Although it could be visited by interested parties ever since December 23rd, 2017, the hotel was only officially opened in February 2018, an event attended by Kevin Hamilton, Canada's Ambassador to Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova. This is the 13th year when the ice hotel opens its doors for visitors, the theme of the current season being that of music. Thus, within the hotel, guests can admire the ice statues of international artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley.
However, the complementary theme this year seems to be that of photography, the official opening of the season being accompanied by a photo contest with a focus on the Ice Hotel and the surroundings of Bâlea Lac. The competition runs from February 10th to February 20th, and the winners' photos will be displayed at an exhibition at Brukenthal’s baroque Summer Palace in Avrig, in early March 2018.
In spite of constantly promoting itself, the ice hotel already enjoys international reputation and is ranked third in a top of the world's most spectacular ice accommodation, a ranking put together by the prestigious Fodor's travel guide in 2016. An unusual aspect is probably the fact that the hotel is situated at an altitude of over 2000 meters in a truly dazzling landscape. So far, nearly 90,000 tourists have passed through the hotel’s doors and organizers are hoping to reach the 100,000 mark this year.
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