte façade by Ahlgren-Olsson-Silow gives it that stern, late-modernist weight on Tegelbacken, and the 1971 opening still matters.

It was the first Sheraton in Europe, and it still feels like a gateway hotel in the old sense – big, visible and planted right by Central Station, the Arlanda Express and the water.

Soft turn

Inside, the mood shifts. Sheraton’s reinvention is being led by General Manager Elin Roquet, who came to the project with experience from Nordic Light Hotel and the launch of The Sparrow Hotel, and seems intent on dragging the property away from anonymous transit energy towards something warmer, sharper and more rooted in Stockholm.

That ambition is clearest in the public spaces, designed by ADC & Tuneu, the studio behind several Soho House interiors. Their brief was not to romanticise the past, but to turn Sheraton into what the hotel calls a modern icon rather than a nostalgic renovation.

The official language speaks of Scandinavian minimalism with references to Swedish heritage. In practice, that means the building’s hard shell gives way to softer timber, more texture, lower lighting and a more sociable rhythm once you step inside.

Bronx play

Mr. Bronck is the clearest sign that Sheraton wants to matter again beyond room keys and conference badges.

The restaurant takes its name from Jonas Bronck, the Swede whose name lives on in the Bronx, and leans into a New York brasserie mood filtered through Scandinavian produce.

The menu sounds like it knows exactly what it is doing, with scallop crudo, a donut with jalapeño and apple-smoked cheddar with crab salad, clams casino topped with trout roe from Älvdalen, plus bigger grill moves like surf & turf, tomahawk steak and breaded veal chop with fermented lemon butter and capers.

Dessert goes full fun-dining with a marshmallow donut, biscoff ice cream and a make-your-own sundae bar. That is a lot more swagger than people usually expect from a Sheraton ground floor.

Sally’s pull

Then there is Sally’s, which gives the building some actual swagger. Bobby Hiddleston – ex–Milk & Honey London, ex–Dead Rabbit New York, later of Swift in Soho – created the bar with Head Bartender Niklas Forslin, and the whole thing leans into the disco glamour of 1970s New York.

The drinks list keeps one foot in the classics – Gimlet, Freezer Martini, Toronto and a White Russian served with a burnt marshmallow – and one in signature territory with Disco Sally, made with tequila, apricot and Cocchi Americano. It gives the hotel a bit of theatre, but stops short of trying too hard.

Morning mood

Breakfast is not treated like an afterthought. In the morning, the hotel lays out a broad buffet of Scandinavian and international favourites, with seasonality and sustainability built into the pitch.

The feel is more generous than cheffy, which suits a hotel of this scale. You want range, pace and the sense that you can actually start the day properly before heading into the city or onto a train.