When the pandemic hit in full force in March 2020 and Norway implemented the most restrictive measures in peacetime, it was dramatic for the hotel.
Never before had we been in such a situation and with a guest composition where 70% were foreign, the future prospects were bleak.
The team that had created the Straand hotel two years earlier mobilized to show will and ability, not just to survive, but to bet against the odds and win new markets in a difficult time.
The core team of Lars Arne and Katrine Straand, Ole-Andreas Isdahl and Bjørn Richard Johansen worked actively throughout Easter 2020 to look for new opportunities.
With great support from our driving force Johan Straand, we quickly established the idea of a regional initiative where we wanted to invite all of Norway to West Telemark.
We applied to Innovation Norway, Vestfold and Telemark County Council, Telemark Regional Park and the six West Telemark municipalities for funding for a new project that we called “Come to West Telemark 2020”.
Good cooperation between the players in the region, Visit Telemark, Vest-Telemark Næringsforum and Telemark Næringshage resulted in the Fjell-Telemark initiative being established and good hiking experiences being gathered under www.fjelltelemark.no.
Bikers Welcome quickly became a reality as the core team looked for specific measures to create the right environment for motorcyclists.
“Bikers Welcome” was established as a product and brand that guarantees that motorcyclists get what they need when they stay with us.
This includes a good cup of coffee on arrival, drying of wet riding gear, washing station for the bikes, customized menu choices, organization of technical assistance if needed, route guidance and practical assistance.
Shortly afterwards, the HUBriding concept was created, and its creator Ole-Andreas Isdahl is a motorcycle enthusiast who never sits still and is always looking for new ideas.
For the creator of HUBriding, it’s all about two things “will and ability”.
It normally takes both will and ability to accomplish something, but you can do without “ability” if you have enough “will”.
You’re unlikely to succeed if you have the ability – but not the will!
This mindset has been central to the development of the HUBriding concept.
On a short train ride from the National Theater to Majorstua, Ole-Andreas stands in the aisle by the door and looks up at the ceiling.
His eyes fall on the tram’s route map and HUBriding is a fact when Ole-Andreas realizes that this is exactly the service that will be established for motorcyclists.
Straand Hotel is established as a HUB, riding routes are established as an activity offer and the motorcyclist is catered for in the core of the activity offer at the hotel.
No transportation, just hand-picked routes with a high fun factor, experiences and the opportunity to return to the hotel to share experiences, good food and drink in an environment tailored to the motorcyclist.
Brilliant, and the rest is history.
Ole-Andreas, with the support of Bjørn Richard, engages team BikerDudes, dealers and importers and conducts map studies, drives all the routes, and produces the content for the advertising agency Superlativ in Bø, which creates the website and the digital platform.
Countless articles in local media, Reitwagen.no and MC-Avisa etc.
as well as social media campaigns about Hubriding.no have also made the concept known at record speed. The SOME strategy and what Katrine Straand has done in social channels have been crucial in reaching out with the message.
Lars Arne and Katrine manage everything and the website is published for the first time in June 2020.
The concept immediately yields very good results in the form of many motorcycle guests.
Lars Arne and Katrine take the idea further into the chain De Historiske Hotel og Spisesteder, which the following year decides to roll out the concept nationwide with CEO Nils Henrik Geitle at the forefront as sponsor.
One year later, HUBriding.no encompasses not only the motorcycle segment, but also classic cars and pedal bikes, more than 20 hotels are involved and over 100 routes have been produced and presented on the website, www.hubriding.no.
Let’s Hub it!
Greetings, Katrine & Lars Arne Straand 5.
generation of hosts   Fact box: Hubriding is a concept that is tailor-made for everyday motorcyclists.
The concept offers the best a motorcyclist could wish for on a trip.
You can stay at one of our HUBriding hotels, avoid boring transportation stages and enjoy routes from 100 to 650 km with guaranteed turns.
In 2020, Lars Arne and Katrine Straand as the 5th.
generation drivers of Straand Hotel developed HUBriding.no.
Together with a bunch of key people in the motorcycle community and the advertising agency Superlativ, the HUBriding concept was established with 13 wonderful day trips for motorcyclists with the hotel as a base.
The concept, which is promoted on the website www.HUBrining.no, became very popular and created a whole new social arena for motorcyclists with driving pleasure and great nature experiences in Telemark as the main ingredients.
– The concept that we developed during the corona pandemic has given us at Straand Hotel in Telemark new opportunities for growth based on our long traditions as a bus station.
The hotel is a great place for great experiences on a motorcycle in a region that has a lot to offer in terms of cultural and culinary traditions,” says Katrine Straand, hotel manager at Straand Hotel.