The Thief
Daily price line
Upcoming nightly rates
Review
Character and identity
The Thief sits on the Tjuvholmen islet on Oslo's harbour, a determinedly modernist 116-room property that opened in 2013 next to Renzo Piano's Astrup Fearnley museum and borrows much of its artwork from it: a Richard Prince in the lobby, work by Camilla Løw and Chris Gianakos elsewhere, plus two rooms curated outright by Peter Blake and Lee Broom. Rooms layer twilight greys, mussel-blues and burnished oranges with Tom Dixon and Patricia Urquiola pieces, wool slippers, white marble baths. The rooftop bar and restaurant pour some of the city's most inventive cocktails; the spa runs to a proper hammam.
Who's it for
Best for:
Design-minded urbanists, art collectors and creative-industry travellers who want Oslo's most contemporary address, with harbour views, a serious art programme and a concierge plugged into the studio scene. Couples come for the rooftop in summer, the hammam in winter, and a Riva on standby for island-hopping when the weather turns.
Should look elsewhere:
Anyone wanting old-world grandeur or a buzzy central location should head to the conservative five-stars in the old town. Tjuvholmen empties out on weeknights and feels exposed in winter, and the cocktail prices sting. Wall labels on the art are thin if you want context.
Bottom line
What you're really booking is Oslo's only credible design hotel: the art, the rooftop, the harbour light. Spend the money if you're here April through September, when the terrace, the lido and the fjord swim all come alive; ask for a harbour-facing room, and consider one of the Blake or Broom suites if you care about the design pedigree.