Winter is here: “Game of Thrones” ice hotel opens in Finland

HELSINKI — A “Game of Thrones”-themed ice hotel complete with a bar and a chapel for weddings has opened in northern Finland in a joint effort by a local hotel chain and the U.S. producers of the hit TV series.

Lapland Hotels said Friday they chose “Game of Thrones” to be the theme for this season’s Snow Village, an annual ice-and-snow construction project covering 20,000 square meters (24,000 sq. yards) in Kittila, 150 kilometres (93 miles) above the Arctic Circle.

Snow Village operations manager Janne Pasma told Finnish national broadcaster YLE that he was a huge fan of the series and it was “a dream come true” that HBO Nordic agreed to go along with his team’s initiative.

HBO Nordic spokeswoman Nina Palmroos said “Game of Thrones” fans from all over the world have been “completely overwhelmed” by the hotel.

“We found it a wonderful idea. Some of the world’s best ice sculptors have done very detailed and thorough work,” Palmroos said, calling the hotel’s dragon particularly impressive. “Fans are very loyal to the series and this gives them a chance to experience something unique.”

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The hotel, which stays open until early April, suggests that guests stay only one night due to below-zero temperatures.

Jari Tanner, The Associated Press