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In common with other towns that sit in the rain shadow of mountains as winds sweep off the sea, Bergen has one of the highest levels of rainfall in Norway. Much of it was falling in August 2007 and the voyage up the coast of Norway was through mist and rains, as the month dumped its share of Bergen’s annual 88 inches of water on the town. By comparison, Seattle has an annual 36 inches, despite its reputation and England’s Manchester, the rainy city, has an annual rainfall of less than 34 inches.
Whilst it has its airport, most visitors to this old Hanseatic trading town arrive by sea, many driving off the ferry from Newcastle, others arriving on the almost daily arrival of cruise ships. The hotel is a conversion of the original Customs House, an attractive building in a prominent position next to the original 17th Century trading section of the town, an area preserved as a part of the Norwegian cultural heritage. This is a town that has always depended on the sea for its livelihood (major 19th century exports being dried salt cod and cod liver oil) and the position of the hotel is virtually on the quayside, giving it a prime location. It shares the square it is in with the new Radisson and the town museum, whilst under the square is the main car park.
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Carefully chosen plant on the table echoes the colour of the chairs in its flowers. The care in this choice is not shared by the choice of the carpet inside the entrance doors
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"major 19th century exports being dried salt cod and cod liver oil"
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The heart of the town is the old timber buildings dating back to the 17th Century when the Hanseatic traders bought the produce of the fisheries for shipment throughout the rest of Europe. This conservation zone and the adjacent fish market are the major tourist attractions, and they are right next to the Hotel.
Nowadays this bustling town is a major centre for ship repair and service to the Norwegian oil fields that make this country the second richest in the world in per capita income. One Norwegian assured me that the younger generation (it’s always them) was known in Norway as the ‘dessert generation’ because they lived only for the sweet things in life. Tourism is Norway’s third largest industry, and whilst many of the tourists come on cruise liners for the beauty of the fjords, the certainty of snow in the mountains compared to the lack of it in the traditional Alpine ski resorts is leading to a big growth in winter sports tourism, whilst the heat of summer further south is bringing increasing numbers of tourists over the new bridge from Denmark via Sweden to visit the glaciers in the uplands.
The new Clarion Havnekontoret is part of a continuing investment by hotel groups in the Norwegian market, a market dominated by Rica, Choice (owners of Clarion), Scandic and Rezidor SAS. This hotel is part of the Clarion Collection brand seen by Choice as their upmarket boutique operation in Scandinavia.
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The original entrance is now a seating area as the new entrance (click on the image to see it) has been moved to the side facing into the square
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Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret
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