Jorvik Story

Welcome to the Jorvik Hotel

The hotel you are staying in sits at the heart of historic York. Opposite us, you will find St Olave’s Church, which is almost a thousand years old, having been founded in 1055.

Named after St Olaf, a Norwegian saint, the church is testament to the Viking influence in the city of York and our hotel takes its name from the Viking name for York; Jorvik.

Our History

Following the Norman Conquest, St Olave’s church passed to Alan Earl of Brittany, who gave the church and its surrounding land to Stephen, a monk from Whitby, for him to establish a monastery; St Mary’s Abbey.

The fabric of the Abbey can still be seen today in the Museum Gardens opposite the hotel. St Mary’s was one of the richest Benedictine monasteries in the country and, despite suffering ruination during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, is still the best-preserved urban monastery in the country.

The Abbey had considerable power, a power that did not always sit easily with the people of York. In fact, the wall surrounding the Abbey, which runs the entire length of Marygate, was constructed for the protection of the monks.

In 1262 the citizens of York slew three of the Abbot’s servants and burnt down houses the Abbey was building nearby. After this, the Abbot successfully petitioned the King to fortify the Abbey from the people of York – surrounding it with a wall, complete with battlements, wooden galleries within, and towers at certain distances. Marygate Tower still stands at the corner of Bootham today. The entrance you see opposite the hotel was the main entrance into the Abbey. These days, however, the people of York and visitors are welcomed within the walls.

Your Stay

At the Jorvik Hotel we aim today to offer a Scandanavian-style welcome to the discerning traveller.

Building on York’s Viking influence we have created rooms that reflect a quirky, pared-back, relaxed Nordic style, with flawless craftsmanship and understated elegance.

Our ambition has been to summon up the spirit of hygge (pronounced ‘hue-gah’), the Danish word which translates as warm conviviality in a cold climate.

And this conviviality extends to our staff too, who offer a warm welcome and old-fashioned hospitality to all our guests, and, of course, bags of friendly Yorkshire charm.

We hope you enjoy your stay and if you’re thinking of coming back why not join our loyalty scheme. It’s quick, easy and free to join then you’ll get access to a discounted rate plus earn points for every Pound you spend which can be redeemed either with us or one of our partner hotels across the UK. Click here for further details.