Atlantica - 01.06.2002, Page 80

i-site HOTEL & RESTAURANT❍
78 A T L A N T I C A
New Oro Aura
Oro is the Italian and Spanish name for gold and also the name of a new
restaurant in downtown Reykjavík.
The new restaurant has opened on Austurstræti, at the same spot where
the Conrad-designed Rex bar once stood. Rex closed down in May after
its cash register finally surrendered. The new owners then proceeded to
remove the specially designed and very expensive interior, leaving only
the bare walls and part of the Mafia-inspired cigar room standing. For a
few days, the Reykjavík scrap heap took on a rather trendy look, as it
was graced with the presence of Conrad’s design articles.
Now the interior has been redesigned to make the place warmer and to
give it a more inviting aura. Light wood floors, white tablecloths, light-
brown, soft chairs, Roman pillars, gold rosettes and funky red roses now
make up the interior of the restaurant.
International cuisine will be on offer for lunch and dinner. This summer,
freshly caught seafood will be prepared daily according to the whims
and fancies of the cook, which means that a new fish menu will be cre-
ated each day. The kitchen will close at 11:30 p.m. in summer, but the
restaurant will be open until 3 a.m. on weekends and 1 a.m. the rest of
the week.
During weekends, the music will be turned up a notch at midnight, and
the doors will open for guests wanting to sit and sip a little social coffee
or alcoholic something late into the night. AÓJ
101 hotel Opens its Doors
A new hotel has opened its doors in downtown Reykjavík this summer, bearing the name 101 hotel. It goes without saying
that the hotel is situated in postcode 101, or to be more precise, on the corner of Hverfisgata and Ingólfsstræti in downtown
Reykjavík. Surrounding the hotel are administrative buildings, stores, cafes and nightspots, and across the road from it is
the Icelandic National Theatre.
The hotel is part of the International Design Hotels chain and was designed and is owned by Ingibjörg Pálmadóttir. The
hotel’s general manager, Thorvaldur Skúlason, describes the hotel as a "boutique". According to Thorvaldur, ‘boutique’
hotels are "a reinvention of the hotel culture". He says that they are "small hotels with character and personality which aim
to satisfy the individual customer rather than large groups”. So-called "boutique" hotels first appeared around 1986, and the
number of hotels with this new concept are steadily increasing, especially in the last decade.
101 hotel is on the smaller side with only 33 rooms and five suites. In the hotel, you will find a small casual restaurant and
lounge bar, where you can rest after a hard day of playing or working. You can also visit the hotel’s spa for a massage,
jacuzzi, sauna or workout. Businessmen can carry on with their business at the business centre, where computers, Internet
and other business-like accessories are to be found. There are also conference facilities on-site.
Each room is fully equipped with CD and DVD players, televisions, bathrobes, disposable cameras, umbrellas, in-room
library, intimacy kits, first aid kits, T-shirts, caps and just about everything else you could possibly want.
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