Nordic hotel chains in Finland - Scandic, Choice, Sokoshotels
Jul 21, 2016, 2:37 pm
#16
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,749
Yes, and Sokos Hotels does not operate the Radissons, they're all part of Sokotel Oy...
Technicalities aside, my point was simply that the Finnish Holiday Inns are not up to international standards, which is due to them being operated very much like the Cumulus hotels. For Radissons, I've got limited experience from Vaasa and Oulu only. They seem to be above Sokos standards. Hopefully this holds true to the rest of the bunch as well, although it does surprise me a little that they turned Aleksanteri/Helsinki to a Radisson.
Technicalities aside, my point was simply that the Finnish Holiday Inns are not up to international standards, which is due to them being operated very much like the Cumulus hotels. For Radissons, I've got limited experience from Vaasa and Oulu only. They seem to be above Sokos standards. Hopefully this holds true to the rest of the bunch as well, although it does surprise me a little that they turned Aleksanteri/Helsinki to a Radisson.
Jul 21, 2016, 9:03 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: HEL
Programs: SPG LTP, hotels, OWE, STE+, *G, Octopus
Posts: 5,784
Which international HIs are you referring to? I find the Helsinki-based HIs acceptable, which I cannot say about some US properties.
Jul 22, 2016, 2:43 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,598
Yes, and Sokos Hotels does not operate the Radissons, they're all part of Sokotel Oy...
Technicalities aside, my point was simply that the Finnish Holiday Inns are not up to international standards, which is due to them being operated very much like the Cumulus hotels. For Radissons, I've got limited experience from Vaasa and Oulu only. They seem to be above Sokos standards. Hopefully this holds true to the rest of the bunch as well, although it does surprise me a little that they turned Aleksanteri/Helsinki to a Radisson.
Technicalities aside, my point was simply that the Finnish Holiday Inns are not up to international standards, which is due to them being operated very much like the Cumulus hotels. For Radissons, I've got limited experience from Vaasa and Oulu only. They seem to be above Sokos standards. Hopefully this holds true to the rest of the bunch as well, although it does surprise me a little that they turned Aleksanteri/Helsinki to a Radisson.
I have stayed in Aleksanteri Radisson and I thought it was below Radisson standard.
Vaasa was old but convenient, so so...
Oulu I haven't been lately so cannot comment. Tampere grand I have been only before it turned to Radisson so I don't know how it is nowadays. After all, Radissons are not really in the "Finnish category" but rather "Helsinki&international" so not comparing to Scandic,Sokos,Cumulus, even if luckily Radissons are clearly better anyway.
Jul 22, 2016, 2:45 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,598
I agree with Remy's point. HIs in Helsinki is like in other countries, but the HI Turku (now rebranded to Cumulus) was a dump, HI Tampere WAS a dump but now moved to a location and is new (yet to test it) and HI Oulu was a dump too (now away too). With that, IHG has "exited Finland" and remains "international, including capital Helsinki"
Jul 22, 2016, 2:52 am
#20
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: HEL
Programs: SPG LTP, hotels, OWE, STE+, *G, Octopus
Posts: 5,784
I agree with Remy's point. HIs in Helsinki is like in other countries, but the HI Turku (now rebranded to Cumulus) was a dump, HI Tampere WAS a dump but now moved to a location and is new (yet to test it) and HI Oulu was a dump too (now away too). With that, IHG has "exited Finland" and remains "international, including capital Helsinki"
No one bothered to ever respond to my survey mentioning thiese.
Last edited by remymartin; Jul 22, 2016 at 5:02 am
Jul 22, 2016, 3:38 am
#21
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Seat 1L these days :)
Programs: AF Platinum/AY LUMO/SK EBG/baEC S/HYATT Globalist/MR LTP/A3 *G/HH Dia/IHG plat
Posts: 7,957
I find the IHG hotels in Finland quite nice. They treated me very well as platinum and now as Spire. Upgrades are consistent quality is nice. CP gives lounge access. Only complaibt is no free breakfast. ONLY HI Helsinki West ruoholahti has failed to respond appropriately to complaints.
I only wished they had a better footprint in Finland. I stayed at cumulus TWICE and rantasipi a few times when no other options are around. I used to stay at radissons but now rarely!
Have not stayed in a sokos hotel in years!
Best western has some nice hotels too but not much of a rewards scheme imo
I only wished they had a better footprint in Finland. I stayed at cumulus TWICE and rantasipi a few times when no other options are around. I used to stay at radissons but now rarely!
Have not stayed in a sokos hotel in years!
Best western has some nice hotels too but not much of a rewards scheme imo
Jul 22, 2016, 9:40 am
#22
Senior Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
Posts: 12,396
Rather than continuing this good hotel discussion in this airline forum, let's share this thread with the readers of the Nordic Countries (travel) forum. I'll move it there. Ocn Vw 1K, Senior Moderator.
Jul 24, 2016, 12:45 pm
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,105
I signed up, landed in the 1st floor - would it be upgraded later on?
Jul 24, 2016, 1:25 pm
#24
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Jul 25, 2016, 1:47 pm
#26
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Baltic Sea
Programs: AY, BT, DY and SK. Scandic, Radisson, Marriott and HHonors. ClubONE
Posts: 5,890
D@mn, I'm already 3rd floor and it seems the link won't take me to top floor...
I don't stay too much in hotels in Finland anymore so I've tried to concentrate on Scandics. 2300 points per night + 500 Finnair plus points. For some time now Scandic has had free night offers for half the points in all Nordic countries. E.g. Stayed at Scandic Rovaniemi in Finland for 10000 points per night, which included the 17€ voucher in their nice restaurant. Sauna under renovation, though.
My second choice used to be the Cumulus card. Their food voucher bought you the whole dinner from the Club menu. And if you couldn't use that, you could save the voucher towards further free nights. The card was also good for the HI Oulu which I liked a lot. They even had a lounge of sorts on the top floor and a nice pool/sauna.
Helsinki is a different story, of course, with many more choices.
I don't stay too much in hotels in Finland anymore so I've tried to concentrate on Scandics. 2300 points per night + 500 Finnair plus points. For some time now Scandic has had free night offers for half the points in all Nordic countries. E.g. Stayed at Scandic Rovaniemi in Finland for 10000 points per night, which included the 17€ voucher in their nice restaurant. Sauna under renovation, though.
My second choice used to be the Cumulus card. Their food voucher bought you the whole dinner from the Club menu. And if you couldn't use that, you could save the voucher towards further free nights. The card was also good for the HI Oulu which I liked a lot. They even had a lounge of sorts on the top floor and a nice pool/sauna.
Helsinki is a different story, of course, with many more choices.
Jul 26, 2016, 12:07 am
#27
Join Date: Jun 2015
Programs: AY+, SK EB
Posts: 2,958
Jul 27, 2016, 12:47 pm
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,598
Jul 27, 2016, 12:49 pm
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,598
had the most extensive offerings anywhere I wonder how that hotel is going nowadays. Haven't been to Oulu lately and sticking to Radisson in that case anyways I guess...
Jul 31, 2016, 1:08 pm
#30
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,749
HI Tampere is an old Cumulus, which they have renovated as cheaply as possible. Small rooms with subpar facilities and cheap furniture, plastic tabletops etc... Staff is friendly, though.