Tromsø residents outraged by hotel’s bright red lighting test

A bold red light display from Tromsø’s Scandic Ishavshotell has sparked strong reactions, with locals comparing the city centre to a “red light district,” Nordlys and Dagbladet report.

The intense red illumination, visible across much of Tromsø—including from Tromsdalen and the top of Tromsøya—prompted swift backlash on social media. One resident, Steinar Grønnås, posted a photo on the Facebook page Tromsøsida with the caption: “What on earth—have we got a new brothel in town? Lighting’s fine, but there have to be limits. Where are the comments from the town’s grumpiest folks?” Others echoed the sentiment, questioning whether the city had unintentionally adopted Amsterdam’s infamous red-light aesthetic.

Grønnås, who has lived in the area for 20 years, told Dagbladet the light was unusually strong. “I’d never seen anything like it. It got annoying when you were sitting out in the winter garden,” he said. “Since the light was red, I realised it wasn’t work lighting. I wondered if it was permanent and just thought, ‘Oh no.’”

The hotel has since clarified that the display was a test of new lighting designed to complement Scandic’s red-branded logo. Technical manager Trond Erik Grådal admitted the intensity was unintended. “We wanted nice lighting around the building, but it became too powerful,” he said, adding that an electrician was adjusting the levels to reduce light pollution. “We’ve received lots of comments and emails. I apologise for how intense it was—we’ll tone it down so it looks good.”

Grønnås, while describing himself as easygoing, welcomed the apology. “Hopefully they’ll dim the lights now that it’s been in the papers. The light could be nice if combined with something else,” he said. “But a red strip around the building doesn’t say ‘Scandic’ to me—it says something else entirely. Maybe not the best association for attracting guests.”