Case
How the 3-star hotel received top ratings from guests
September 2025
Photo: Magnus Laupa
Rated 9.2 on Booking. Glowing reviews on Hotels.com and Google. Why do guests love the small three-star hotel in Danderyd? The answer is a common thread that permeates everything. And a green one.
Guests and staff are part of the family
Even from a distance, the visitor notices that the entrance is special. Cushions and fabrics on the benches by the door. A stately red carpet. All lined with newly planted ball chrysanthemums and heather in pots.
It’s caring. But above all, welcoming.
– Did you notice the music that greets you even before you enter the hotel? asks Mark Iverstam, owner of Hotel Danderyd.
He runs the hotel in close collaboration with hotel manager Mikael Wallerius and the rest of the staff. The feeling of cooperation, that everyone works together for the best interests of the guests, is a common thread in the business.
“The hotel is family-owned and the common thread in everything we do is familiar. We have chosen to only work with employed staff, this also applies to cleaning. Both the guests and the staff should feel that they are part of the family,” says Mikael Wallerius.
"Love everything about this hotel"
The hotel is located on the outskirts of Danderyds Centrum – the new name of Mörby Centrum – just north of Stockholm. The level is officially three-star, but the exquisite décor signals more. And guests are heaping praise on the experience.
The latest review on Google says:
“Loved everything about this hotel. The interior, the colors, the flowers, the terrace and the tranquility! Very sweet staff. We slept well in comfortable beds in really nice fresh rooms …”
– For us, Booking is also an important indicator, as the ratings are verified at a higher level. And we have a 9.2 rating on Booking – it’s one of Sweden’s highest ratings,” says Mikael.
How can a family atmosphere give such good grades?
– Guests receive a level of service they do not expect. Everyone knows that they get breakfast and a key. But not everyone expects us to ask how the journey here has been and know who they are. Among the guests we have right now, I am familiar with 10 of them and know their names.
But there is another thread as well. A green thread that Mark Iverstam followed when he created the hotel in 2022.
– My great interest is gardening and flowers. That’s why you see it everywhere.
Already when he met Resize Design, the specialist in hotel furniture, for the first time, the vision was clear. The feeling in all interior design should be natural. The colours should radiate calm and take their shades from the plant kingdom.
– Moss green and amber were colors I expressed early on. Then we have added brass to create elegance. Brass is also a colour that exists in nature in the form of gold,” says Mark.
"Resize Design showed a fantastic commitment"
Resize Design collaborated with the interior design agency Vrå inredningsarkitekter, who were responsible for the concept.
How did you think the interior designers and furniture managed to realize your vision?
– First of all, I want to say that Viktor Lindbäck and the team at Resize Design showed fantastic commitment and credibility from day one. They listened and really wanted to understand in depth what we wanted to achieve.
He guides us around beautiful seating in moss green shades that rest on carpets in plum purple and bark brown.
Not only the colors were to be linked to nature. The team at Resize Design also developed a piece of furniture craftsmanship with soft shapes, far from artificial angularity.
The feeling was also important.
“Take this laminate, for example,” says Mikael, stroking a desk with his hand.
– Laminate may not be natural in itself, but the surface has a structure of linen that gives a lovely and quality feel. In addition, it is extremely durable.
Sustainability was another important parameter. Mikael and the rest of the staff have as their driving force that the rooms should feel untouched, in fact completely new, for every guest who unlocks the door.
– That’s why we wanted durability from Resize and they have really achieved that. The seating feels barely used and I believe that our beds, which they specially designed for us, have a completely different robustness than what I can see in other hotels. Everything holds,” says Mark.
He also wanted all the large furniture in the rooms to be fixed and look the same, in order to be able to clean very intensively and with the same methodology in each room.
“I know that our rooms are perceived as extremely clean. We don’t pressure the staff to get it ready in 5 minutes, it should be perfect before they leave. It will take as long as it takes. But it also does a lot for our grades,” says Mikael.
What’s next for the hotel?
– We will develop our 4,000 large square meters of garden. It’s my next dream project,” says Mark.
Facts: The collaboration with Resize Design
Hotel Danderyd opened in 2022 and offers 37 double rooms. Resize Design delivered all furnishings, both standard products and custom-made solutions, and was responsible for on-site assembly.
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