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Written by me Jesper Henryson, CEO The Rival. It will be big and small. In front of and behind the scenes. Laughter, sighs, groans, news and more.

21 March 2024

I KNOW you can't wait! And we are just as excited!


On Maundy Thursday, March 28 - we move outside! Whatever the weather, wind and temperature. the Tavern and Watson's Bar open their outdoor seating areas. The annual preparatory work for the opening has begun and that means awning washing, pressure washing, flower orders, trimming and planning.


Spring goes on and on with great concerts, performances, premieres, comedy, singing. And then there's Skavlan on April 22. It will be an exciting spring. Followed by a crazy autumn when even more stars move in; from Måns Möller to Je m´appelle Agneta, Pernilla Wahlgren with her best friends, Fexeus with Mentalisten, Jonatan Unge, Jake Lambert and many many more. Tickets will be released like a string of pearls.


Agneta moves in on September 26! Even my sister Catharina has booked tickets for "Je m´appelle Agneta". Good sister. She lives in Eskilstuna and I will try to arrange a hotel room for her at Rival. I don't want her to get lost in Södermalm ...

And soon it will be Easter, and then the scrambled eggs will taste even better! Tavernan's Easter eggs include whole roast lamb with herbs, juicy green asparagus, delicious ratatouille, fragrant rosemary sauce - and crispy fried potatoes. On Good Friday, March 29, there will also be top-notch Icelandic entertainment in the theatre. Ari Eldjàrn will come and make fun of us all (in English, no subtitles!) directly from the the Rival's stage, showtime 19.30.

See you next week, I have a lot to do now.
Greetings
Jesper

 

 

8 February 2024

There is room for hearts!
On Wednesday, February 14, we are going all in on love and food! And I'm recommending wonderful menus in both the Bistro and on the Tavern. A nice Wednesday in dreary February, can it get any better?
If you want to do something very special for your sweetheart (like a proposal or something...), you can email me directly, I will arrange the scar all around.
Some tips and ideas follow here: 1) a beautiful diamond ring hidden in a delicious dessert 2) small brass band 3) large brass band 4) delivery of a Birkin (well maybe not) 5) 50 red roses on the dinner table 6) knee pillow in any color 6) any props for a proposal. As I said, email or call me!

This was a big part of December at Rival - doing something for someone else. Sure, we were busy, but what a way to end the work year when all the great prizes were handed out. And the commitment from suppliers and employees was so genuine and warm. Thank you so much again.

And then "Orup Bara" came to Rival! It was an incomparably good premiere night and now it rolls on - like a dream! Do not miss this guy, "one of a kind" and with a song treasure and a stage presence that is fantastic. I recommend: buy a ticket!

There's a lot more to tell you about everything that's happening, I'll get back to you soon!
Greetings from a semi-stressed hotel manager

 

12 October 2023
Only a few hours left!
At exactly 19.30 tonight, the doors to the theatre will close - it's the premiere of Bo Kaspers in Concert. They have promised large and small during and this is where it happens. The status report from our stage manager Petter Eriksson this afternoon is good. The band is in a premiere mood. Clothes are tried on down to the last detail. Lights, sound, mics and cables are being fine-tuned.

Picture above: BKO rope this afternoon
When the rest of us were sleeping best last night, yes, the loading of BKO's lights into Rival started...and see above how nice it is! And just before they showed up, yesterday's fantastic production "Från Broadway till Duvemåla" had just left Rival after a sold-out and successful performance. the Rival's stage-evening team this premiere day consists of our stage manager Karin Johnson, show hostess Carina Hellströmer and of course our overall-operative-fastest manager-Hala Michalak! Stage manager Petter has run a morning-lunch pass and can go home and rest as well as Andrea who fixed and controlled the lodges with all the wonderful stuff! 
Sold out tonight of course. But Bo Kaspers plays at Rival all fall, book a ticket here!

See you in the crowd
Jesper
Ps do not forget to hang your outerwear in our new nice closet downstairs from the parquet. And there is also a brand new restroom! DS

 

5 October 2023

A short story about "glorious comfort in autumn"!
There's so much fun to be had instead of moping around in the dark and singing leaves! On the Rivalscenen: everything from Lill Lindfors, Tommy Körberg, Bo Kaspers Orkester to Edvin Törnblom and so much more! Nice classics at Bistromenyn, Simon's good G&T in Watson's Bar and luxurious hotel rooms for those who really want to enjoy life away from home!

Chef in Stockholm
Our Head chef Robin Gesang-Gottow - he knows how to keep "a thousand balls in the air" at the same time! Robin and his team have busy days and evenings now, to say the least. In the Bistro it's time for hanger-braised Swedish entrecote, Skagen on its own in "Rival-köket-baked" caviar (Robin's recipe), raw beef, mushroom soup, red wine braised ox cheek - now I'm getting really hungry just writing this down. Our kitchen up in the Bistro also prepares all staff food for lunch and dinner, all hot breakfast food seven days a week, crew and artist food, Watson's bar food and much more. Our great chefs in the Tavern kitchen take care of the Tavern's diners! 

Tonight is the premiere of "Personligt" with Sven-Ingvars! I hear now when they rehearse...tip, buy a ticket! At Rival only October 5-8.
Welcome in the heat!
Greetings
Jesper

 

September 22, 2023

Green for free, red for busy!
Then we could finally open up the whole thing last night! A brand new wardrobe. Eight new toilets and 11 newly renovated toilets. A construction that started on June 5 and was completed on Wednesday, September 20. Yesterday a packed theatre and "2:22 A Ghost Story" with a break ... and what a relief (!) with a total of 19 toilets within 15 meters! And the nice cloakroom is manned by our fantastic Rival Ambassador Antoine and his staff.

An extensive new construction and major renovation project.

the Rival's new Restroom, two steps down from the entrance level. Eight newly built toilets and a beautiful commode.

Green for free, red for occupation!


Bo Kaspers Orkester in Concert - they promise wonders big and small. Premiere on October 12. It will be musical. And special. And absolutely wonderful. You can book a ticket here! And why not secure a table reservation at the same time!

See you at the nearest commode!
Regards
Jesper

 

September 14, 2023

...with horror, tonight is the premiere!

Helena Bergström is here. Adam Pålsson is here. Rakel Wärmländer is here. Johannes Kuhnke is here. And Johanna Nordström is here. We also know that Åsa Holmgren and Pernilla Thagaard are here. the Rival's The stage team with Karin and Petter is here. In short, everyone is here. And tonight at 19.30 it's packed in the theatre. Sold out and crowded it is also tomorrow, on Saturday and next Friday. Right now only one fprosecution Tickets are available for 21/9, 23/9 and 24/9. I would hurry up and buy a ticket if I were you...you don't want to miss this. Can of course be combined with food and drink in the Bistro, the Tavern and in Watson's Bar ! A good idea is to book board!

Herman the dachshund can't go to the premiere but he likes to hang out at the Tavern and in Watson's Bar . We don't have many hotel rooms available this weekend, but for lovers of life on two legs, you can enjoy designer Carouschka Streijffert's amazing and unique carpets in the hotel corridor...book a lovely hotel room and get these works of art for free! 

See you at 2:22 greetings
Jesper

 

September 13, 2023

Summer memories and beyond!

Hossain, Sang and Amanda - part of the Tavernan summer team. To the right, Klara with tasty dishes. And the summer is far from over, the outdoor terrace is probably at its best right now.

Top right: Tobias and Robin have loaded the car full of food for a luxury catering! Bottom left: Henke's birthday barbecue in July! They should be neat even outside the hotel so yesterday I made an effort ...


Top left: Photographer Ulla Montan's latest portrait and, of course, Thomas "Orup" Eriksson in pole position. "Orup Bara" is the big entertainment of the spring in the theatre, the tickets are going fast and furious. Orup Bara. Not so just I think! Secure a ticket, think "Christmas gift". For inspiration and Orupfeeling at Rival, check out this page and the movie from the press day in August. The annual summer maintenance in the theatre we crowned with some cosmetics in the form of discreet text about where each door leads ... Next week I will tell you about the BIG BUILDING that we have rolled all summer, on September 19 is the final inspection. "Dogge" in the Tavern shows good food memories from last summer.
See you in the crowd

Jesper

 

24 August 2023

It's NOW it's happening - all the fun!!!

Orup Bara - premiere at Rival on January 18, 2024! Click here to go to the Rival's own Orup Bara page with an exclusive pre-purchase link.
Tomorrow Friday is the official ticket release at 10.00 - but the pre-sale is already in full swing. And we Rivalare are very happy that Thomas "Orup" Eriksson will be in our house in the spring of 2024.

We'll talk again very soon!
Jesper

 

21 June 2023

Summer party with Rivalarna!
What a day! What a party! What a party committee! What a team! The other night we celebrated that summer is here and that we should be super proud of the first five months of the year... As everyone has worked, toiled, fought together, counted, run shows, served, served, mixed drinks, cleaned rooms, made annual accounts, monthly accounts, had an agreement movement, started a construction and at the same time everyone has supported each other. Magical people in a very unusual house! Yes, you know, we call the hotel a "house". The house is full of restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, hotel rooms and people!

Picture top left shows large parts of the Rival gang. Top right our eminent party committee who managed everything from the Music Quiz to the venue and "Best in Test" inspired games - Andrea (Babben), Lill-Christin (David Sundin) and Ludde. Bottom left: the impossible task of making a toilet roll stay in a given place. Try it yourself! Bottom right: just before food and drinks are served. Thanks to all of you!

Midsummer in the city - hang out at Rival. 
Very simple. We have the food, the weather, the drinks and a central location. Both Watson's and the Tavern have open revolving doors from Midsummer's Eve to Sunday evening.
Total absence of mosquitoes, outdoor toilets and traditional nonsense! Immerse yourself in Midsummer at Rival here...open until 01.00 on both Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Day.

Thursday, June 29, I want to draw the attention of all neighbors and residents around Rival that it will be a little extra messy outside the hotel entrance. Now we have come to phase number 2 in our construction and that means concrete truck! And concrete should flow! We do not know exactly how long it will take, but it will be exciting and a little messy when the hose will be transported about 50 meters into the house. We recommend the first floor at the Tavern or Watson's outdoor seating facing the park!

The bastardization of everything.

And when the high summer heat finally arrived...well then the awning relays went out! A single awning survived, but most of the awnings could not be removed. It took us a week to get everything in order: find spare parts, get our favorite electricians, manage the job, cheer Arne, cheer Jocke, hold your breath and look happy! Now everything works again and it's great because it will be even warmer in the coming days! Those who lack a balcony at home can advantageously rent a de luxe room with a balcony at Rival. Here are rooms that are higher up than the tree line...Next weekend 30/6-2/7 we have some de luxe rooms with balcony left!

Seven daisies under the pillow salute
Jesper

 

 

25 May 2023

Safety first, mother's day and gage!


Running a hotel is fun, exciting, challenging and engaging. For me and everyone here at Rival, Safety First is the name of the game and that means we are always on our toes and have our feet in a constant "starting block" for any type of event. This week, Safety week at Rival, we have (in addition to the CPR training earlier this week) had individual training in firefighting. We have simulated with VR camera to act correctly. In late summer there will be the annual evacuation exercise ... you will see us on the square in our yellow vests!

Picture top right: Dinner on the Bistro balcony with the best view...and with a little help from the infrared heat if the temperature drops. Our outdoor terraces have been magical this week and guests never want to go home...we like!

Celebrate your mom on Sunday! Feel free to do it with us at the Tavern, we attract with bubbly, gratinated lobster and hopefully good weather. My mother is staying at home in Dalarna but there will be a conference call on Sunday! 

Gage? Many years ago, our real estate guy Arne coined "today is gage", which of course means that today is payday! I myself will buy even more moving boxes with the money...my four-legged companion Tobbe doesn't really understand what is happening at home. He thinks it's messy, untidy and generally very unpleasant. And way too much talk about "please, move", "no, no, you can't lie here anymore", "yes, I have to pack the chewed up slippers now". Tobbe will soon understand.

See you soon
Jesper

 

 

22 May 2023

Beautiful May at the Rival! 
And we have a lot more to offer! In a few days, May 25-26, Hansson de Wolfe United. Wednesday May 31 "Mårten Cvetcovic" -a critically acclaimed performance by and with Mårten Andersson. Friday June 2 "SEMST" with the best guys Jonatan Unge, Ahmed Berhan and Branne Pavlovic.

I and everyone else just want to sit outside, outside and more outside! Now the trees and shrubs have come out on Mariatorget and you can just enjoy it. At Rival we have three outdoor seating areas: Watson's Bar by The Park, the Tavern and Bistrobalkongen .

And when I am not working, or thinking about pleasure, I am packing moving boxes (yes, soon the load will go to a new home!). There is a lot of planning for the arrival of all the beautiful summer guests, holiday lists, ones and zeros, the outside world is currently completely unpredictable and a bit crazy. It is actually important to stay focused and be happy for the smallest "good thing" that appears in the present here and now. 

Apply sunscreen, eat something healthy, enjoy life - more news in a few weeks!
Greetings Jesper

 

 

14 April 2023

Always something going on!

Another eventful week! The outdoor restaurants have opened. Guaranteed sun tomorrow Saturday and on Sundays, all weather forecasts are unanimous and in agreement. the Rival's Bistro has opened after the Easter break - the kitchen brigade from the left with Christian, Douglas, Samuel and Victoria. The PA system in the theatre has been updated and tuned. The picture at the top right shows the legend Björn Lehnberg and the small legends Filip Boström and Stefan Ljungkvist. This weekend, our PA system is put to the test when PFloyd runs at high volume and for almost sold-out houses both Friday and Saturday at 19.00 and 2.5 hours ahead!


Bar manager Simon Holmqvist tempts with ice-cold Gin & Tonics - best enjoyed in the sun on Watson's outdoor terrace. Of course, we celebrate a little extra and offer DJ Fredrik Jonasson both Friday and Saturday night (just when the sun has disappeared behind the rooftops on Brännkyrkagatan...).
See you at Södermalm's Solsida greetings
Jesper 

 

5 April 2023

I have to share tomorrow's cheese event!

I Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 12, we will be hanging out with the experts from "Arla Unika" and there will be cheese in all forms - exclusively on the Tavern! Open a little extra long until 22.00.

Cheese can also be eaten outdoors! The tavern's outdoor terrace works in almost any weather! And of course, dogs are just as welcome!
See you tomorrow cheeesee!
Jesper

 

5 April 2023

It's spring! We have opened the outdoor seating!

Yes, yes, it may not be the perfect spring weather but it doesn't matter. ATM delivered and exhibited all the furniture.
Monty and Tobias (picture
down to the left) did the finishing touches! And Malin and I took the opportunity to have lunch while some snowflakes formed a curtain!


Style study from the technical area (with stage manager Karin Johnson behind the controls) just before Monday's author evening with Karl Ove Knausgård began. Sold out - 735 people interested in literature had bought tickets, the atmosphere was high and the evening was immensely popular!


Today's big ticket release - "2:22 A Ghost Story"...like a horror movie but alive. Creepy good ensemble too! Johanna Nordström, Adam Pålsson, Johannes Kuhnke and Rakel Wärmländer. Director Helena Bergström, translation Calle Norlén. Premiere at Rival on September 14! You are already trembling...read more here.


Of course we are open often and long throughout the Easter weekend! And don't miss the news that from now on we serve breakfast every Saturday and Sunday until 12:00. And extra bonus that it also applies to both Good Friday and Easter Day.

Happy Easter to you!
Jiminy

 

3 April 2023

Nothing can stop us now!

Well, this is only a few days ago it looked like this, more precisely last Wednesday, March 29. Patrik and I gave up the idea of opening the outdoor restaurants on Saturday, April 1. But today there is no sound in the weather maps and that means... WEDNESDAY 5 APRIL the Tavern and Watson's Bar open their outdoor seating!

The Tavern's outdoor terrace! And this week we are extending our opening hours. Every day April 3-12 open at 11.30-22.00! Of course, we are open all Easter, generous opening hours throughout Easter week.


The last few weeks have been hectic to say the least for us at Rival. Fully booked hotel, many and wonderful guests in bars, bistro and the Tavern. Sold-out shows, concerts and performances in the theatre. Tonight, Monday 3 April, we top with a sold-out author evening arranged by Norstedts publishing house.On stage tonight Klas Ove Knausgård in conversation with Aris Fioretos.


Me and Jesper Sandberg (head of "ones and zeros-cash in" at Rival) made a trip to our "head office" the other day and of course both father Watson (left) and son Sickan (right) hoped that we had something edible with us...and maybe we did! 

Hotel breakfast
I'll end with another piece of good news for those who like a nice hotel breakfast. Saturday and Sunday we serve breakfast (buffet and à la carte menu included) until 12.00. Of course, this also applies to all "red days" so already for Good Friday you can come and enjoy a long breakfast until 12.00. It is possible to book a table here!
See you around!
Jesper 

 

23 January 2023

New year at last!
Now we have cleaned up the weekends and we know for sure that we are heading for lighter times ( and thus lower electricity consumption...hu!). Now everyday life at the hotel takes over, the amaryllis and poinsettias are thrown away and packed away respectively. Life at Rival is like at any other company or business, everyone gets to help out and special skills and talents are appreciated a little extra, see below...

For example, the Rival's operations manager Hala Michalak mends a tear in one of the side curtains hanging in the suites. Hala, of course, boasts of her father Gabriel, a tailor. But now it turns out that Hala's daughter has also inherited the now rare talent for sewing...!

Image top left: the Rival's Corridor mats are not a commodity. In fact, every square millimetre is unique and covers 6 floors. The designer and interior designer Carouschka Streijffert created these designs for Rival and then the carpets were woven and installed just before the hotel opened in September 2003. The theme of each floor is travel, tickets, trains, flights and experience. There are bright colours and exciting shapes...and every coffee stain is removed with gritted teeth and great patience! Image below right: Guest Corner: here is our popular coffee machine with nice beans. The machine is centrally located on the fourth floor along with the classic Bragokex, ice machine, a large tea selection and fruit. This is where early morning hotel guests in dressing gowns meet. Image top right: you simply don't touch anything in Arne's workshop. Period. And if you're clumsy, you'll be met with laughter. Images below left: Our long-time colleague and safe point Paula Nilsson, HR manager, sounding board, grandmother, dancing, stable - keeps me in order. Image down the middle: Our new addition Malin Schönhoff keeps the money in order, producing perfect analyses, reports and financial statements.

The spring season has already begun with sold-out houses for both Messiah Hallberg and Fredrik Lindström. This weekend we welcome the "Flashback Forever Show" to Rival, there are only stray seats left 26-29 January. Read more about shows and entertainment in the coming weeks.


You haven't missed The Big Escape i.e. "Working Day at Rival", premiered last Monday. Start your day with the longest breakfast you could ever dream of...and of course you can eat as many Poor Knights and/or pancakes as you like between 6.30-10.30am! Then head down to Watson's Bar , drink lots of coffee, choose lunch from the bar menu and work hard with strong wifi. "Workday at Rival" makes work a little more fun, plain and simple. Easy to book!

See you in the swarm greetings
Jesper

 

 

14 December

Hello again! Let's do something! well together and support Musikhjälpen 2022!
This year's theme feels more important than ever: "For a safer childhood on the run from war".


1) The Rival auctions off a very busy day with extra everything!

2) You go inside and look here and feel like "yes, that's exactly what I want to do".
3) You don't have to make a bid yourself, but call a friend who will make a bid. We've already had bids but we'd love to get more!
4) Can be this year's Christmas present, not impossible.
5) I would want this for Christmas if I didn't work here...but I promise I'll be there when the luxury package is rolled out!
6) Thank you dear Rival friends!
Greetings from a hopeful Jesper

 

12 December 2022

We thank you for the past year!

Last Friday we had our traditional Christmas lunch for clients, production companies and regular guests. Three of today's hosts, from left Benny Andersson, Caroline Eriksson and yours truly. It's without a doubt one of the best days of the year, the tastiest lunch and the most fun event at Rival. The tradition is long, we had our first customer lunch 19 years ago in 2003. But at that time we didn't have that many customers because Rival had opened three months before Christmas.
But we have never served a Christmas table at this lunch - no, this is a sumptuous seafood buffet signed by the Rival's Head chef Robin Gesang-Gottowt and his colleagues. In good old style, the lunch turned into the afternoon and then into an evening in Watson's Bar for those who could handle it!


Recharging for a customer lunch! Here I am with three more of the hosts of the client lunch. From left Jesper Sandberg e-commerce and booking manager, Rickard Engström reception manager and Hala Michalak Operation manager. Jesper, Rickard and Hala are some of my closest colleagues who have contributed so much to Rival coming out of the 2020 and 2021 pandemics and restrictions in an absolutely fantastic way. Soon we will add 2022 to the list. It was a shaky start to the year with two months of restrictions. These were lifted on 1 March and a general euphoria erupted as "the whole world" went out to party, go to concerts, have conferences, stay in hotels - in short, enjoy life. And we are immensely grateful that so many of you chose to come together and enjoy life here at Rival! What a year we have had together.

And now we have a real party night to look forward to!  New Year's Eve with noise, seafood and song! Spice it up and book our New Year's Package already now.

But... before it's New Year's Eve we have many wonderful evenings ahead of us. Now for the weekend of 16-17 December, our house DJs will be in Watson's Bar , Vendela and Daniel. We have open all days and evenings in  Watson´s Bar and that of course includes Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Forget the Christmas food and fuss, come "home" to Rival instead! Rival's Bistro open all Christmas holidays, the Tavern is open before and immediately after Christmas! We promise there is something for everyone.

After the end of the year, we start with Fredrik Lindström and "Mänskligheten" on 12 and 15 January. In between, Messiah Hallberg "A life's work with a humorous touch" on 13-14 January. Start 2023 at Rival and buy tickets here!

See you in the swarm and in the snow
Jesper

Ps! Don't miss Musikhjälpen's important fundraiser, see our contribution here!

 

 

27 October 2022

The best time is now - and Watson's Bar opens already at 11am from 31 October!
In a few days we'll be putting this year's summer season behind us, packing up the outdoor seating and giving the furniture a well-deserved rest and maintenance. And that means we're finally resuming our generous opening hours at Watson's Bar . From Monday 31 October, we'll be opening at 11am every day of the week. Now there will be lunch, lunch meetings, lunch chats, lunch hangs and a "mid-day" place to hang out. Here you can have a lunch, have a meeting or work ( I would "alibi work" if it were me, i.e. drink & eat something good & then it would look like I work) this only applies to me not anyone else...


Let me introduce you to some of our excellent and talented bartenders in Watson's Bar : Octavio , Clara, Ilona and Isak. They meet our guests, and hopefully also you who are reading this, every day and evening in Watson's Bar . I myself have worked in bar "long time a go", now I feel like you need a bit more meat on your bones to be able to stand in a bar these days so you need to have like a chemistry education ....It's fermented, the density of different spirits is a factor, combinations are crucial, range knowledge and more endlessly!
How do you learn the job?
-You learn by trying things out, testing and learning from the different trends in the cocktail world and from your colleagues in the industry. But above all, you have to have a keen interest and be curious! Unanimous response from the bar gang.
( If you should see me behind the bar sometime, I can deliver red/white/bubble/beer/ Fernet only. This They are very knowledgeable and they know this craft so well and I know they can always back it up with really good drinks! )
What are your favourite drinks when you order a drink or when you have to recommend something to our guests?
Ilona: -I would have a "Hemingway Daiquiri
"What does it contain?
-Light rum, Maraschino liqueur, lime juice and grapefruit juice - served in a cocktail glass
Isak:
- My favourite is, "Last Word" which contains gin, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, lime juice and is then served in cocktail glasses.
Clara thinks for a while...
-Gin and tonic! In Watson's we have a variety of gin and tonics, so yes it is a clear favourite as you can make it in many different ways.
What do you think should always be on the children's menu? The answer is unanimous:
-A really good hamburger should be there!
So of course there is both a classic hamburger and a veggie burger in Watson's Bar !
Last but not least, which bars inspire you the most in your professional role right now?
Here they were given about 10 seconds to answer ( so you could say they were a short start ). The answer was: "A bar called Gemma" Stockholm, "Ushuaia Hotel Bar" Ibiza, "Svartengrens Bar" Stockholm.

No stress but it's New Year's Eve in 8 weeks! We've got the best New Year's package in South Malmo - small luxury accommodation, seafood platter followed by stockholms with extended breakfast service...at 08.00-12.00. Watson's Bar open from 11am and closes 15 hours later - great tip for those who want to celebrate in their own way!


Upcoming shows, concerts and imaginengar in the theatre - like a goody bag! Next is "Stalker", followed by Thomas Di Leva and then "Ove" comes back. And watch out, because soon the Rival's 's pudgy Per Andersson will be riding back in with his Counting Horse! See the full calendar here and buy a ticket!

Oh yeah, it's really hard to work in a hotel?! Don't forget to factor in the more unsexy stuff like electricity prices, snow removal contracts, broken lampshades, malfunctioning heat pumps, replaced heat pumps, testing of light loops on balconies, 7 million singing autumn leaves outside the hotel entrance. Balance achieved for this time - hope to see you soon!

Greetings Jesper
Ps didn't I write anything about the upcoming All Saints weekend 3-5 November? That we have a delicious saint menu in the Bistro these three days? Simply MORE of everything and with pumpkin influencer and a little saint's glory on the meat piece!

 

 

Fontana, Fila and falukorv - what a Friday!
11 October 2023

Autumn has arrived but also crispy beautiful days and then we took the opportunity to have an Italian Friday at the Rival's the Tavern !
We brought along our neighbour Henke von Zweigbergk and our lovely supplier Stefan Abrahamsson sommelier and head of the wine portfolio at Fontana and we put together a lovely Taverna After work. Lill Christin made sure the planning didn't get out of hand. Henke provided the music mixed with some nice toast with falukorv! ( not so Italian inspired perhaps but very fun and tasty ) and Stefan made sure there were lovely treats to try! Since we were going Italian style it was all in with casual italian lifestyle in FILA tracktops! I received many requestsl to buy these so now I have ordered a bunch for those who are interested! More info coming soon!

Prosecco DOC Rosé Brut, when lovely pink colour meets floral aromas and a hint of violet. Flavours of strawberries and cherries. Nino Costa Langhe Nebbiolo Cabora - Ruby red colour with aromas of spices and cherries. Fine fruit tones of ripe cherries, liquorice, herbs. Nino Costa Roero Arneis Sarun - golden yellow colour with aromas of ripe kiwi, citrus, pear and liquorice. Good structure with some oily notes. Bastinanich Vespa Rosso - Hand-harvested, carefully selected grapes aged for 15-18 months in 70% old French oak barrels and 30% new oak barrels, followed by 1 year in fl ash. Light ruby red colour. Aromas of balsamic notes, ripe blackberries and dark cherries. Finally a Bastianich Vespa Bianco on grapes handpicked individually at optimum ripeness. Golden yellow colour with aromas of beeswax, apricots, honey and ripe fruit. Taste of ripe fruit and honey. Fine acidity with good length and complexity thanks to the elegance of chardonnay, the structure of sauvignon blanc and the roundness of picolit. Read more here!



It was a very fun and crowded Friday with our guests and friends, an after work that continued well into the evening that ended in Watson's Bar .


When me, Henke & Stefan started this, you understand that if you know the three of us, it gets messy & messy. But, the gang in the Tavern that steers & sets ran on planned volley and offered service and laughter as usual! Many thanks Patric, Lill Christin, Klara, Fillipa and Leonell. In the kitchen, Robban, Jamal and Torben delivered an evening's pasta in addition to all the other food that was prepared.


The hotel is buzzing with shows in our theatre , next up is Olof Wretling "Kaffet" already this weekend. Followed by Hansson de Wolfe United on the 19th of October. On 20-21 October "Stalker" with Brynolf and Ljung and the weekend ends with a thunderous concert with Sven-Ingvars! Read more and book your ticket here!


After being ice cold with the golf clubs during the summer, I managed to put together a really good round in the company of Stefan and Marcus from Åbro! Will try to get another one before the snow comes...Now full speed ahead - towards winter, Christmas, New Year and soon it will be spring again! Hang in there!

Greetings Jesper

 

What happened? Is it late summer already?
31 August 2022

It's business as usual. June, July and August are a time for putty, and you feel a bit deprived of the confection. Why don't November, December and January go as fast...I'm sure someone has researched it, please get back to me! It's been a busy holiday season here at Rival. Our guests should have a great experience in the middle of summer Stockholm and our job is to roll out the carpet for all those who have chosen to stay a night or two at Rival.

All our hotel beds are made with sheets woven from Egyptian cotton. The sheets are mangled hard, shaken and then aired off Iryna and her colleagues. The sheets are so deliciously crisp when it's time to crawl down. After a night's sleep, it's breakfast time...and thus the Rival's 's cherished scrambled eggs. Above, working Tony with the batter of all the eggs that have been cracked. the Rival's scrambled eggs are as handmade and prepared as it is possible. And we take pride in using real yellow eggs from happy and healthy hens! Check-in and check-out is handled this morning by Maricka and our receptionist Rickard. What a summer service all these have delivered! THANK YOU!

I have also had time to take up my golf, limited success though. A few hardy teammates in the upper left, Jonas, Juhanni and Andreas. Things are going better with the paddle, unclear who won but in the background are fellow players Morgan and Göran and bar manager Marcus. The right picture is of me and Kent when we, together with the Swedish team from our HK, got to attend the fantastic premiere of "Abba Voyage" in London. What a concert, what light, what sound...five strawberries out of five possible! Go there!

And there has been a lot of food served and many drinks mixed all summer! Say hello to two of our kitchen heroes, the chefs Diego and Carl. In Watson's Bar you will find bartenders Isak and on the Tavern Christin, Patrik and Leonell worked hard! So much fun with all the lovely guests; södermalmsbor, hotel guests, Mariatorgs-neighbours, tourists, Stockholmers from the Malmer and suburbs - a wonderful mix of all ages! Thanks to all the guests, you have made our summer!

Tobbe has had a very long holiday, he has slept most of the time, eaten a little, grunted a bit and then gone back to sleep. Lovely dog, fun company...! After a much-needed holiday, our stage manager Karin has been preparing the theatre for this autumn's concerts, shows, live podcasts and performances. The mixing table is being polished, all the chairs in the auditorium have been gone through, all the cupboards cleaned, all the cables checked, the dressing rooms tidied up, the backdrops fixed - now we're kicking off the autumn with Sweet but Psycho, Karsten & Co followed by the Stockholm premiere of "Räkhäst" followed by "En man som heter Ove" followed by...check out the entire autumn calendar here!

Finally, thank you to all of you guests who have given us a torrent of lovely reviews all summer! Read more on Tripadvisor, click here and you'll understand why we're a little extra proud and humbly grateful

Time to get back to the daily grind...come to think of it, late summer isn't so bad after all!
Jesper

 

End of the season!
20 June 2022
Traditional early summer lunch and a bit of summer holiday feeling - s
food, information and a review of the first half of the year. The best day of the year is when all of us Rivalers get to sit down and chat, eat and meet, hand out summer gifts, chat some more - and then it's time to get back to the pots, checking in, cleaning, sales work, bookkeeping and planning! Last week I gathered much of the gang for an afternoon lunch in the Bistro...summer holidays approaching for some, and for others the start of a busy time. Now we are preparing for another wonderful Midsummer weekend. As usual, we are open to all hungry, thirsty, party-hungry, newly in love, old friends, dogs, friends, relatives and hang-arounds! High time to book a table the Bistro for a midsummer dinner. Make an early dinner reservation and you, of all people, might be lucky enough to get an away on the Bistro balcony! Start or end the evening in Watson's Bar inside & out, open from 12 to midnight. Bistro and Watson's Bar open throughout the Midsummer weekend. Of course! See all opening hours here. During the Midsummer holidays we will keep the Tavern closed - the staff needs a well-deserved rest after two months of intensive work. the Tavern will reopen on Monday 27 June and with even longer opening hours, from 11.30-23.00 every day. Rival Bistro closes for the summer 27 June-19 August.Midsummerfeeling at Rival...Mariatorget, bistro balcony, Watson's Bar inside & outside, strawberries and other cosiness.

Alejandra is in charge of the daily cleaning of not only the hotel rooms but also all other areas of our house. And the house is big! And we have cleaning staff on site 24 hours a day, all year round. And it's not just cleaning, but also keeping track of a thousand other things. From washing the duvets to dry-cleaning the curtains and carpets, making sure the water locks in the showers are in the right place to taking care of the turn down service every night. Cleaning the offices, guest toilets, vacuuming after breakfast guests, cleaning and vacuuming when the Tavern is closed, making sure that continuous window cleaning is carried out, changing rooms, cleaning handles and brass, cleaning the theatre with 735 seats - wow! You get it, right? Alejandra and her team do a fantastic job! In the photo, Alejandra is standing on the balcony of room 608, one of the Rival's incredibly popular de luxe room with balcony. High time to book a balcony room this summer!

Tobbe and I are planning for our midsummer and we will of course have a big bouquet of summer flowers ( and some Frolic ) under the pillow! Talk to you soon!

Jesper

 

What fantastic days!
10 May 2022

First this:
Opening of the Tavern Friday 29 April - finally we could open up the doors of the old Café Rival, now transformed into the Tavern. With a scent of Italy. The sneak preview the night before never ended, the last guests left "the house" at one in the morning. What always fascinates me when we at Rival start a project, implement it and open it, is how all the people in the house pull in exactly the same direction. There's always an extra pair of hands, a smile, hospitality, service-mindedness - no matter what department or role you usually have in the company, your colleagues are there. Everyone helps out. On Friday 29 April, Lill-Kristin, Patrik and Torben welcomed our long-awaited guests - neighbours, passers-by, hungry, curious and happy. Many thanks to all your guests and to the Rival's staff. the Tavern is now officially open. Every day 11.30-21.00. Outside and inside! And the music is great too.

Gallery ( what we internally call room 4 ) with Ulla Montan's exciting photographs combined with Milana Schoeller's artwork. We were not 100% satisfied with the lighting in room 4 so in the next few weeks this beautiful room will gain another dimension of warmth and harmony. A building is never really finished until you have to twist, turn, change, screw, grind your teeth, remove and add from the original plan. Here you can read the story about Netflix and the Tavern.

That we like wall lamps is no longer a secret. They're all over the the Tavern - read more about Tavern decor.
And then came the weekend of 6-7 May with Jesper Rönndahl in top form on stage, TV recording and a very high level in all three performances! Now this weekend it's live podcast bananas! Thursday 12 May "Our Truths", Friday 13 May "The Company", Saturday 14 May "Sweet but Psycho". The weekend concludes on Sunday with the sold-out live pod "Over My Dead Body". And next week there will be six sold-out concerts with Thomas Di Leva in "Changes". We feel like we're really alive. And everything is as we wish. And then we have the usual you know...recruitments, holiday planning, a thousand little details, flower boxes in the balcony rooms to be taken care of, planning for summer service maintenance, the start up in August, uniforms that need ironing, date marking of the sheets to be reviewed, forecast to be made, monthly accounts to be fixed, trees to be planted on Mariatorget, Tobbe the dog sleeping the most. And I have time to play a few hours of paddle tennis and work out at the gym. On Thursday, I'll be going to the country to mow the lawn and trim some sad trees!
See you in the swarm
Jesper

 

Sleep? Noooo work! Fun then? Yeah!
April 21, 2022

Where do I start?


We have hopefully made it through the last night of frost and have finally been able to decorate our balconies with newly planted balcony boxes. The lovely red awning provides a warm setting and balcony rooms is going like "butter in sunshine" right now! Who wouldn't want to sit and enjoy the view of the canopy of trees on Mariatorget? Book a balcony room for yourself here and now, there's really nothing to wait for!
And although as Stockholmers we "know all about Stockholm, seen all, heard all", I can tell you that our eminent concierge Sean Naughton has "seen, heard and done" even more! Sean reveals his Stockholm secrets in his unique blog The Stockholm Tourist.At regular intervals we have "Rival meetings" with all employees. As far as possible, I want the employees to know everything first of all. Here are parts of the Rival gang gathered in the Tavern for a briefing before the opening on 29 April, what's happening this summer, what's happening this autumn, guest reviews, finances, what's up and much more. And tasting of course! As in all workplaces, we sometimes also have "your mum doesn't work here" on the agenda..! Today I also had the pleasure of properly introducing our new Finance Manager Anna-Maria Larsson to all the Rivalers. Feels good that we quickly got it right in this recruitment and found Anna-Maria who has a broad background from both the industry and other business areas. 


Around 693 decisions per day are now to be taken as the construction of the new the Tavernenters its final stage. Which of these three awning proposals do you think I chose? Time will tell, the decision is made. Irrevocable. ( A nice word that applies to many of those 693 decisions... )


As I've told you before, wall sconces are "our thing" right now. But, what does the Netflix series "Inventing Anna", about 37 minutes into episode 4, have to do with it? Read more in our newsroom here...and now you can next hear when the speakers stream out "Bobban Markovic Orchestra" in the background.
Dear customers, guests, neighbours and suppliers, on Friday 29 April at 11.30 we will open the Tavernwith room for everyone - inside and out!

Thank you for joining us on our Rival Journey here at Mariatorget,
See you soon
Jesper

PS. Well, just one more thing. During May we'll be hosting a series of hot live podcasts that will run inside the theatre, tickets are going fast. The live podcast "Kompaniet" on 13 May is almost sold out but we have bought the best tickets ourselves! We've packaged these row 7 stalls tickets with a small luxury accommodation and guaranteed table in the the Rival's Bistro. You can book this package here, from 2275 SEK per person. DS.

 


The Tavern- premiere 29 April!
29 March 2022

Patting ourselves on the back! And very, very proud to present the Tavern - a Rival creation for everyone who loves coffee, food, and wine! We'll be opening on Friday, April 29th, then it's all in.

Hope you like candle lanterns because we do! It will be a nice installation of just those. And so much more. You can read all about it in detail here. Hold on, hold on - soon the Tavernwill open with the most beautiful outdoor seating in Mariatorg!
It's on!
And tonight we say a big thank you and goodbye to Magnus Uggla who is doing his final performance in the Rival'stheatre tonight. What a fantastic artist and what a performance. Five strawberries out of a possible five.
Regards Jesper

 

Uploaded and ready!
24 February 2022

Now we are ready for spring! Here's a low-key blog post with pictures.
I'm just starting to recover from our lovely Rival paddle event last Friday. Went out a bit loose and invited lovely and positive customers and suppliers who I know like the yellow balls and who have competitive instincts and close to tanning!

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk!
Danne, Mogge, Victoria, Monia, Hasse, Kenta, Andreas, Abris, Henke, Kenta, Håkan, Marcus, Lisa, Goran, Marcus K, Caroline and myself - what a collection, my goodness. We fortunately had with us the photographer /e-commerce manager Jesper Sandberg ( who for a few hours left his desk and all his computer monitors at Rival ), documentation of this afternoon was necessary. All the bad shots, missed smashes and lousy stop balls have been retouched away!
The guy on the left, Danne, beat many gentlemen and came first in the men's class. The girl in the middle, Victoria, won the women's class and took home a pair of skis. Great racket keeping by Monia on the right.
The connoisseur of the evening, Stefan (Abris), top left, kicked Danne in the heels but was also defeated by Mogge. Third Abris, congratulations! In red shirt, our regular Goran, whose placements and serves were downright scary to try to parry. With green racket in hand, the Rival's bar manager Marcus, what a star, what patience! Top right, Hasse, old pentathlete with Olympic and World Championship credentials, it didn't help against Danne, Mogge and Abris!

Style study by yours truly on the left. One of the Rival's 's best neighbours, Andreas, on the right... What will happen when he's played a few more months. Help.

Sometimes time sort of stops...and everyone has to think, strategise and scratch their beard for a while.

Another good neighbour, Henrik, dressed in white for the day...not entirely inoffensive in his tights. What about the injury front? Håkan who enthusiastically ran straight into the glass wall, got a fracture/thigh chock but also a quick and professional re-bracing by Lisa. Felt like Hakan's ailment was disappearing more and more during the evening's dinner.
Lisa in style study, Henrik questioning a judgement and Kenta and Håkan enjoying each other's company ( like they've known each other for 50 years...). Markus, bottom left of the picture... in a dance-like paddle situation!

And what happened next? Well, Thomas Holst and his great crew at Padel Royal in Bromma had set out some tasty charcuterie and cold drinks. Much appreciated. Followed by a shower and after shave/perfume in moderate doses. An ice-cold delicious and seductive drink was served by Marcus team in the Bistro bar at Rival. And now our non-paddling guests have also turned up to join us for the evening's dinner.

A dinner that becomes a delicious story composed in symbiosis by the Rival's Head chef Robin and his new colleague who is helping to start up the business in the "old" Café Rival...no names are mentioned here, but what flavors! It was among the best served in our beautiful Bistro. The wines in top class, an award ceremony at the highest level, wonderful conversations, sour and funny, all on top, Rival shone from its best side ... and I fell asleep with a happy smile on my lips!

In a week's time, on Thursday 3 March, we welcome Magnus Uggla and the entire production of "Johnny the fucker" to the stage at Rival. They stay until 29 March, many dates already sold out but several dates offer incredible good seats in the theatre - buy your ticket here!.

We'll talk again soon,
Greetings Jesper

 

Nails, nuts, full machine going?
31 January 2022

Well, it's been a bit shaky with both blogging and the conditions for running the hotel, bars, bistro, breakfast, brunch, show arena...now we hope that this pandemic will soon be over so that everyone can be healthy and well and we can thus run the businesses on normal premises.

New yes!
Several months before the opening of The Rival in 2003, we opened the door to Café Rival. The café soon became a welcome addition to the beautiful Mariatorget. Many people enjoyed visiting us for breakfast, coffee, salads, wine, lunches and early dinners. The outdoor seating always opened early in the season and very often we managed to time a delicious April snowfall just in time for the tables, chairs and sofas to be set out. On 1 May 2020 we closed Café Rival as the pandemic no longer made it reasonable and possible to run the business. Since that day, we have been thinking and working on different ideas about what to do the day the pandemic is over and we can once again welcome our guests in an environment without restrictions and distance. Distance between tables and guests is not exactly the hallmark of a café.


Now it's nails, nuts, paint, furniture fabrics, menus and concepts high and low - we'll be opening our new XXXXX later this spring! Now we know what we're going to do and soon we'll tell you! Here I am with Calle, one of our skilled electricians. There are quite a few meters of cable and a lot of archaic electrical installations that will be replaced with sustainable and energy efficient alternatives.


And you get curious, don't you? But do like Hala our Op-manager, stay tuned! ( you don't have to stand on the ladder though) you can keep an eye on the blog ! 


All calendar biters know that today there are 89 days left until Walpurgis Eve but already in early April ( of course when the snow falls ) we will open the outdoor terrace. Close your eyes and think. The trees are budding. The rosé wine crushes in the glass. The salad never tastes as good as it does now, the meatballs have never been so round, the coffee tastes better than ever...as I said, 89 days until Valborg. Hang in there! Hey hey.
Greetings
Jesper

December 2021

Now we have completed a cold snap, two weeks of checking vaccination certificates, thawing weather, two Advent, a Lucia and topped it off with some louse cakes. Our guests and concert-goers are stars! The cooperation between ticket takers and ticket holders is so good, no sour faces, everyone understands. No lost vacc certificates, the occasional person has left an ID card at home but overall it has gone fantastically smoothly.


Professional bartenders at the Bistro Bar on Saturday - an oasis for drink-lovers.
My colleagues struggle and toil, the smile on their faces is there as well as the twinkle in their eyes - what warriors they are. Now it's just over two weeks until the big final of the year - New Year's Eve. Before then, we have a humorous visit from the multi-talented Jesper Rönndahl. Today and tomorrow night he's doing two shows a night at 17.30 and 20.00. Thursday to Saturday finally "An evening with Petter"! Rescheduled about 4 times. We end the week with the super musical "Miss Elvis" taking over the stage and celebrating Christmas on Sunday night at 6pm.

Lost in the "Christmas pancake"?
For those who are a little lost in the aforementioned pancake, I can tell you that Rival, as always, is open for bar- and dinner guests throughout the Christmas holidays. So for those who want to forget ham, kale and herring salad - we run a lovely bistro menu and Watson's bar menu. New Year's Eve there will be a party throughout the house but of course under responsible forms with good space for everyone. Since a day ago, we have started a new restaurant and cash register system, just as well to test when we have the most to do. Our financial manager Sara Lindblom is the general behind the scenes of this installation and Tobias Wikberg is the one who takes the lead operationally and leads her employees in bar- and bistro around the new system. It's a bit nerve-wracking. But soon you dear guests will also notice how the payment part will be significantly faster. Now we take one thing at a time, calmly and methodically.

The garbage shaft that disturbs
For my part, the naprapath is currently my closest friend. I feel like I have a trash can (jagged) implanted from the neck down. I think the worst is behind me and that my best moments are ahead of me. And then I think about time off, padel, job, padel, mulled wine, padel, work – in a messy mix. Like everything I do, a thousand projects in the pipeline, everything will land in due course. Even the garbage can go out!
Be nice to each other, cook the porridge well in advance, see you before the end of the year, right?
Regards
Jesper

 

 

Vaccination certificate, padel and advent decorations!
November 29

We are taking new steps to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. On 1 December, in addition to the usual ticket checks, valid vaccination certificates and ID cards will also be checked. We already know that this will be a big challenge for us as we do not really have the large space of a concert hall at Rival to play with. We are now working on all the practicalities to support our organisers who are responsible for the practicalities of entry to the theatre. Tomorrow, Tuesday, we're running the "rehearsal" and on Wednesday it's crunch time when Klara Zimmergren finally returns with her hit show "All Will Be Well". There are barely 50 tickets left to book.


Soon it will be Christmas in our house and the first Advent is always something special. The amaryllis are swarming around, the reception desk with concierge Sean and Madelene is focused on all the guests who have checked in or are on their way. I myself have, basically, crushed the chairman of the board at padel, two hours of playing on the singles court ( my god, you have to fix every single ball yourself unlike doubles! ). The aunt was resisting, offering resistance, "swearing, spitting and fretting" and above all - asgarvating! She managed some nice passes and cheered like a Wimbledon champion. I myself had about 2 hours of tennis in me from the night before and could blame a few half-finished balls on that...tjoho! As I was getting in the car to leave, my prize=dinner wine was waiting outside the car to be tempered. Went perfectly with tonight's "Bookmaker" toast!
See you this week, full speed ahead – take care of yourself!
Greetings The CEO-champ vs Chairman

Jesper

 

 

 

 

Vhe best weekend in the world with the Rival's employees and Hybris on stage!

16 November

Thanks to the Hybris gang with Pernilla, Hanna, Ola, Måns and Kim for a fantastic long weekend on the Rival's stage. Seven shows in four days. 39000 calories and 2100 km, roughly. And what an audience! If you haven't seen the show yet - book your ticket here!


Guests in most hotel rooms , fluffy duvets and Egyptian cotton sheets! And a tired and happy hotel manager. And there are always nice people checking in at Rival, I kind of don't even want to go home...don't want to miss anyone or anything. This weekend we had a lovely bride and groom who came with family to Rival after the ceremony at City Hall. The bride and groom are regulars at Rival and we are so happy that they chose to have their wedding dinner in our Bistro and the wedding night in perhaps our most romantic room on floor 7. Now we gather ourselves in everyday life, take some fresh air, walk Tobbe on Mariatorget, "patch and fix" here and there, praise someone a little extra. Notes that our e-commerce manager Jesper Sandberg is doing a fantastic job in the worldwide room booking systems . Plus he also has time to attend a photography course at Fotografiska one day a week. And has two kids!
Now on Thursday 18/11 WORLD PREMIERE for Brynolf & Ljung - STALKER! Don't miss the next two weekends with these incomprehensibly talented magicians. See you in the swarm, I'm wearing red shoes, you can't charm me away!

Jesper

 

 

 

Prace, Bo Kaspers and other magical
October 8, 2021

Last night was finally the day! Just to see all the cases of stuff that were loaded yesterday night for Bo Kaspers Orkester, well then it's better than Christmas Eve! It's been about 540 days since there was any playing, music or laughter in our theatre. Last night it was finally time again! BKO will play again tonight and twice tomorrow Saturday. Few tickets left. And it will be magical again!

Speaking of magic, it's just that to hang out with Head chef Robin and his team Micke, Sebastian and Kajsa in the kitchen. To see them in action and at the same time get to taste dishes (it's actually an extremely important part of my CEO job to do that, so taste...everything!). I am really incredibly proud of the team in the kitchen who day in and day out deliver breakfast, lunch, dinner and yes everything that can be eaten at the hotel. Incredible gang that is now prepping at full speed for the weekend's dinners, brunches, breakfasts and room service!

Yes, sometimes you have to inspect the supplies and today it was the stock of Plopp that had to be tasted...tough job but somebody has to do it...
See you this weekend

Jesper

 

Happy days are hereagain!
September 28, 2021


What a week ahead of us! Tomorrow, Wednesday 29 September, the last restrictions that have affected our industry for 18 months will be lifted. Norway chose to let loose on a Saturday and of course it made headlines because Norwegians were really happy, as dancing happy as only Norwegians can be. In Sweden, we release everything on the "lagom-day" of the week, a Wednesday ("lill-lördag", watch out!)! Now we have  busy with table bookingsin the bistro - so much fun. Now we are prepping for the onslaught, fridges to be filled, glasses to be polished, bar stools to be put back in both Watson's Bar and the Bistro bar. The guys from Åbro and the brewery from Vimmerby have supplied thousands of liters of beer ). Then there are pallets of other drinks - the deliveries are "supervised" by Tobbe. Marcus, the Rival's bar manager, restocks all the coolers and supplies. In the picture Marcus looks very excited! And we're so excited to see our newly hired bartenders "in action" now that Friday, October 1 is approaching. With after work ( a wonderful word in these times ), music, guests hanging out at the bar, happy doormen,, atmosphere, love is in the air. 

On Friday, Oct 1, my good friend Robert Plaszczyk, a well-known Södermalm personality in music - and football - (team affiliation, you'll have to guess) will be spinning the tunes in Watson's Bar, starting at 5pm.

I hope to see you here live!
Jesper 

 

 

 

 

A hotel manager is nothing without his employees!
22 September 2021


Imagine if I could write that I had green fingers... The person who has carried down all the flower boxes from our the balcony rooms and suites, thrown away old and planted new, is Hala (the strongest hotel operations manager ever!). So now we have beautiful heather with decorative ivy in our flower boxes – bring on autumn and winter!


Here's Em running the breakfast kitchen today! I'm so glad Em and her colleagues are extremely morning people. If I had Em's job, Rival would probably be a hotel without breakfast! After all, breakfast is the most important goal of the day "someone" has said, unclear who, but we agree! In addition to the breakfast buffet, you can always order even more hot food from an à la carte breakfast menu and of course at no extra cost. My favourite is the "Egg Florentine" which you can try if you are staying at the hotel or just want to have a nice breakfast. Will be a short post today. We are gearing up to run all our free activities which means after work, concerts and entertainment. We have a few show package left...
A little stressed greetings
Jesper

 

 

Is there anything more delightful?
14 September 2021

A de luxe room overlooking MariaTorget. In sweet September. A sumptuous hotel breakfast served until 11.30 on weekends... hard to resist! 

Whether you a Brage, Hammarby, Arsenal or Tottenham fan – October 14th marks the first night with Erik Niva and Håkan Andersson on the Rival stage! A live podcast for two and a half hours including a delightful break! What's not to love? Tickets will be released tomorrow, Wednesday, September 15...

After all, life at Rival is so much more fun and fun-loving now that the countdown to 29 September has begun. There's a lot to be done, but a lot is already done and just waiting for the actual start. Energy combined with anticipation is a great feeling. Some who have energy to admire are our heroes and heroines at housekeeping ( Swedish-English ).

If I find it "hard" to make my own bed, it's a trifle compared to our cleaning staff who sometimes make over a hundred beds a day. "Departure room" - that's when everything has to be thoroughly cleaned, the linen has to be removed, meticulousness, refilling, wiping, polishing, fixing everything systematized. "Staying room" - this is when the guest is away for more than one night and then it is a different type of cleaning. Then we have the luxury of "Turn-down service" in the more expensive room categories and that is when we knock on the door sometime in the evening. Then we change the towels, clean the bathroom, "make up the bed and put the room to bed". Finally, water bottles are placed on the bedside table, the wastebasket is emptied, shirts are hung up and shoes are put in order. We "wrap things up" by turning on a few softly lit lamps. Now the room is "dry" and when the hotel guest returns to their room they want it to feel welcoming, a bit at home and comfortable. So yes, our cleaning staff is an extremely valued professional group here at Rival. By now you're probably very interested in all the exciting things in the hotel rooms - and what fun - here's more exciting reading for the curious!

See you in the hotel corridors!
Greetings, Jesper

 

 

I'm waiting for 734 people!
6 September 2021


Yes, here I am, hoping that soon 734 people will come and join me at a concert or performance in the very near future! It would be really nice to meet you here at Rival shortly – preferably as early as tomorrow! We are waiting to hear when we can welcome you back to our beautiful theatre and all the fantastic performances, concerts and shows that are scheduled. We want to feel the pulse when production companies, technicians, project managers and artists come in via the load intake, all loaded and excited. The sound/noise (!) of a soundcheck, fixating with lights, adjustments, last walkthrough – and then completely silent. Everybody go to the dressing rooms and load. The technicians sit on the mixer site, the project managers adjust the last details, a dress must be fixed, scales to be sung, the buzz when the audience enters the theatre . The lights go out. Folks, now the lights have been off for 18 months and we don't hear music, no voices, no laughs.


the theatre at Rival was inaugurated in 1937 by Karl-Gerhard himself, who gave the opening speech and provided entertainment. Then 1200 seats, today 735 comfortable seats. The building, now called The Rival, soon became an entertainment centre with a cinema, hotel, restaurant, confectionery and apartments. The building was designed by architect Rolf Hagstrand and Danish architect Markus Madrid Lorentzon was responsible for the Art Deco-inspired interior design, which is particularly evident in the theatre. Read more about this and other Rival stories here.

 

Basse, Arne and scrambled eggs
2 September 2021

Thank you for all the feedback I received yesterday when we went live with the Rivalblog.
Today is not yesterday and a lot has happened. When I returned from a meeting, Basse, a nice mixed breed of six, was sitting comfortably in my chair. Ready to tackle the rest of the day. Basse's math is Karin Johnson, the Rival's stage manager, and Basse resides under her desk about 90% of the day. Basse follows a steady schedule: 7am arrival at Rival, 10.30am prommis, followed by a long nap, a bit of gläfs, 2.30pm afternoon walk, 4pm ride home on matte's vespa.

Arne makes the house spin
The exception to Bass's "quiet street" will be when our property generalArne Lyman shows up with vendors rattling tools and sort of disturbing Basse. All days start well for this charming yokel though. There will be ham immediately on arrival around 7am, the night staff have fine pieces of ham ready for Basse when he clocks in, like every morning of the week. Speaking of Arne, there is no doubt that no one can rattle and control pipes, suppliers, broken doors, check alarms and at least a thousand other things like him. We have something called "Arne's office" and there we can find, in reasonable order, trinkets from the early 80s. And ultra-modern stuff from this morning. Arne is the unique sort that none of us can be without, even if we can sometimes disagree about the order in which things should be done. Systematically, Arne says. Quickly. Now. Says me and my colleagues. It will be as Arne says. And always with good results. By the way, why do we who work at the hotel call it "the house"? Well, I'll tell you sometime. There are still a few board left to book for this weekend's brunch if you happen to like sushi, oysters, scrambled eggs and American pancakes that is...! See you soon Jesper

 

Premiere blog - today is the Rival's 's 18th birthday!
September 1, 2021

Hello all Rival friends!
Today is a very special day that I want to mark by starting the Rivalblog.
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jesper Henryson, I go by "Jeppe" and next to me is Tobias, who doesn't hear so well, but is usually called Tobbe. We are part of the team at Rival, me and Tobbe. He's the one who's doing most of the lazing around while I'm working as the CEO! And that job is a bit of a challenge these days, but somehow even pandemics become "an everyday occurrence" albeit with too many boring side-effects.

We long and wait!
I and the staff at Rival are in a constant state of longing and waiting. We are waiting for positive announcements about declining infection rates, high volumes of vaccinees, released restrictions - anything as long as one of the powers that be communicates with us about what we have to relate to as of September! Right now we are spending a lot of time on "guessing games" and concrete planning. We want to openour wonderful theatre with room for 735 in the audience. We long for our performers, entertainers, technicians and production companies who have had to reschedule their shows up to six times in 18 months. We want guests laughing and hanging out at the bar. We want to see large crowds that don't have to keep their distance. We also want our employees to feel safe when they meet their guests. the Rival's employees have really shown during these 18 months what patience, perseverance and flexibility mean. Now we are all longing for normalcy!

Show must go on
But even in non-normal times, of course, we need to have fun and feel confident about the future. And that means, among other things, that we are working on the planning for the reopening of partially transformed operations in the Café the Rival's premises. We closed the café on 1 May last year and for the past six months have been using the space as a "back of house" for Watson's Ute. Follow my blog where the news comes first! We consider even boring renovations to be fun! So during April until now, we have renovated all our balconies belonging to the luxe rooms facing Mariatorget. Already in March we changed all the brown awnings to red ones - our facade became like new and radiates a nice warmth! Another fun activity is that we are hiring new staff - both new and former Rivalers coming back. We're looking for a few more stars so please check our vacancies,

Why is 9/1 so special?
On 1 September 2003, the The Rival – Sweden's first boutique hotel. It was a Monday and still late summer warm. And I've been told that the doors opened at 12:00 after 15 months of closure and construction –read the full story About Rival here. Two years later, in 2005, I started working as a the Rival's Food & Beverage manager and since 2010 moved on to my first job as hotel manager. It was seven exciting years in hotels, restaurants and theatre establishments. Spring 2017 called the Rival's CEO Caroline Eriksson and the Rival's owner Benny Andersson and wanted to meet me. On September 1, 2017, I started as CEO of The Rival . Read the press release here if you want! What a journey it has become along with the Rival's employees, customers and suppliers.

This premiere blog was of course long - but it gives some background. Next time we'll hear from you, it was a bit more "behind the scenes". Now I'm going for a walk with Tobbe around his favourite bushes and tree trunks on Mariatorget. Chat with some of the other dog owners/guests and then there will be a meeting with our e-commerce and booking generalist Jesper Sandberg. We'll talk about a launch that will happen within 48 hours... And if you're feeling a bit bored for the weekend, Mariatorget is offering sunshine and Watson's Ute is serving fresh drinks with and without alcohol.

I'll talk to you soon!
Jesper

Nails, nuts, full machine going?
31 January 2022

Well, it's been a bit shaky with both blogging and the conditions for running the hotel, bars, bistro, breakfast, brunch, show arena...now we hope that this pandemic will soon be over so that everyone can be healthy and well and we can thus run the businesses on normal premises.

New yes!
Several months before the opening of The Rival in 2003, we opened the door to Café Rival. The café soon became a welcome addition to the beautiful Mariatorget. Many people enjoyed visiting us for breakfast, coffee, salads, wine, lunches and early dinners. The outdoor seating always opened early in the season and very often we managed to time a delicious April snowfall just in time for the tables, chairs and sofas to be set out. On 1 May 2020 we closed Café Rival as the pandemic no longer made it reasonable and possible to run the business. Since that day, we have been thinking and working on different ideas about what to do the day the pandemic is over and we can once again welcome our guests in an environment without restrictions and distance. Distance between tables and guests is not exactly the hallmark of a café.


Now it's nails, nuts, paint, furniture fabrics, menus and concepts high and low - we'll be opening our new XXXXX later this spring! Now we know what we're going to do and soon we'll tell you! Here I am with Calle, one of our skilled electricians. There are quite a few meters of cable and a lot of archaic electrical installations that will be replaced with sustainable and energy efficient alternatives.


And you get curious, don't you? But do like Hala our Op-manager, stay tuned! ( you don't have to stand on the ladder though) you can keep an eye on the blog ! 


All calendar biters know that today there are 89 days left until Walpurgis Eve but already in early April ( of course when the snow falls ) we will open the outdoor terrace. Close your eyes and think. The trees are budding. The rosé wine crushes in the glass. The salad never tastes as good as it does now, the meatballs have never been so round, the coffee tastes better than ever...as I said, 89 days until Valborg. Hang in there! Hey hey.
Greetings
Jesper

 

Snart finish 2021 – but first, Rönndahl, Petter and Elvis and then Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve!
14 December 2021

Now we have felled a cold snap, two weeks with check of vaccination certificates, thaw, third advent, a Lucia day and topped with some lussekatter. Our guests and concertgoers are stars! The cooperation between ticket holders and ticket holders is so good, no sour faces, everyone understands. No lost vacc evidence, some have forgotten an ID card at home but have largely entered to the theatre went fantastically smoothly.


Professional bartenders at the Bistro Bar on Saturday - an oasis for drink-lovers.
My colleagues struggle and toil, the smile on their faces is there as well as the twinkle in their eyes - what warriors they are. Now it's just over two weeks until the big final of the year - New Year's Eve. Before then, we have a humorous visit from the multi-talented Jesper Rönndahl. Today and tomorrow night he's doing two shows a night at 17.30 and 20.00. Thursday to Saturday finally "An evening with Petter"! Rescheduled about 4 times. We end the week with the super musical "Miss Elvis" taking over the stage and celebrating Christmas on Sunday night at 6pm.

Lost in the "Christmas pancake"?
For those who are a little lost in the aforementioned pancake, I can tell you that Rival, as always, is open for bar- and dinner guests throughout the Christmas holidays. So for those who want to forget ham, kale and herring salad - we run a lovely bistro menu and Watson's bar menu. New Year's Eve there will be a party throughout the house but of course under responsible forms with plenty of space for everyone. Since a day ago, we have started a new restaurant and cash register system, just as well to test when we have the most to do. Our financial manager Sara Lindblom is the general behind the scenes of this installation and Tobias Wikberg is the one who takes the lead operationally and leads her employees in bar- and bistro around the new system. It's a bit nerve-wracking. But soon you dear guests will also notice how the payment part will speed up significantly. Now we take one thing at a time, calmly and methodically.

The garbage shaft that disturbs
For my part, the naprapath is currently my closest friend. I feel like I have a trash can (jagged) implanted from the neck down. I think the worst is behind me and that my best moments are ahead of me. And then I think about time off, padel, job, padel, mulled wine, padel, work – in a messy mix. Like everything I do, a thousand projects in the pipeline, everything will land in due course. Even the garbage can go out!
Be nice to each other, cook the porridge well in advance, see you before the end of the year, right?
Regards
Jesper

 

 

Vaccination certificate, padel and advent decorations!
November 29

We are taking new steps to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. On 1 December, in addition to the usual ticket checks, valid vaccination certificates and ID cards will also be checked. We already know that this will be a big challenge for us as we do not really have the large space of a concert hall at Rival to play with. We are now working on all the practicalities to support our organisers who are responsible for the practicalities of entry to the theatre. Tomorrow, Tuesday, we're running the "rehearsal" and on Wednesday it's crunch time when Klara Zimmergren finally returns with her hit show "All Will Be Well". There are barely 50 tickets left to book.


Soon it will be Christmas in our house and the first Advent is always something special. The amaryllis swarm around, the reception with concierge Sean and Madelene is focused on all the guests who have checked in or are on their way. I myself have, basically, smashed the chairman of the board at padel, two hours of playing on the singles court ( my goodness, you have to fix every single ball yourself unlike doubles! ). The auntie was resisting, offering resistance, "swearing, spitting and fretting" and above all - asgarvating! She managed some nice passes and cheered like a Wimbledon champion. I myself had about 2 hours of tennis in me from the night before and could blame a few half-finished balls on that...tjoho! As I was getting in the car to leave, my prize=dinner wine was waiting outside the car to be tempered. Went perfectly with tonight's "Bookmaker" toast!
See you this week, full speed ahead – take care of yourself!
Greetings The CEO-champ vs Chairman

Jesper
PS! December 2-5th, this unique guy comes to Rival DS!

 

Vis the best weekend of the year with beautiful guests, the Rival's co-workers and Hubris on stage!

November 16, 2021

Thanks to the "Hybris Gang" with Pernilla, Hanna, Ola, Måns and Kim for a fantastic long weekend at the Rival's . Seven performances in four days. Burn: 39480 calories and 2100 km, approximately. And what an audience! If you haven't seen the show yet - book your ticket here!

Lovely and happy guests in the hotel rooms, fluffy duvets and Egyptian cotton sheets! And a tired but happy hotel manager. And there are always nice people checking in at Rival, I kind of don't want to leave work...might miss someone or something. This weekend we had a lovely bride and groom who came to Rival with family and friends after the ceremony at City Hall. The bride and groom are regulars at Rival and we are so happy that they chose to have their wedding dinner in the Rival's Bistro and spend the wedding night in a romantic suite on floor 7.
Now we gather ourselves in everyday life, take some fresh air, walk Tobbe on Mariatorget, "patch and fix" here and there, praise someone a little extra. Notes that our e-commerce manager Jesper Sandberg is doing a fantastic job in the worldwide room booking systems . Plus he also has time to attend a photography course at Fotografiska one day a week. And has two kids!
Finally, something to look forward to starting on Thursday 18/11 WORLD PREMIERE for Brynolf & Ljung - STALKER! Don't miss the next two weekends with these inconceivably talented magicians. See you in the swarm, I'm wearing red shoes, you can't charm me away!

Jesper


Kacorn, candy, cheese bows and water!
October 22, 2021


My promise from earlier in the week - a "bubbled up" dressing room! Of course our performers, technicians and production will have great stuff in the lodge. After gigs there is often nightly food, either in the Bistro or down here in the main lodge. 
Now it's 3:24! Hey Friday!


And here's the Rival Gang working on the stage;  from Andrea, Antoine and in the front Karin. Tonight it's time for the sixth of Bo Kasper's nine concerts at Rival in October. Few tickets left. The week'sAfter Work in Watson's Bar - I'll see you there!
Greetings Jesper 

 

Vis the best weekend of the world with " When We WereKings"
Thank you to Erik Niva, Håkan Andreasson &All Things Live!
October 18, 2021


Hello there, time for some coffee!
There was a huge turnout over the weekend as the theatre was full of people who love football, Erik and Håkan and their live podcast "When We Were Kings".
What to say about this more than that it was absolutely amazing! I myself like football but could not imagine how good this performance was with everything that revolves around football, big and small, initiated and detailed. Absolutely wonderful! ( Now, however, I think that Erik and Håkan talked very little about IK Brage... incomprehensible ha ha! ) 


Here I am outside one of our lodges. Next week, I'll show you how we "bubble" up the lodges for the artists' arrival. Speaking of "bulking up", Iag ate our brunch buffet this weekend and it was as lovely as it can be since we topped the team with oysters and sushi. Yes, I know it's hard to get a table for our brunch but you can always take a chance on a drop in! Think November. Think Book a table. Click here!  


Photo Credit Karin Johnson, Stage Manager Rival
This Thursday our favorites come back to Rival and they run 5 concerts Thursday-Sunday – Bo Kaspers Orkester (production company Lifeline). If there are still tickets left, book here.

I'll talk to you next week!
Jesper

 

Prace, Bo Kaspers and other magical
October 8, 2021

Last night it was finally dax! Just seeing all the cases of things that were loaded in front of Bo Kasper's Orchestra the night of yesterday, well then it's better than Christmas Eve! It's been 540 days since it was played, musiced or laughed in the spring. theatre. Last night it was finally time again! BKO also plays tonight and twice tomorrow Saturday. There are few tickets left. And it's going to be magical!

Speaking of magic, it's just that to hang out with Head chef Robin and his team Micke, Sebastian and Kajsa in the kitchen. To see them in action and at the same time get to taste dishes (it's actually an extremely important part of my CEO job to do that, so taste...everything!). I am really incredibly proud of the team in the kitchen who day in and day out deliver breakfast, lunch, dinner and yes everything that can be eaten at the hotel. Incredible gang that is now prepping at full speed for the weekend's dinners, brunches, breakfasts and room service!

Yes, sometimes you have to inspect the stores and today it was the warehouse with Plopp that was to be tasted... Tough job, but someone has to do it...
See you at the weekend greet

Jesper

 

Happy days are hereagain!
September 28, 2021


What a week ahead of us! Tomorrow, Wednesday 29 September, the last restrictions that have affected our industry for 18 months will be lifted. Norway chose to let loose on a Saturday and of course it made headlines because Norwegians were really happy, as dancing happy as only Norwegians can be. In Sweden, we release everything on the "lagom-day" of the week, a Wednesday ("lill-lördag", watch out!)! Now we have  busy with table bookingsin the bistro - so much fun. Now we are prepping for the onslaught, fridges to be filled, glasses to be polished, bar stools to be put back in both Watson's Bar and the Bistro bar. The guys from Åbro and the brewery from Vimmerby deliver thousands of liters of beer. Then there are pallets of other drinks - the deliveries are "supervised" by Tobbe. Marcus, the Rival's bar manager, restocks all the coolers and supplies. In the picture Marcus looks very excited! And we're so excited to see our newly hired bartenders "in action" now that Friday, October 1 is approaching. With after work ( a wonderful word in these times ), music, guests hanging out at the bar, happy doormen,, atmosphere, love is in the air. 

On Friday, Oct 1, my good friend Robert Plaszczyk, a well-known Södermalm personality in music - and football - (team affiliation, you'll have to guess) will be spinning the tunes in Watson's Bar, starting at 5pm.

I hope to see you here live!
Jesper

 


A hotel manager is nothing without his employees!
September 22, 2021


I wish I could write that I had green fingers... But the one who's carried all the flower boxes down from our balcony rooms and suites, thrown away the old and planted new is Hala ( the strongest hotel Operations Manager ever!) So now we have beautiful heather with decorative ivy in our flower boxes – bring on autumn and winter!


Here's Em running the breakfast kitchen today! I'm so glad Em and her colleagues are extremely morning people. If I had Em's job, Rival would probably be a hotel without breakfast! After all, breakfast is the most important goal of the day "someone" has said, unclear who, but we agree! In addition to the breakfast buffet, you can always order even more hot food from an à la carte breakfast menu and of course at no extra cost. My favourite is the "Egg Florentine" which you can try if you are staying at the hotel or just want to have a nice breakfast. Will be a short post today. We are gearing up to run all our free activities which means after work, concerts and entertainment. We have a few show package left...
A little stressed greetings
Jesper

 

Is there anything more glorious?
September 14, 2021

A de luxe room overlooking MariaTorget. In sweet September. A sumptuous hotel breakfast served until 11.30 on weekends... hard to resist! 

Whether you a Brage, Hammarby, Arsenal or Tottenham fan – October 14th marks the first night with Erik Niva and Håkan Andersson on the Rival stage! A live podcast for two and a half hours including a delightful break! What's not to love? Tickets will be released tomorrow, Wednesday, September 15...

After all, life at Rival is both more fun and more pleasurable now that the countdown to September 29 has begun. There is a lot to be done but a lot is already done and now we are just waiting for the starting shot itself. Energy combined with anticipation is a great feeling. Some who have admirable energy are our heroes and heroines at housekeeping ( yes, Swede English ).

If I find it "hard" to make my own bed, it's a trifle compared to our cleaning staff who together sometimes make over a hundred beds a day. "Departure room" - that's when everything has to be thoroughly cleaned, the linen has to be removed, meticulousness, refilling, wiping, polishing, fixing everything systematized. "Staying room" - this is when the guest stays more than one night and then it is a different type of cleaning. Then we have the luxury of "turn-down service" in the more expensive room categories and that is when we knock on the door sometime in the evening. Then we change the towels, clean the bathroom, "make up the bed and put the room to bed". Finally, water bottles are placed on the bedside table, the wastebasket is emptied, shirts are hung up and shoes are put in order. We "wrap things up" by turning on a few softly lit lamps. Now the room is "dry" and when the hotel guest returns to their room, we want it to feel welcoming, a bit homey and comfortable. So yes, our cleaning staff is an extremely valued professional group here at Rival. By now you're probably very interested in all the exciting things that are going on in the hotel rooms - and what fun - here's more reading for the curious!

See you in the hotel corridors!
Greetings, Jesper

 

Oh, no,no!!!, no
7 September 2021 at 15.58

The 18-month wait is over. From left, part of the Rival's team: Paula Nilsson HR Manager, Karin Johnson Stage Manager, Hala Michalak Chief Operating Officer and me.

Today, the government announced that the restrictions and limits on audience numbers at concerts, theatres and shows will be lifted on September 29! You've guessed it, we're super happy! And we're super happy to welcome all our guests back to the theatre!  And what an opening act we have for you on October 7 – Bo Kaspers Orkester!  

And not only will the restrictions on the number of participants disappear, but you will once again be allowed to stand at the bar and hang out (and we have three bars for you to hang out in!) You can sit more than 8 people in a group - maybe a dinner or brunch with us might come in handy (I may be a bit biased here...). And conferences we can have for real! Too few or too many.

Our Maria conference room and adjacent comfortable lounge. Up to 22 people can sit in our 22 Eames chairs and just be wonderfully creative! Rarely does one long for autumn, but now I want September 29th to come in leaps and bounds! Until then, of course, all our procedures for reducing the spread of Covid-19 apply.
Welcome to a crazy happy Jesper.

 

Jag is waiting for another 734 people!
September 6, 2021


Yes, here I am, hoping that there soon will be another 734 people here to join me at a concert or performance in the very near future! It would be really nice to see you here at Rival shortly – preferably as early as tomorrow! We are waiting to hear when we can welcome you back to our beautiful theatre and all the fantastic performances, concerts and shows that are scheduled. We long to feel the pulse of production companies, technicians, project managers and artists at the load intake, all charged up and excited. The sound/noise(!) of a soundcheck, testing the lighting, making adjustments, last walkthrough – and then complete silence. Everyone goes to their dressing rooms and recharges. The technicians sit on the mixer site, the project managers adjust the last details, a dress must be fixed, scales to be sung, the buzz when the audience enters the theatre. Then lights are dimmed. Folks, the lights have been off now for 18 months, meaning no music, no voices and no laughs.


The theatre at Rival was inaugurated in 1937 by Karl-Gerhard himself, who made the inaugural speech and entertainment. Then 1 200 seats, today 735 comfy ones. The building, which today is called The Rival,  became an entertainment establishment early on, including a cinema, hotel, restaurant, pastry shop and apartments. The property was designed by architect Rolf Hagstrand, and Markus Madrid Lorentzon, a Dane, provided the art deco-inspired interior design that makes quite a statement, particularily in the theatre. Read more about this story and other Rival stories here.

Regards
Jesper

 

Basse,Arne and scrambled eggs
September 2, 2021

Thank you for all the feedback I received yesterday when we went live with the Rival blog.
Today is not yesterday and a lot has happened. When I returned from a meeting, Basse, a comfortable mixed breed of six years old, sat comfortably in my chair. Ready to deal with the rest of the day. Basse's math is Karin Johnson, the Rival's stage manager, and Basse is housed under her desk for much of the day. Basse goes by a stable schedule: 7am arrival at Rival, 10.30am prommis, followed by a long nap, some glee, 2.30pm afternoon walk, 4pm home run on maths vespa.

Arne makes the house spin
The exception to Basses' "quiet street" will be when our property generalArne Lyman shows up with tradesmen and suppliers rattling tools and sort of disturbing Basse. All days start well for this charming yokel though. There's ham immediately on arrival around 7am, the night staff have fine pieces of ham ready for Basse when he clocks in, like every morning of the week. Speaking of Arne, there is no doubt that no one can rattle and control pipes, suppliers, broken doors, check alarms and at least a thousand other things like him. We have something called "Arne's office" and there we can find, in reasonable order, trinkets from the early 80s. And ultra-modern stuff from this morning. Arne is the unique sort that none of us can be without, even if we can sometimes disagree about the order in which things should be done. Systematically, Arne says. Quickly. Now. Says me and my colleagues. It will be as Arne says. And always with good results.

The house?
By the way, why do we call the hotel "the house"? Well, I'll tell you sometime. There are still a few board left to book for this weekend's brunch if you happen to like sushi, oysters, scrambled eggs and American pancakes that is! See you soon Jesper

 

Premiär for Rivalbloggen – today Rival turns 18
September 1, 2021

 

Hello all Rival friends!
Today is a very special day that I want to mark by starting the Rivalblog.
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jesper Henryson, I go by "Jeppe" and next to me is Tobias, who doesn't hear so well, but is usually called Tobbe. We are part of the team at Rival, me and Tobbe. He's the one who's doing most of the lazing around while I'm working as the CEO! And that job is a bit of a challenge these days, but somehow even pandemics become "an everyday occurrence" albeit with too many boring side-effects.

We long and wait!
I and the staff at Rival are in a constant state of longing and waiting. We are waiting for positive announcements about declining infection rates, high volumes of vaccinees, released restrictions - anything as long as one of the powers that be communicates with us about what we have to relate to as of September! Right now we are spending a lot of time on "guessing games" and concrete planning. We want to openour wonderful theatre with room for 735 in the audience. We long for our performers, entertainers, technicians and production companies who have had to reschedule their shows up to six times in 18 months. We want guests laughing and hanging out at the bar. We want to see large crowds that don't have to keep their distance. We also want our employees to feel safe when they meet their guests. the Rival's employees have really shown during these 18 months what patience, perseverance and flexibility mean. Now we are all longing for normalcy!

Show must go on
But even in non-normal times, of course, we need to have fun and feel confident about the future. And that means, among other things, that we are working on the planning for the reopening of partially transformed operations in the Café the Rival's premises. We closed the café on 1 May last year and for the past six months have been using the space as a "back of house" for Watson's Ute. Follow my blog where the news comes first! We consider even boring renovations to be fun! So during April until now, we have renovated all our balconies belonging to the luxe rooms facing Mariatorget. Already in March we changed all the brown awnings to red ones - our facade became like new and radiates a nice warmth! Another fun activity is that we are hiring new staff - both new and former Rivalers coming back. We're looking for a few more stars so please check our vacancies,

Why is 9/1 so special?
On 1 September 2003, the The Rival – Sweden's first boutique hotel. It was a Monday and still late summer warm. And I've been told that the doors opened at 12:00 after 15 months of closure and construction –read the full story About Rival here. Two years later, in 2005, I started working as a the Rival's Food & Beverage manager and since 2010 moved on to my first job as hotel manager. It was seven exciting years in hotels, restaurants and theatre establishments. Spring 2017 called the Rival's CEO Caroline Eriksson and the Rival's owner Benny Andersson and wanted to meet me. On September 1, 2017, I started as CEO of The Rival . Read the press release here if you want! What a journey it has become along with the Rival's employees, customers and suppliers.

This premiere blog was of course long - but it gives some background. Next time we'll hear from you, it was a bit more "behind the scenes". Now I'm going for a walk with Tobbe around his favourite bushes and tree trunks on Mariatorget. Chat with some of the other dog owners/guests and then there will be a meeting with our e-commerce and booking generalist Jesper Sandberg. We'll talk about a launch that will happen within 48 hours... And if you're feeling a bit bored for the weekend, Mariatorget is offering sunshine and Watson's Ute is serving fresh drinks with and without alcohol.

I'll talk to you soon!
Jesper

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