A funky new hostel for West Reykjavik

Big changes are being made to that colourful building in West Reykjavik called JL húsið. Three of its five floors are being transformed into a hip hostel called Oddsson which should room between 230 - 250 guests. 

Accommodation will range from tiny rooms with bunk beds to luxury suites with stunning views over Faxaflói bay and Snæfellsjökull glacier to the west. On the bottom floor: a restaurant, bar and café. Kristín Ólafsdottir, who is managing the refurbishing explains that this kind of mixed hostel and hotel is an idea that's spreading fast around the world, offering more intimacy and more possibilities of getting to know new people. "It's supposed to be a hotel offering a hostel kind of spirit and a hostel offering hotel service."

Odsson will be located in the so-called JL building. Photo: Google Street­view

Krist­ín seg­ir þetta vera rosa­lega skemmti­legt verk­efni, enda séu þau að reyna að byggja upp nýja hug­mynd á Íslandi þar sem öll­um hóp­um ferðamanna sé blandað sam­an á einn stað til að gera mjög skap­andi stað. „Kúltúr­inn er að þú ert ekki einn,“ seg­ir Krist­ín og bend­ir á að í hostel um­hverfi sé mun auðveld­ara að setj­ast á borð með ókunn­ug­um og byrja að spjalla en á hót­el­um. Seg­ir hún þetta vera ákveðna þróun sem sé að eiga sér stað um all­an heim og þau vilji gera þessu hærra und­ir höfði hér á landi líka.

Ólafsdóttir says that the project is really fun, especially as they are undertaking new ideas, in mixing different groups of tourists to make a really creative atmosphere. "Our culture is that you're not alone," she says and explains that it's the kind of atmosphere where you're likely to sit down at a table with strangers to enjoy a meal. Also a novelty in Iceland: So-called "pods", popular in Asia which is basically a bed inside a pod for singles. 

Kristín Ólafsdóttir heads the changes to the interiors, soon to become the Oddsson hostel. Photo/Rax 

The location is close to the up-and-coming area of Grandi which is a favourite for artists, designers and musicians who have studios in the old fish warehouses. A number of restaurants, shops and gourmet food shops have also appeared at Grandi in the last year or so. 

Oddsson, set to open this winter,  is owned by a group of investors called JL Holding and the total investment in the project is 800 million ISK. 

But what's with the name? "No it's not a reference to Davíð Oddsson," says Ólafsdóttir laughingly [Referring to former PM and central bank director Davíð Oddsson, editor-in-chief of Morgunblaðið]. She explains that it's a play on words. It's a surname in Iceland, but in English it looks like a combination of Odds and on. "And also, Icelanders are a bit odd, aren't they," she laughs. 

For further information on Oddsson visit their Facebook page HERE. 

The top floor, under construction. The hostel is set to open this winter. Photo: Facebook page of Oddsson

A model of the bunk beds at Oddsson Photo: Oddsson Facebook page

A sketch of a standard bedroom at Oddsson. Photo: Oddsson Facebook page