Here’s some sad news for aviation geeks…
In this post:
Jumbo Stay Hotel Stockholm Arlanda closes, files for bankruptcy
Jumbo Stay is a hotel (or hostel, depending on how you look at it) located near Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN), which opened back in 2009. As an aviation geek, I love a good airport hotel, but this property really takes it to the next level.
The hotel is housed in a Boeing 747-200 (which was produced in 1976, and flew for Singapore Airlines), and features a total of 76 beds, spread across 33 rooms. Some rooms are hostel-style, with up to four beds each, while some have private accommodations, like Jumbo Stay’s famous cockpit suite.
For those who have been considering a stay here, there’s some bad news, unfortunately — Jumbo Stay has closed as of March 17, 2025, after having filed for bankruptcy, and has no plans to reopen. The hotel has had to cancel 800 upcoming reservations. How sad, especially given that it has been in operation for over 15 years.
I regret that I never had the chance to stay here. I did have a couple of cool aviation geek hotel experiences last year in Amsterdam, including staying at a hotel with a 747 out front, as well as staying in a 737 cockpit suite.
Why did Jumbo Stay Stockholm close?
So, why did Jumbo Stay suddenly close? Unfortunately revenue at the property decreased considerably over the years, from eight million SEK in 2019 (~793K USD), to four million SEK in 2023 (~396K USD). This is due to two factors, per the hotel’s owner:
- Increased competition, due to more hotels opening around the airport
- Loss of advertising rights at its location; according to the hotel’s founder and operator, “until five years ago, we could sell advertising space where the jumbo jet stands, then Swedavia took over the advertising sales”
While an attempt is being made to find a buyer, that seems like a challenge, given the financial situation. The other issue is that airport operator Swedavia has announced that it won’t lease the land to another operator, which makes any sort of a sale even more challenging.
If no progress is made, the plane is expected to be dismantled and sold for parts (which would basically just be scrap value of aluminum).
Bottom line
The famous Jumbo Stay hotel at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, housed in a Boeing 747, has closed. The hotel has seen revenue decrease by around 50% in the past five years, due to a combination of increased competition, plus the inability to advertise in the same way as before.
Did you ever have the chance to visit Jumbo Stay?
I stayed there back in the day when travelling to Stockholm could save a fortune on QR biz fares.
Private room in the engine housing suspended under the wing. Was certainly unique!
Business needs to realize, novelty hotels doesn't command a premium. If you're facility is a tight space hostel, charge it like one. Without the AVgeek bias, remove the image of 747 structure and all you get is a tiny overprice hostel.
Next on the way out, that overpriced airline themed hotel in JFK.
Stayed there twice, once in the cockpit. It was amazing and i will treasure the memories for the rest of my life. Brekki was not so great, but everything else was gold.
Stayed here in 2019. Brings back some great memories and the novelty of it was amazing (you could even say you showered on a plane and you didn't have to fly Emirates or Etihad in First). It will be sad if this gets torn down/dismantled.
In Sweden, when a company goes bankrupt, it is usually liquidation, not reorganization.
That is really sad! Staid there twice. Arlanda often had very reasonable business class fares to the US, so I positioned there. Very conveniently connected to the airport by the free parking shuttle bus.
This is sad. Had a lovely stay there, and was thrilled when I discovered I'd flown on the aircraft when it flew for Tower Air!
Sad news. Stayed there twice. They had a plaque with all the airlines (and associated dates) that previously flew that 747. As I read it I tried imagining what famous people might have flown on it over the years.
That’s a shame. It was unique. I stayed there twice, in an engine pod and in the cockpit. I’m really glad to have had the chance. I wanted to fly on the Concorde before it shut down and I didn’t get that chance. One more for the history books.
Stayed in the engine last April. Below freezing temps at night. Body heat eventually warms the space but before then it’s absolutely miserable (and ofc… staying in the engine means a chilly walk to the fuselage whenever you need a bathroom visit LOL)
I’m broken now