The Hotel de Glace, North America’s answer to Sweden’s famous Icehotel, will open its doors on January 7.

The hotel, which is painstakingly constructed every year for a relatively short period of time, chooses a different theme for each season and has opted for “Biodiversity in all its forms” this year (which runs January 7 – March 27).

Ice sculptures and architecture will be installed in the public areas and the themed suites, offering visitors “habitats inspired by the cohabitation of all forms of life”.

The eleventh edition of the Hotel de Glace is expected to experience considerable cohabitation of its own — 2011 will see the hotel’s 30,000th guest check in for an overnight stay in one of the sub-zero rooms.

With a new location ten minutes from downtown Quebec City on the site of the city’s old zoo, the hotel’s management believes that it will be better positioned to cater to local, national and international tourists thanks to easier transport links and new amenities.

New heated pavilions have been installed in Celsius, the large communal area which acts as a restaurant and bar, along with an expanded entrance pavilion and boutique.

For children, the hotel provides a slide built out of ice, while adults can relax in the hot tubs and sauna nearby.

With work already underway to craft 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice into a hotel, all eyes are now on the grand opening date, January 20th.

Although the first sections of the hotel open January 7, its majority completion is feted in style at the later opening event, which offers musical performances, entertainment and fireworks.

Source: AFPrelaxnews