The giant Petter Stordalen, 61, is the entire Nordic “hotel king” and currently owns over 200 hotels. But being a hotel king and a successful businessman means less quality time with the family, something that was recurring during Stordalen’s children’s upbringing.
Now he opened up about the time he came close to losing his children, in the podcast “I wish I knew…“.
READ MORE: Stordalen is forced to pay multi-million sums
Petter Stordalen at his then new hotel Draken in Gothenburg in 2023. Image source: Björn Larsson Rosvall/TT
READ MORE: Märta Elander Wistén is Petter Stordalen’s girlfriend 28 years younger – that’s how they met
Today, Petter Stordalen has three adult children
According to Norwegian, Petter Stordalen’s fortune amounted to Capital to NOK 28 billion in 2022, something that, among other things Today’s industry reported on. In short, he is a real businessman. But how has it actually affected his relationships, and not least the relationship with his children?
In addition to his successful professional life, Stordalen was married to Ingrid Fuglehaug Stordalen60, for 17 years before choosing to separate in 2003. Together they have the children Emily32, Henrik29 and Jacob27.
Today, Petter Stordalen has a relationship with Swedish Märta Elander Wistén, 32, who comes from a wealthy financial family. They became a couple during the corona pandemic in 2020 and now they live as cohabitants. They live partly in a 1,200 square meter villa on the Norwegian peninsula Bygdøy, but also in a floor on Strandvägen in Stockholm which, according to The Expressis valued at SEK 40 million.
Petter Stordalen with his children Jakob, Henrik and Emilie in 2003. Image source: Bjørn Sigurdsøn/NTB
DO NOT MISS: Petter Stordalen’s enormous fortune – lives in a luxury apartment for 40 million
Petter Stordalen: “Risk of losing the children”
In the podcast “I wish I had known”, Petter Stordalen tells that the divorce between him and Ingrid Fuglehaug Stordalen did not happen overnight, but something that developed over time. He believes that there was no drama either, but an evolution that caused them to grow apart.
Even when the children were growing up, Stordalen had many balls in the air and was busy creating the empire he owns today. That didn’t always leave much time for quality time with the kids.
When the children started to reach their teens, however, he made the decision to be in their lives more.
– I felt like this: If I don’t make an active choice now, if I don’t realize that now I have to take action, then I risk losing the children. Everyone loves their children, so I thought I don’t want to lose them, I’ll try to be there, he says in the podcast.
Today, Petter seems to have a better relationship with his three children. In 2018, Petter signed over his company Strawberry Holdings AS to his three children, something like DI reported on at the time. The company was worth SEK 26 billion at the time. Petter, on the other hand, kept 0.01 percent of the company.
READ MORE:
Everything you want to know about Petter Stordalen’s daughter Emilie Stordalen
Gunhild Stordalen is moving here – got an apartment from Petter for 29 million
Gunhild reveals the truth behind the divorce from Petter Stordalen