Strawberry Has No Global Ambitions and a Record Year. Here’s What It Does Differently.

Most major hotel groups define ambition by how many countries they operate in, but Strawberry defines it by how deeply it can entrench itself in one region.

The Nordic hospitality company runs more than 250 hotels across six markets and has no plans to operate anywhere else, co-owner Emilie Stordalen told Skift.

While major international groups have spent the past decade chasing worldwide scale through asset-light expansion and global loyalty ecosystems, Strawberry is doing the opposite: regional density, deeper customer integration, and greater control over its own brands.

“It’s the market we know. It’s our home turf. So for us, for now, it’s great to stay here,” Stordalen said.

The strategy reflects a structural reality that international operators have struggled with for years in the Nordics.

“I think it’s a geographical barrier, language, and … it’s expensive. It is expensive labor, expensive real estate,” St