Welcome to Hotel Holt, a small 4 star boutique hotel located on a quiet street in Reykjavík city center.
At Hotel Holt, the dedicated guest service team does it´s absolutely best to make your stay in Iceland an unforgettable one.
Gallery Restaurant is Iceland's premier dining experience with options to fit every palate.
All rooms and public areas are adorned with classic paintings and artwork from some of Iceland's most famous artists.
Hotel Holt houses Iceland's largest privately owned art collection that creates an unique atmosphere of quiet elegance and comfort in the heart of the city.
The building was built by entrepreneur Porvaldur Gudmundsson, and his wife Ingibjorg Gudmundsdóttir.
The hotel has always been owned by their family and is now owned by their daughter Geirlaug Porvaldsdottir.
She runs the hotel part and outsources the food and beverage part.
Porvaldur and Ingibjorg were avid art lovers and especially supported Icelandic artists in their work, like Johannes S. Kjarval and Jon Stefansson.
The public areas and walls of the hotel building are adorned with many beautiful pieces of Icelandic art from the largest privately owned art collection in Iceland.
The hotel originally included 36 rooms; in 1973, the room count was increased to 53 but again in 1993 the count was taken down to 42 rooms, taking into account the demand of guests for more spacious and comfortable rooms.
From the year 2005, one room has been converted to a small
fitness room while all guests also have free access to the off-site World Class fitness centre and geothermal pool, the largest in Iceland.
The restaurant has been at the forefront of culinary excellence in Iceland since opening in 1965.
The locals entrust the restaurant with their monumental moments in life and groups gather to celebrate Christmas and other occasions there.
Cured salmon and the legendary lobster soup are two courses unrivalled by competitors anywhere else in the world.
The restaurant has an impressive wine cellar which holds almost all the appellations of the Bordeaux wine region; wine tastings there are a regular occurrence in beautiful surroundings.
Porvaldur and Ingibjorg ran the hotel and restaurant for several years until their son Skuli Porvaldsson took over.
He ran it alone until 1994 when Eirikur Ingi, the executive chef, became his right hand man.
Eirikur Ingi then officially took over as hotel manager in 1998 when Skuli stepped back while still owning the business.
In 2004 his sister, Geirlaug, took over and outsourced the management of the hotel and restaurant to Eiríkur Ingi.
In 2007, Eiríkur Ingi's son, Fridgeir Ingi, returned to his origins to join his father in the business.
Although mostly known for visual arts, Hotel Holt has in recent years, made a concentrated effort to participate and include literature and music more in its appeal to visitors.
Indeed, the city of Reykjavik is one of only 6 UNESCO Cities of Literature and the hotel supports the project wholeheartedly.
There are 4 suites in the hotel.
The largest and most luxurious of the rooms, they offer separate sleeping and living room areas for guests to relax in.
The rooms are on average 45 m2, and the bed is king size.
A sofa-bed can be added upon request.
Hotel Holt has 8 comfortable Junior Suites, furnished with all modern amenities to ensure an enjoyable stay.
Larger than the double rooms, they offer more space and luxury.
The rooms are on average 40 m2, and the bed is king size.
Hotel Holt has 21 comfortable and bright double or twin rooms, furnished with all modern amenities to ensure an enjoyable stay.
The rooms are on average 25 m2, and the beds are either 90 cm or 160 cm.
Hotel Holt has 8 comfortable and bright single rooms, furnished with all modern amenities to ensure an enjoyable stay.
The rooms are on average 20 m2, and the beds are either 90 cm or 140 cm.
Gallery Restaurant and Hotel Holt have been known in Iceland for great dining and wining for decades; you can experience the joy of the food in a variety of ways.
The kitchen team routinely caters private parties off venue with great success.
The hotel's team even caters for the private planes coming through Reykjavik airport, so you know the work is up to standard.
The Bar at Hotel Holt is a cosy little place to enjoy a coffee, glass of wine or a cold drink.
The hotel's team offers the local microbrew Kaldi and Stella Artois beers on tap, sparkling, white and red wine as well as the cocktail of the day.
The Reykjavík Grapevine has awarded the Gallery Bar with full marks on their annual mapping of the Reykjavík bar scene for the last 3 years.
A feat no other bar in town can boast.
16.00h - 19.00h(daily)
Since opening in 1965 The Gallery Restaurant in Hotel Holt has been the premier destination for fine dining in Iceland.
Central to its revival is Head chef, Fridgeir Ingi Eiriksson, who has now established the restaurant as an international culinary destination and receiving the Nordic Prize in 2012 whilst representing Iceland.
Gallery Restaurant has recently reclaimed it´s throne as the best fine dining experience in Iceland.
Head chef, Fridgeir Ingi Eiriksson, has slowly but surely brought the kitchen and service up to the standards of what the locals and visitors have become accustomed to, and then some.
As mentioned before, Gallery Restaurant won the Nordic Prize on behalf of Iceland in 2012 and had a 100% achievement from a quality check conducted by the Institute for Hospitality Management that same year.
An evening at Gallery Restaurant is an experience you will not forget.
Unique surroundings, excellent food and superb service have for over four decades, been the hallmarks of Gallery Restaurant.
Allow yourself to enjoy!
Tuesday - Friday12.00h - 14.00h(closed Sunday & Monday)
Tuesday - Saturday18.00h - 22.30h(closed Sunday & Monday)
Gamli Bar is a small meeting and dining space off the Gallery Restaurant with a sliding door for privacy.
This space can accommodate up to 12 people and is especially popular for private lunch meetings.
The sliding door at Gamli Bar offers an opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the rest of the restaurant before getting down to business and discussing private matters.
In Gamli Bar, the hotel's team can set up a projector and screen, there is a free Wi-Fi available there as well as throughout the hotel; the name Gamli Bar means "the old bar" and is named from actually being the restaurant´s bar before renovations opened the building to a separate bar.
Back in the sixties, locals would drink strong aperitifs such as vodka in coke as beer was not legalized in Iceland until 1989.
Fridgeir Ingi Eiriksson is Chef de Cuisine of Gallery Restaurant.
He is also the owner along with his father Eiríkur Ingi Fridgeirsson and wife, Sara Dogg Olafsdottir.
Fridgeir Ingi graduated from Iceland's Hotel and Culinary College in 2001 after having been the Icelandic candidate at the Nordic Commis Competition in 2000.
He worked at Lea Linster's restaurant in Luxemburg in 1998 and was chosen Commis of the year in 1999 while he was a student chef at the Gallery Restaurant.
After graduating as a chef Fridgeir Ingi moved to France for five years where he eventually became head chef at the Michelin star restaurant Domaine de Clairfontaine while working alongside Philippe Girardon, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 1997.
In 2007, Fridgeir Ingi went on behalf of Iceland to compete in Bocuse d’Or, the world Cooking Contest where he finished in 8th place.
Since then he has returned to Iceland, working in partnership with his father at Gallery Restaurant.
The redesign of restaurant´s kitchen included the import of a French custom-made stove, which facilitates perfectly prepared food of the highest order.
This has culminated in the winning of the Nordic Prize; establishing this venue as the best restaurant in Iceland, 2012.
The Library is a charming private room next to the hotel reception.
It can accommodate a meeting or banquet for up to 36 people.
In one corner of the room, there are comfortable leather sofas where guests can relax before or after a meeting or a meal.
This room used to be filled with these sofas where guests would enjoy a cognac and a cigar before the smoking ban in 2007.
Now it has turned out to be one of the most popular rooms for guests to meet in the building.
The room holds a collection of old books as well as books the guests have left behind.
It also houses the painting Migrating Birds by Eirikur Smith, a beautiful piece that includes his mother.
He is still alive and visits her for a quiet word once or twice every year.
The Library room offers: free Wi-Fi, projector and screen and conference calls.
Thingholt is a private function room with a separate entrance and sanitary facilities.
It has its own bar and lounge, perfect for beginning and ending events.
It holds a piano and has capacity for musical entertainment, and is an excellent choice for small meetings, receptions and banquets.
Thingholt is equipped with free Wi-Fi as well as a large projector screen for meetings or presentations.
Thingholt takes up to 40 people at one long table but 64 people on a few smaller tables or 150 people for standing reception.
The staff is at your service, ready to respond to your every need.
Just off the bar in Thingholt there is a small seating area where a copy of Johannes S. Kjarval's workshop is housed.
Kjarval is the most beloved painter and his paintings adorn not only many of the walls in the building but also the 2000 ISK bank note.
Gallery Restaurant has taken care of all the catering in Videyjarstofa since April 2010.
Videy is an island situated just a few minutes from Reykjavik city by ferry.
The island is the perfect place for individuals, friends and families wanting to enjoy a relaxing but also adventurous getaway from the city life.
The house is well suited for weddings, meetings, conferences, birthday parties, Icelandic Christmas festival and functions of all sorts.
The upper floor is a spacious hall, comfortable for up to 150 guests.
The first floor is divided into several small rooms, suitable for 10 - 25 people each.
Videy is also the home of The Imagine Peace Tower, a gift from Yoko Ono to her late husband, John Lennon.
The tower is lit each night between his birthday and day of death and visiting the site is a beautiful experience.
The island of Videy is an unspoiled nature paradise and has a unique place in Icelandic history.
The island´s birdlife is fantastic, while outstanding works of modern art also make their mark.
11.30h - 18.00h(daily over the summertime, from 15th of May till 30th of September)Weekends13.30h - 16.00h(over the wintertime)
At Hotel Holt has a beautiful wine cellar.
In storage there are over 4000 bottles that are not available on the open market.
The hotel's team are proud of the collection that mainly features Bordeaux wines but also new world wines as well.
A visit to the cellar is a memorable way to start your evening and taste some wines.
The sommeliers are constantly looking for new wines to add to the wine list and improve the collection with great vintages.
Porvaldur Gudmundsson and Ingibjorg Gudmundsdottir were very interested in art, culture and history and their private collection includes most of the gems in Icelandic art history.
This is by far Iceland’s largest private collection with a total of 1,560 pieces; around 460 works from the collection are on display at Hotel Holt.
Porvaldur and Ingibjorg wanted to give the hotel a distinguishable Icelandic character and so the building was adorned with Icelandic art from the very beginning.
The artwork in Hotel Holt is numbered and catalogued and the reception offers further information and a guided tour of the hotel museum upon request.
Wherever your travels take you - enjoy the favourite city and let yourself be inspired!
Reykjavik is a great place for active families and curious kids, with plenty of activities on offer both in the city or out in the unspoilt nature!
Reykjavik has numerous cultural, leisure and sporting facilities many of which have sections and activities specially designed for kids!
Despite the relatively short history, modern Reykjavik is home to an impressive collection of interesting attractions and places of historic significance.
With its bushy vegetation, lava fields and caves, this extensive reserve on the outskirts of Reykjavík is a paradise of nature and a wonderful recreational area.
Add to your international culinary skills and take a local cooking class, where you'll learn how to make some of the tastier of the traditional Icelandic dishes: maybe you'll learn a few Icelandic phrases too!
A little bit of paradise is to be found in the form of a golden-sanded geothermal beach at Nautholsvík in Reykjavik.
Apart from it being a beautiful place to walk with stunning views across the bay to Mount Esja, the Old Harbour area is where the majority of marine activities, such as whale watching and puffin tours are concentrated.
Conveniently located right in the heart of the city, this gorgeous place makes for a popular quick getaway from city life, where visitors can cycle or walk along the various paths, that weave through a dense forest of pines and birch trees.
Taking a swim in an outdoor thermal pool or relaxing in one of the famous "hot-pots" is a wonderful experience in any weather. But there’s something simply exquisite about soaking in hot water with the pitter- patter of cool raindrops falling on your head!
Experiencing the coffee in one of Reykjavik’s quality cafés is a must in any kind of weather, but somehow, especially satisfying when it’s raining!
Look out for the remarkable Solfar Sun Voyager sculpture along Reykjavík's scenic waterfront.
HOTEL HOLT
Bergstadastraeti 37101 ReykjavikIceland