Skip to main content

There’s a Hotel Room Inside this Abandoned Air Traffic Control Tower, and You Can Spend the Night

Sleeping at the airport isn’t a lifelong goal for most of us. But, sleeping at the airport in an air traffic control tower that’s been converted into a luxury “apartment” is an entirely different matter. Through the end of July, home rental website HomeAway is running a unique contest to put five lucky travelers up at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport in style.

It started in 2016 with a fully furnished apartment inside the Eiffel Tower. Now, HomeAway has worked with renowned, contemporary Swedish artist Cilla Ramnek to convert the abandoned, 262-foot-tall ramp tower at Arlanda Airport into a beautiful, full-service, 380-square-foot hotel room. The design recalls a retro, Mid-Century Modern aesthetic with distinct Scandinavian accents. The tower features an open concept studio layout with a bedroom, bathroom, and full kitchen, all surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the current working airport. If you’ve ever harbored childhood dreams of watching airplanes taxi on an active runway, it doesn’t get much closer or better than this.

#HomeAwayArlanda Flight Tower Apartment (short)

The winners will also receive full gourmet meal service during their stay. Breakfast is courtesy of RC Chocolat (run by a member of the Swedish National Pastry Team), while dinner is served at Pontus in the Air (helmed by Pontus Frithiof, one of Sweden’s most celebrated gourmet chefs). Roundtrip airfare is also provided, along with behind-the-scenes access to the airport and VIP shuttle service to and from the tower at check-in. After a full 24 hours in the ramp tower, the winners will enjoy an additional three nights at a HomeAway property in Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, or Stockholm.

Recommended Videos

The Nordic landscape is among the most beautiful and pristine in the entire world. With ancient fjords, verdant, Arctic forests, some of the happiest, healthy citizens in the world, and the perfect conditions for spotting the Northern Lights, it’s a bucket list-worthy destination for any traveler. The hope of this partnership between HomeAway and Swedavia (owner of the Arlanda Airport, among others) is that the winners will use their stay as a jumping-off point to explore Sweden, Finland, and the other Nordic countries.

Enter here from now until July 30 to win!

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Forget juice cleanses: this retreat mixes mindfulness, mezcal, and margaritas
Enjoy the best of both worlds with this retreat.
FTLO Travel

As we approach 2025, wellness retreats are still one of the hottest trends in travel, but not everyone is ready to commit to a week of detoxes and silent reflection. Enter FTLO Travel’s new Mindfulness and Margaritas Retreat in Oaxaca, Mexico, designed for those who crave the benefits of a wellness retreat without giving up indulgence or adventure.

This five-day trip offers the perfect blend of accessible wellness practices, cultural exploration, local flavors, and just the right amount of fun.
What to expect from the experience

Read more
10 essential tips for first-time flyers (that everyone can benefit from)
Learn what you can do to have a stress-free travel experience
man looking at flight schedule in airport

If you're preparing to take your first flight and want to feel as ready as possible, you've come to the right place. From deciding what to pack to navigating the airport and handling security lines, there's a lot to think about. Flying can be stressful, even for seasoned travelers, and that stress can be magnified if it's your first time. But here’s what I’ve learned: everyone starts somewhere, and flying isn't nearly as intimidating as it may seem once you get the hang of it. Here are some first-time flying tips to help you make it through your first air journey.
10 tips for first-time flyers
1. Give yourself extra time

Airports are busy places with lots of moving parts, and things can feel hectic when you’re not familiar with the process. Arriving early gives you a buffer to handle anything unexpected, like long lines at check-in or finding your way through the terminal.

Read more
This popular Great Smoky Mountains trail will be closed for 18 months — where to hike instead
You won't see this Great Smoky Mountains Favorite for another 18 months. Here's why.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Laurel Falls Trail is a popular destination at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Seeing over 300,000 hikers annually, it's one of the park's most iconic trails. While Gatlinburg was largely spared by Hurricane Helene, Laurel Falls Trail has become unsafe due to loose, broken pavement and other safety hazards. This is largely because the trail hasn't been repaved at all since the trail was made in 1963. The National Park Service is committed to the safety of this trail, so the park has funded a rehabilitation project to give Laurel Falls Trail a well-deserved makeover.

This project will be extensive. The National Park Service reports that they will be making huge upgrades to the trailhead parking area, expanding it by about fifty parking spaces and adding a designated pathway with a guardrail to connect pedestrians to the trailhead. They will also be repaving all of the trails and installing new educational signage along the way to provide wayfinding, bear safety, and Leave No Trace guidance.

Read more