My husband and I attended a conference at the Laponia Hotel for four nights in late February 2009, and very much enjoyed our stay. In the post-Christmas period the hotel caters for a mix of conferences and winter sports enthusiasts - they organise snowmobile safaris, dog sledge excursions, ice fishing etc. for guests. The hotel can provide warm, waterproof outdoor clothing and boots for these activities. They also supply circular tin "trays" for impromptu tobogganing!

Many guests are German speakers and all the hotel information is available in Swedish, German and English.

The Laponia hotel staff we met were all, without exception, superb - helpful, efficient and charming throughout our stay.

It's not a 5-star hotel and our room was comfortable but functional rather than luxurious. However everything was spotlessly clean, the bathroom was good, and it was nice to have tea/coffee facilities in the room, something that's not so common on mainland Europe. There was free, reliable high-speed internet access via an Ethernet connection (not wifi in the bedrooms). The insulation and heating worked well but it was also possible to open the window so we didn't overheat.

The conference facilities were excellent and well maintained. The swimming pool was undergoing refurbishment during our stay, but the spa area was open and a colleague who had a massage there was very complimentary about the experience.

The breakfast buffet catered very well for all tastes - fresh fruit, cereals, yogurts, cheeses, cold meats, salad stuff, eggs, breads, crispbreads, juices and hot drinks. The conference food at other mealtimes was also good. As vegetarians we fared well even though vegetarianism is certainly not a tradition in Lapland, and we really appreciated the provision that was made for us and other veggie delegates.

Overall we would certainly recommend the Laponia Hotel for conferences or for independent visitors to Arvidsjaur.