The location could not be more optimal for those who come to Frederikshavn and need to spend the night near the harbor. Hotel Jutlandia is located practically right on the harbor - only a road separates the hotel from being directly on the quayside, and the view from a large part of the reception, the hotel rooms and the restaurant is so breathtaking that it is difficult to take your eyes off the ships and cranes in the background.
- The little boys can't take their eyes off it at all, says Camilla Frost, who is a third-generation hotel owner.
Here, the harbor industry has not been replaced by harbor homes for the wealthy.
- It is as Jens Gaarbo once said: 'it is a real gentleman's harbor', says Camilla Frost about the former TV2 journalist and adds with a smile:
- Although Birgit thinks it was the Crown Prince who said it. But it was now Jens Gaardbo.
Birgit S. Hansen (S) is the mayor of Frederikshavn, who has held the post since 2014.
We have met to talk about Frederikshavn Port, which is plagued by a debt of 1.5 billion. DKK and is therefore in the middle of a crisis. Hotel Jutlandia is closely connected to the port, as many of the guests have errands at the port in one way or another.
- We are deeply dependent on this port; it is our heart and pulse. And we are grateful that there are shipyards and industry here. I am glad that it turned out this way and that we did not get housing at the port, says the hotel owner.
The port also attracts people from outside, which is of great importance.
- It is international here, and people underestimate how international it actually is. It contributes to the dynamics, something that would not be possible without the port and the ferries, says Camilla Frost, before quickly leaving the interview to help a Norwegian guest who has just spent two weeks at the hotel and is now on her way to Gran Canaria to work.
- You can see how international it is there. We have many maritime specialists from all over the world here, she adds elegantly a moment later.
The debt and the atmosphere
Camilla Frost also describes the atmosphere at the port and in Frederikshavn in relation to the debt of approximately 1.5 billion DKK, which weighs on both the port and the owner municipality.
- People are loyal to the port. It was a surprise that a profile like Karsten Dybvad became chairman of the port. He is from outside and is not in Rotary, which is good because he is not part of the local community, she says and points out:
- This means that he can approach the task with complete objectivity.
As the owner-manager of a 10,000 m² hotel, she also has her own business analysis of the situation and the reason why Frederikshavn Port's director Mikkel Seedorf Sørensen ended up being fired.
- In the life of a company, different skills are needed. As I see it, Mikkel was a salesman. Now a different profile is needed, because now we have to wear work clothes, Camilla Frost states.
The companies and their importance for the city
She also gives an example of how important the port's companies are both for the city and for her own hotel. At the end of January, the drilling rig Noble Resilient was moved from Frederikshavn Harbour to Skagen Harbour, which was immediately noticeable at Hotel Jutlandia.
- It had a big impact, and it was something I immediately noticed in the number of overnight stays. The other day, when I was looking at a jacket in Skagen, I pointed to Noble Resilient and said to the clerk: 'If it had been in Frederikshavn, I would have bought a new jacket,' says Camilla Frost, who also thinks about Frederikshavn's shops and taxis, which have also lost revenue.
In North Jutland, lost revenue hurts.
- Nothing comes easy here, and we've really had to work hard for it. We've been good at that, because we don't just serve coffee here; we play a key role, she says.
Innovation is actually part of the strategy, because Camilla Frost has introduced several types of rooms.
- We have Hotel Jutlandia, which offers four-star rooms, and then we have Harbour Living, which is a hostel concept with access to a kitchen and washing machine. Apartments by Jutlandia are apartments between 42 and 93 square meters, explains Camilla Frost, who has deliberately introduced several segments under the same roof.
- I thought that if Føtex can sell different types of products side by side like Princip and Budget, then I can too, she says.
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