An ivy-covered brick building from 1912 with Persian rugs, Chesterfield sofas, and a fireplace in the lobby. The Gabelshus looks like a wealthy aunt's country house, not a hotel. That atmosphere is the draw, and it's real, not staged.
The economics here are hard to argue with. Breakfast, afternoon waffles and coffee, and a light dinner are all included in the room rate. In Oslo, where a mediocre restaurant meal runs 300-400 NOK per person, that adds up fast. The dinner is a simple buffet, usually soup, salad, and one hot dish. Don't expect culinary fireworks, but it's solid, and it's free.
The trade-off is space. Standard rooms are small. Not "European small", more like "open your suitcase on the bed because there's no floor" small. Standard rooms starting at a ridiculous 12 sqm. The building is over a hundred years old, and it shows in the room dimensions. Old wooden floors creak, and sound travels between floors. Ask for a top-floor room to avoid hearing footsteps overhead.
Frogner is embassy-row Oslo: quiet, leafy, expensive-looking townhouses. Skillebekk tram stop is a short walk, and from there it's ten minutes to the city center. The garden terrace is a rare luxury in this city, worth using in summer. There's also a basement sauna and steam room that most people seem to walk right past.
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