Nordic-Themed Hotel Kex Will Reopen for Lodging and Dining in Early June

The property remodeled its dorm-style accommodations into private rooms due to COVID-19.

Kex Hotel A remodeled hotel room at Kex. Photo courtesy of Kex.
By Andi Prewitt

Kex, the first spinoff of an upscale hostel in Iceland that initially launched in late 2019, will finally welcome guests back to its hotel after the pandemic forced the company to cancel overnight stays for most of last year.

The property at the corner of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Couch Street is scheduled to reopen all its amenities, including two restaurants, on June 9.

Originally opened as a “social hotel” with dorm-style lodging, Kex used the time it was closed to redesign the rooms. There are now 26 private quarters in all with added parlor sitting areas in some as well as mini-fridges and work spaces. Also new is a self check-in system once the hotel resumes operations.

In addition, Dottir, the 3,500-square-foot space occupying the ground floor, will begin serving dinner seven nights a week under new executive chef Michael Zeman. The Farm Spirit and OK Omens alum will stick to a Nordic-influenced menu but add new dishes that have roots in Icelandic culinary traditions, like pickling, smoking and fermenting.

Dottir The ground-floor restaurant Dottir inside Kex. Photo courtesy of Kex.

And a short elevator ride to the top of the building will bring you to Lady of the Mountain, named after Iceland’s traditional personification of itself as a woman. The “Northwest tropical”-themed perch is also scheduled to be open all week long for low-alcohol cocktails and snacks, as well as brunch service each weekend.

KEX Lady of the Mountain IMAGE: Courtesy of KEX.

Reservations for both lodging and dining are available now on Kex’s website.

Related: Lady of the Mountain Is a Rooftop Bar Worth Summiting

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