Artist Kjartan Lauritzen (27 years old) was known for his parish rap and cheerful mood. But what is not known is that the 27-year-old, whose real name is Per Áki Sigurdsson Kvikne, hails from a family with a long tradition in the hotel industry.
For more than 200 years, the Kvikne family has been owners of hotels in Balestrand, and now Lauritzen will continue the family legacy.
In February, it became known that the artist made a sudden career change When he went to buy the Balestrand Hoteland thus became a hotel owner.
Keeps the family hotel going
Along with girlfriend Randy Sognes Amot and brother Theodor Sigurdsson Kvikney (35), the three will be responsible for running the hotel. The new Lauritzen is ideally located, overlooking the Sognefjord.
When Nettavisen met the artist on the red carpet in connection with the Spellemann Award ceremony last week, he did not hesitate to answer the question of why he bought a hotel.
Read also: Traveling from his pregnant girlfriend to share in reality: – He could get a little bad
– I think rather; why not? , told Loritzen before he answered frankly:
– We thought it very sad that this hotel has disappeared from the family. Then we did what needed to be done to get to this hotel, said Lauritzen.
The previous owners of the Balestrand Hotel were Unni Marie Kviken, Lauritzen’s aunt and husband Eric. When the brothers learned that their aunt was moving to California, they felt the need to keep the family business.
The musician held cards near his chest about how much the hotel’s new and proud owners had paid. He also wouldn’t say anything if they could get a nice family discount.
family business
That the artist is now a hotelier may come as a surprise to some, but it was not at all surprising to the rest of his family.
Loritzen’s father, Sigurd Kvikney, currently runs the main attraction in Balestrand, the Kviknes Hotel. It is the largest hotel in the village, and the family has owned it since 1877.
Read also: Thomas Nomi shares a dramatic story from his adolescence: – He had to teach me to walk again
For Lauritzen, it was a natural choice to return to the hotel industry as he worked several summers at both his aunt and father’s hotels.
Since his debut in 2014, Loritzen has had a thriving music career, but despite his new hotel project, he still hasn’t been able to completely free himself from music.
Although he has moved into his Balestrand home for a time to run a hotel, he maintains that the hotel will be a part-time job for the busy musician.
Work hard before opening
The brothers and Loritzen’s girlfriend officially took over the management of the hotel in the winter of 2021. After he announced the news on Instagram, people flocked to the comments field and placed reservation requests in the comments field, several months before the hotel opened.
According to the plan, the new owners will ensure the hotel is ready to open on May 1, but research isn’t entirely sure if they will be able to meet the deadline.
“I think we are such a hotel that is not quite finished,” he told Nettavizen, a twinkle in his eye.
He also couldn’t guarantee that the enemy would be flawless, and thought it was only expected to see people hammering nails into the ceiling for the first few days.
The joking search, which is now underway in Balestrand for the latest changes, still has great faith that the hotel will be finished on time.
“Infuriatingly humble web fan. Writer. Alcohol geek. Passionate explorer. Evil problem solver. Incurable zombie expert.”
