Guri (Gudrun) Lydersen bought the orignal hotel building from the Directorate for Enemy Property which was responsible for buildings and property after the German withdrawal after World War II.
A lot of cleaning, polishing and painting had to be done before the GuestHouse could open its doors to the public on 4 July 1948. The building itself consisted of a large attic, a small basement, 5 bedrooms, a kitchen and today`s cafè.
A deep well was dug in the basement and from there water was pumped up to two petrol tanks in the attic.
The large black wood burning kitchen stove was used for heating water for washing, for making cofffee, for baking choux. Waffles were fried in a large old-fashioned turn-over iron.
Washing-up was a sad story and would probably not have found much favor with current requirements and regulations. First the dishes were washed in the usual way and were then put into the rinsing vessel wich had holes in it. The poor person doing the job got soaked from the chin down.
For the first years up to 1955 electricity was provided during daytime from the road works`generator. In 1955 we got electricity form Troms power Supplies. we then installed a refrigeration room, freezer and as time passed also other electrical appliances.
The laundry was done in one of the 5 rooms. Rinsing took place in the river nearby. During winter the ice had to be broken if the job was to be done.
Sanitary conditions were nothing to write home about in the beginning. A small sanitary hut was built providing a ladies`and a gentlemen`s toilet. A kettle and water heater were installed, but were of very little use in periods of severe cold. In the autumn of 1960 work was started digging out a place for our current toilets. A small tractor with an earth shovel was used to remove all the cubic metres of sand and stone.
During all the years before the Tromsø road had a permanent road surface it was impossible to avoid the road being closed during the spring thaw. It could be really hard to have no guests for weeks, the longest period being 52 days. The time was spent on spring cleaning, polishing furniture, varnishing and painting. It was almost like a spring break-up when the road re-opened.
Soon we met a demand for dinner. we started making meat cakes, which are still our best selling dish. There was an overwhelming response the first time they appeared on the menu. As the number of customers increased, we expanded our range. In 1991 we started using the sous-vide (vacuum) method of cooking which has made it possible for us to offer a wide range of proper home-made homely fare. We are very proud of our menu which includes many dishes that everyone, both children and young and older guests, enjoys trying.
Over the years there have been several expansions/modernisations. In 1967 the current hotel wing containing 7 rooms was built. At the same time the annexe was completely renovated and contains 6 hotel rooms. Loftstua and the expansion of Oddstua came in 1975. In 1987 there was a total renovation of basement, kitchen and cafè. All ceilings and floors were taken up and modernised in accordance with the prevailing standards. At the same time it was important not to damage the atmosphere inherent in the walls. In 1992 a pub/discotheque was dug out under the cafè. During the summer of 2006, we started preparing plans for doubling our hotel capacity as well as considering the possibilities for huts.
Vollan Gjestestue is a family business which currently being managed and owned by Toril and Håvard Lydersen, who are sister and brother. Guri Lyderesen started it in 1948 and her son Odd Lydersen was part of it all from the beginning. Odd and Hildur took over operations in 1960, passing it on to Toril and Håvard in 1987.
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