Rundhaug Gjestegård is a magnificent historic hotel with a unique atmosphere. The hotel was opened in 1905 by Amanda Sandmo. At that point she was 29 years old and married to Jonas Sandmo, the shop keeper at the local store on Rundhaug. In its first decades, the hotel was a popular location for the rich and elite, and the old guest books flourish with names of ambassadors, lords and ministers.
During world war two the King of Norway Haakon VII, crown prince Olav and the government fled to Troms county. The King, the Crown Prince and the government was accommodated at Rundhaug Gjestegård for several nights during the German occupation of Norway in the end of May 1940. In June 1940 the hotel was occupied by the Germans. Amanda’s family was forced to leave, and the whole area of Rundhaug was transformed into a military base filled with barracks. Rundhaug Hotel was used as headquarters, with a direct line to Berlin. The Germans also built the extension on the hotel’s east wing. All buildings were poorly treated during the war, and when Amanda finally could return to Rundhaug Hotel, extensive restoration was needed.
After the war Rundhaug Hotel had more guests from the surrounding areas, especially from Tromsø, but was still very popular amongst the elite and had regular guests from Canada, England and Germany. The hotel had good occupancy, and the café was familiar amongst the locals. Amanda’s descendants ran the hotel after the war, and it stayed within the Sandmo/Kvammen family up until the year of 2003. At that point the hotel went through a comprehensive restoration, and Rundhaug Hotel changed it’s name to Rundhaug Gjestegård, translated to Rundhaug Guest House. Today’s owners took over the business in 2012. It has been a clear goal for the owners in recent times to preserve the historic character of the hotel, and there are a lot of great stories hidden in the timber walls and creaky wooden floors!