After numerous shady behaviours and run-ins with the law, Adam Hótel was forcibly closed yesterday by the police on the order of the district commissioner.
The reason cited for the closure was that the operating license—rekstrarleyfi—only allowed for 18 guests to stay at the hotel, while around 25 rooms were being rented out. The business itself has technically been bankrupt for 15 days after the owner, Ragnar Guðmundsson, didn’t show up for his court date. Adam Hótel currently owes 25 million ISK.
While the hotel has had numerous scandals in the past, it has currently found itself in the midst of a disgusting human trafficking scandal after a former employee, Kristýna Králová, revealed that while working at the hotel, she was forced to share a room with her boss Ragnar Guðmundsson, was made to work all day, and only received 60,000 ISK in salary. According to Kristýna, Ragnar repeatedly tried to sleep with her and told her that if she were to go to the police, they would arrest her as an illegal immigrant.
While Kristýna did not pursue legal action at the time, she revealed to Stundin earlier this month intimate details about the disgusting working conditions she endured under employment there. She has now won 2.8 million kroner in a malpractice suit against Ragnar for wages owed.
After Kristýna’s interview, Stundin found out about the expired license. While Ragnar had applied for a new license, he was hiding the three-year expired license behind wine bottles. It’s illegal to obfuscate licenses in Iceland. It’s important to note that authorities have not investigated Kristýna’s claims and the hotel was only shut down due to the expired license.
For many years, as the Grapevine has reported on in the past, Adam Hotel has been under investigation for sketchy practises. In 2016, it was reported that the hotel recommends its guests avoid drinking tap water and buy bottled water instead. Among the bottled waters sold at the hotel are those labeled as the hotel’s own.
Iceland’s tap water is among the best in the world, having received perfect scores for water quality from the Environmental Performance Index every year. So unless there is something wrong with the pipes in the hotel, there is no reason for them to be recommending patrons to only drink bottled water. The Health Authority in Iceland tested the tap water in the hotel and found there was nothing wrong with it. It was simply a sketchy case of exploiting customers.
But as of today, the world is free of Adam Hótel’s transgressions. The last guests vacated the premises just before lunch day, as RÚV reports.
So good riddance Adam Hótell! We will not miss you.
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