Hotel and resort architects for nature-based hospitality

Studio Puisto covers destination master planning, architecture and interior design, so one team takes a hospitality project from the first site concept to the finished room. At Solea Valley Healing Resort in Cyprus, the studio developed the master plan, architecture and interiors for a destination with 30 hotel rooms, 30 experiential lodges and 10 villas. At Heart of Lika in Croatia, it is designing a resort of creek suites, forest lodges, wellness facilities and branded residences.

The team includes architects, interior architects and Sam-Erik Ruttmann, a hospitality specialist with a long track record in hotel operations and development, who works with developers on hospitality concepts, operator requirements and investor relations. By bringing strategy, architecture and guest experience together from the beginning, Studio Puisto helps developers and operators create destinations people want to return to.

Yes. Cabin and villa resorts are a large part of Studio Puisto’s work. Current projects range from boutique retreat destinations to resorts with around 100 accommodation units. At Heart of Lika in Croatia, the studio is designing a destination of creek suites, forest lodges, wellness facilities and branded residences. In Utah, USA, Studio Puisto is designing a resort with around 100 accommodation units carefully integrated into the landscape.

At Kanava Resort in Oravi, Finland, nine Uni Villas are built from cross-laminated timber modules, each with a private lake-view sauna. Smaller accommodation concepts include Space of Mind, a 9.9 m² transportable timber cabin, and Niliaitta, a unit raised above the ground. Whether designing a single cabin or a complete resort, each unit is positioned to preserve views, existing trees and a sense of privacy.

Yes. For Studio Puisto, treehouse hospitality is ultimately about perspective. Whether like a bird among the trees, a rabbit in a meadow or a swan on the water, the goal is to help guests experience nature from a new point of view.

This approach can be seen in the acclaimed Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland, designed for Arctic Resort Company. Opened in 2016, the hotel consists of individual accommodation units carefully positioned on a forested hillside to create a close connection with nature while preserving the character of the landscape. In 2017–2018, the studio added Arctic Scene executive suites and a new reception building. The hotel was featured in The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Apple TV+ and in Where Architects Stay Around the World (Braun).

Studio Puisto has also explored elevated accommodation concepts through Niliaitta and the Heavenly Tower at Solea Valley Healing Resort in Cyprus.

Both. Studio Puisto’s hospitality projects are shaped by their context. In nature resorts, that often means forests, lakes, mountains and landscapes. In urban settings, it means responding to the people, history, movement and urban fabric that already define a place. The goal is not to apply the same hotel everywhere, but to create hospitality experiences that feel rooted in their surroundings.

Aparthotel Oslo, for Skanska and Forenom, includes 163 hotel apartments across 8,570 m². Forenom Arlanda, next to Stockholm Arlanda Airport, for Swedavia and Forenom, includes 36 hostel rooms and 86 apartment rooms across 3,550 m². In Finnish Lapland, Ylläs Basecamp Hotel for Sport Resort Ylläs comprises 210 rooms ranging from 15 to 65 m² across approximately 7,600 m².

Yes. Studio Puisto sees existing buildings and places as opportunities rather than constraints. Reusing and adapting what is already there can preserve character, reduce waste and avoid the carbon emissions associated with new construction, while creating hospitality experiences that feel authentic and rooted in their surroundings.

Aparthotel Oslo is a former red-brick office building in Oslo’s Grønland district, converted into a 163-room aparthotel for Skanska and Forenom between 2016 and 2018. At Forenom Arlanda, the upper floor of an office building next to Stockholm Arlanda Airport became a hostel and apartment hotel, while the exterior and much of the original concrete structure were retained. At Aino Resort in Finnish Lapland, the studio designed the transformation of an existing island destination into a private island resort.

Yes. Studio Puisto works with hotel brands and operators because successful hospitality projects are shaped as much by operations as by architecture. The studio is a preferred partner of Hyatt and a founding partner of Hospitality Think Tank, and has designed for operators including Forenom and Arctic Resort Company.

The design follows how the hotel will run. Together with operators, Studio Puisto develops room mix, guest flow, back-of-house functions and brand standards from the earliest stages of a project. Sam-Erik Ruttmann, a hospitality specialist with a long track record in hotel operations and development, helps ensure that projects do not only look good, but also function well. A hotel should be a great place for guests to stay and a great place for staff to work.

Forenom Arlanda, for example, includes budget, smart and premium room types, while also providing the airport with accommodation for passengers who miss a connection or whose flight is cancelled.

Sustainability starts with asking whether something should be built at all. When it should, Studio Puisto aims to build only what is needed, use land efficiently and make the most of what is already there. Compact planning and shared amenities can reduce the amount of buildings, infrastructure and land use required for a destination.

Timber and wood are recurring materials throughout the studio’s hospitality portfolio, valued for their low embodied carbon, warm character and connection to nature. Modular construction can further reduce disturbance on site, particularly in remote and environmentally sensitive locations. Several Studio Puisto projects have achieved certifications including Green Key and LEED Gold.

The studio increasingly approaches hospitality through a regenerative lens: preserving what exists, strengthening local communities and creating long-term environmental and social value. Alongside traditional metrics such as embodied carbon per square metre, Studio Puisto is interested in measuring impact per guest and per bed, reflecting how hospitality destinations are actually used.

Yes. Timber and wood are recurring materials throughout Studio Puisto’s hospitality portfolio, but Studio Puisto is not dogmatic. Every project begins with the same question: what is the right material for this place, this climate and this guest experience? More often than not, that leads to timber.

Projects such as Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Uni Villa, Space of Mind and many of the studio’s current resort developments use timber as both a construction method and an architectural expression. Studio Puisto also works with timber and modular manufacturers including Onwood, Promodules, Treezo, Honka and Kontio.

Timber stores carbon, while many conventional building materials require large amounts of energy to produce. When sourced from responsibly managed forests, it is also renewable. Beyond sustainability, timber is lightweight, well suited to modular construction, pleasant to touch and naturally provides good acoustic qualities.

For Studio Puisto, timber is not only a building material, but a way of creating warm and memorable hospitality experiences that connect guests with nature.

Studio Puisto brings its Nordic roots to every project, while adapting each destination to its local culture, climate and landscape. The studio sees international projects as a collaboration, combining hospitality expertise with local knowledge to create places that feel authentic to their setting.

Studio Puisto typically works alongside a local Architect of Record (AOR), bringing hospitality, timber and modular expertise while local partners handle permitting, regulations and code compliance.

International work includes Solea Valley Healing Resort in Cyprus, Heart of Lika in Croatia, a resort in Utah, and a museum master plan on Jeju Island in South Korea. Studio Puisto stays involved throughout the project to help ensure that the original vision is successfully realised.

As early as possible, ideally before the brief is fixed. Many Studio Puisto projects begin with a concept design, feasibility study or destination development framework before any building exists. This allows the landscape, accommodation mix, room programme, wellness offering and phasing strategy to shape the project from the start, rather than being fitted in later.

The Arctic TreeHouse Hotel began as a concept developed together with Arctic Resort Company. More recently, projects such as Heart of Lika in Croatia, Solea Valley Healing Resort in Cyprus and Fjeld Ylläs in Finnish Lapland started with destination planning and concept development before detailed building design.

Early-stage studies help developers evaluate development potential, room programmes, guest experience, accommodation mix and long-term commercial viability before major investment decisions are made.

Look for an architect with significant hospitality experience and a track record of delivered hotels and resorts. The best destinations combine memorable architecture with a deep understanding of operations, guest flow and commercial realities, while offering something distinctive and rooted in their location.

For remote or environmentally sensitive locations, experience with destination planning, timber and modular construction, and low-impact development can be equally important. Studio Puisto’s hospitality references range from the acclaimed Arctic TreeHouse Hotel and the 210-room Ylläs Basecamp Hotel to destination developments such as Heart of Lika in Croatia and Solea Valley Healing Resort in Cyprus. The studio also collaborates with timber and modular manufacturers including Onwood, Promodules, Treezo, Honka and Kontio.

The goal is not simply to design a building, but to create a destination where architecture, operations and guest experience work as one.

Send a short brief by email describing the location, site size, target guests, number of rooms or units, wellness and amenity requirements, budget range, timeline and current stage of development. If some of these are not yet defined, Studio Puisto can help shape them through feasibility studies, destination planning and early-stage concept design.

The best projects often start with a conversation rather than a finished brief. Don’t worry about creating the perfect presentation or an AI-generated document. Studio Puisto genuinely wants to understand what you are trying to achieve. If the project is still at an early stage and not everything is clear yet, that’s perfectly fine. Helping define the vision, programme and opportunity is part of the process.

For international hospitality projects, contact co-founder Willem van Bolderen. Projects in Finland are led by co-founder Heikki Riitahuhta, and projects in Japan by Studio Puisto Japan. Email addresses are on the contact page.

Studio Puisto, Mariankatu 7 A 4, FI-00170 Helsinki, Finland