Lake Inari Mobile Cabins delivers wondrous guest experience thanks to Little Hotelier

In the heart of a Finnish village populated by only 300 residents, Lake Inari Mobile Cabins offers an unparalleled guest experience. For the past 11 seasons, this small family-run retreat has been captivating visitors from all around the world, including Japan, Italy, France, Australia, China, Germany and beyond. 

The story began when Esko, a close friend of the current owner, Atte, towed a portable cabin into the middle of the frozen lake to enjoy undisturbed views of the Northern lights. The experience was so magical that Esko knew it had to be shared with others. Today, the accommodation consists of eight cabins, each perched on one metre of ice, with 12 metres of water below. 

With an uninterrupted view of the sky, the cabins offer more than just a place to sleep – it’s a front-row seat to a 12-hour Northern Lights hunt from the warmth of your own private mobile cabin on the lake’s frozen surface.

“Every time they are different. Sometimes it’s just a flicker of green, other times it’s a full sky of swirls dancing and moving in mayhem. Green, red, purple, every colour you can imagine. It is a must to travel to see them,” Atte described.

With included breakfasts, saunas, and cross-country skis, there’s no need for guests to ever leave the property. Not to mention, all cabins are towable by snowmobile, so Atte and the team can collect the guests’ cabins and bring them back to base camp when needed.

Though Atte has a background in hospitality, Lake Inari Mobile Cabins is his first venture into owning an accommodation business. Together with his partner, Alexa, he manages the property, ensuring every detail contributes to an unforgettable experience. Reflecting on the work, Atte said, 

“The season is 120 days long, and although the daily tasks such as serving breakfast, dinner, welcoming guests, etc. are roughly the same, the conversations always go different routes when meeting new people. It is really motivating for the work itself.”

A system that makes every year better

Special places like Lake Inari Mobile Cabins need an online system that is just as high-quality, to make booking guests easier, save time, and boost revenue. 

After exploring Little Hotelier’s all-in-one platform, Atte reflects that it was a no-brainer.

“We had a system prior, but it was nothing like Little Hotelier.”

With Little Hotelier, Atte and Alexa now have access to 450+ different online travel agents – the world’s largest network of online booking channels. They recognise that maximising visibility by listing their cabins on numerous OTAs is crucial to driving bookings. 

“The channel manager makes it a lot easier, and that was the main thing that made me choose Little Hotelier,” Atte explained. 

Even with an offering that naturally draws guests from around the world, maintaining consistent occupancy and brand awareness still requires a strong presence across various channels.

“Every year the business is better than the last, and I have to thank tourism and Little Hotelier for that.”

A direct bookings boost

In addition to being seen on the right channels, it is also crucial to ensure guests are booking directly via your own website. A powerful booking engine, secure payment system, and visibility on Metasearch sites such as Google are essential—and Little Hotelier provides all of these. 

Atte proudly noted, “Little Hotelier has significantly increased the number of direct bookings we receive.”

“One of my favourite features is Little Hotelier pay, it makes it so easy to charge guests. I can decide to take payments at the start of their stay or after. It’s just so easy and the money comes directly to me very quickly.”

Little Hotelier also allows accommodation owners to manage their entire business from their phone with a fully-functional mobile app. With Lake Inari Mobile Cabins being a small, busy family-run business, the team can’t afford to be tied to an office. 

“I use the mobile app every day,” Atte said.

Easy to get started, easy to use

For Atte and Alexa, Little Hotelier’s software has been intuitive enough to use without much extra guidance.

“I haven’t needed much support during my time with the system,” Atte reflected.

However, if they ever need help, they know our friendly support team is just a call, email, or chat away.

“At the start when I first joined, I did not feel helpless at any point, I felt very supported,” he added. “The amount of work I had to do when setting up the system was surprisingly small. Little Hotelier did much of the work.”

Overall, Atte concluded that “I have gotten a lot in return from what I have paid for Little Hotelier.”

It has been a wonderful experience working alongside such a one of a kind accommodation. We at Little Hotelier cannot wait to see even more cabins out on the ice!