Hotel owner Magnea Hjalmarsdottir pauses with one of the many poetry books in the public spaces of the Skáld Akureyri. Image by Tom Adkinson

AKUREYRI, Iceland – Poetry comes in many forms – sonnets, sagas, free verse, even bawdy limericks. At Akureyri in Iceland’s north, it comes in the form of a hotel.

The hotel’s very name, Skáld, sets the tone. “Skáld” is the Icelandic word for poet. The hotel opened in mid-2026 in Hilton’s Curio Collection.

Briet Isis Elfir, a member of the hotel’s Poet Family, adds her touch to the art behind the front desk. The singer, songwriter, and musician performs simply as Briet. Image by Thorstein Gudmundsson

Poetry pervades the property, in ways both subtle and intriguing. The students who slept through literature classes might be oblivious to the hotel’s poetry, but those who were even moderately attentive will appreciate the poetic touches of owners and marriage partners Magnea Hjalmarsdottir and Thorstein Gudmundsson.

“We incorporated poetry to reach people who say poetry isn’t for them. Poetry is more than four lines and a rhyme. We have poetry everywhere,” Hjalmarsdottir said.

Hotel owner Thorstein Gudmundsson inspects the brick wall of poetry books that comprise the hotel’s largest art installation. Image by Tom Adkinson

Take breakfast, for instance, where a poem is posted every day right at the start of a sumptuous European-style breakfast buffet. Next to the poem is a display called “Poetry on Prescription.”

“Poetry on Prescription” is a collection of medicinal pill bottles with labels such as Joy, Happy Pills, Invigoration, and Hope. Each contains capsules that contain tiny rolled-up pieces of paper with a little line of verse or a thought for the day. The doctor’s order (well, the poet’s order) is to remove a capsule and take what’s written to heart. Who couldn’t benefit from a dose of inspiration or joy?

Chill pills, happy pills and pills for other emotions – actually capsules filled with verses and aphorisms – are the first items on the hotel’s breakfast buffet. Image by Tom Adkinson

The restaurant for this start-of-the-day literature lesson is Abba-labba-lá, which is a subtle joke Icelanders might get, because “Abba-labba-lá” is the title of a poem. The poem is a bit grim, but the title is fun to say.

“Poetry is in the DNA of our hotel,” Gudmundsson said, explaining how a collection of 13 prominent Icelandic poets keep adding to the hotel’s poetry inventory.

Even a restaurant light fixture can become a place to display poetry. The display changes over time as guests donate poems. Image by Tom Adkinson

Hjalmarsdottir and Gudmundsson say this “Poet Family” shaped, guided, and inspired them as they developed the hotel. The first time any of the 13 visits the hotel, he or she writes a special message that hangs immediately behind the front desk.

Their poetry becomes one of the first poetic art installations guests observe upon arrival. The hotel’s biggest poetic art installation is a brick wall around the open kitchen in Abba-labba-lá. Many of the bricks are spines of poetry books.

Poet and family member Oskar Arni Oskarsson creates poetry that is both visual and lyrical by pecking at a typewriter with one finger. Image by Thorstein Gudmundsson

Their poetry becomes one of the first poetic art installations guests observe upon arrival. The hotel’s biggest poetic art installation is a brick wall around the open kitchen in Abba-labba-lá. Many of the bricks are spines of poetry books.

Interior design in each of the hotel’s 71 guestrooms and 15 apartment suites carries on the theme of poetry, and the 13 members of the Poet Family will eventually have a room named for them after their first stay.

Guests have a good time deciphering – and pronouncing – the poetic name of the hotel’s restaurant, Abba-labba-lá. Image by Tom Adkinson

Some will add to the décor of their special rooms. For instance, Oskar Arni Oskarsson donated a well-worn leather rucksack filled with his poetry. He had carried it for decades in his travels, Gudmundsson said. “Skáld embraces poetry like nowhere else in Iceland. It is important to respect our inheritance as Icelanders,” Hjalmarsdottir said.

Trip-planning resources: SkaldHotel.is and VisitIceland.com

(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available at Amazon.com.