kyushuman

Yes, an excellent stay: Checked in, given an "executive room", which was a larger room with 3 windows. Not a suite, but that's OK, since I wasn't in the room all that much.
Service friendly and helpful. Even though the hotel was quite full, I managed a 3pm check-out. It wasn't, however, sold out, since I checked and they were still selling all 3types of rooms--even had cash and points available. So not so likely you'll get the 4pm Plat check-out.
Good cafe up the street (away from the water) about 2 blocks, nice sandwiches, pastries, and salads, "reasonably" priced--meaning 2 could eat for about $30 without alcohol. Helsinki is truly expensive.
Take the "Finnair Bus" for 6 Euro, or even Bus #615 for 3.90; (I think that was the number of it) public bus--they both go between airport and central train station. About 40 minutes for each. Then a 10-minute walk to the Hotel Kamp.
Gym at Hotel Kamp was free for Plats and Golds, but not for everyone.
Beautiful, well-kept rooms; good security--need key card to push elevator numbers.
An AMAZING cash and points deal, especially considering hotel prices in Helsinki!
Let me know if you have any other questions.

vulle

Just posted this to TripAdvisor:

We were celebrating my wife's birthday at Hotel Kämp in late November, 2008. I had booked an endless weekend rate in an executive room.

Generally we had an enjoyable stay but there were some glitches in service. I had with me a printed confirmation for an executive room, but originally we were given a deluxe room. I called the reception immediately from our room but in the end it took more than a half hour for the staff to come up with a solution where we would be moved to an executive room later in the afternoon. I had hoped to receive some kind of compensation for this glitch - after all Kämp is a member of The Luxury Collection - but nothing was offered.

Hotel's gym/spa was wonderful, good exercise machines and very nice saunas. I specially enjoyed the hammam. Our executive room very traditionally decorated, to be honest I do prefer light Scandinavian furniture.

Breakfast was a bit chaotic as all the guests seemed to enjoy late breakfast at 10.30am.

Kämp Bar is a very nice bar with excellent service and Kämp Café has excellent meals.

We had an enjoyable stay at Kämp but I was still a little disappointed. This hotel brands itself as the best in Helsinki but there seems to be too little staff working. Waiting times at the restaurant and at the reception are bit too long. I might come back to Kämp but there are better restaurants in Helsinki for less money, for example Glo which has same owners.

As mentioned, we enjoyed our stay but were especally disappointed with the problem of getting the booked room. First we had to wait for half an hour for the front desk to come up with a solution and then getting no compensation. I really would have thought that a Luxury Collection hotel would pro-actively take care of their clients.

Score8

Although I didn't spend a lot of time at the hotel, I thought that the hotel was top-notch. I had a small glitch/training session at check-in:

Agent: we have upgraded you to an executive room
Me: Thanks, do you have any standard suites available?
Agent: we have already upgraded you
Me: Yes, but I am wondering if you have any suites available
Agent: let me check...OK I believe that we might have something for you.

In any event I received a Junior Suite 611, I believe, that while not large, was very elegant and well appointed with wood paneling, windows on two sides and an extremely comfortable bed. One of the nicer SPG bathrooms as well - reminded me a little of the St Regis NYC.

Lastly, I am a sucker for a good shower (as measured by water pressure and volume) and this was a top five. It was like a firehose - the best.

Matt

stephpaige

Hello - I stayed at the Hotel Kamp June 26-30 on a cash & points award. Arrived late, around 11:00 pm. We walked from the train station...if you're walking down the Esplanade Park toward the harbor, the hotel is on your left. There is a Cafe Kamp that faces the park; the hotel entrance is around the corner to the left of this Cafe. The location is excellent.

Received an executive room - did not ask for an upgrade. The room was a great size for Europe, although if you're used to suites you might think it a bit small. King bed with a small sofa at the end. Good sized desk/chair. Flat screen TV. Great bathroom, although the shower didn't drain well.

Decided to break from the points tradition for my amenity and try the local gift, thinking maybe it would be something fun like reindeer or vodka. :-) That will teach me! Cheesy green mug.

The only oddity about our room was that there was no clock. Usually there is one at the bottom of the TV but ours either didn't have one or it wasn't working. When I asked them to send one up, they sent an old-school round one with the bells on top (e.g. not digital).

Internet was 15 euro. Free connection in the cafe, but it was *very* spotty. We used the free business center right behind the check-in desk instead. Also grabbed free Int'l Herald Tribune in the lobby each morning. Did not eat at the hotel - walked the 2 blocks down to the market instead.

As a Plat, was able to use the saunas for free. HIGHLY recommended! We went in the morning, around 8am, and had the entire place to ourselves. I can provide more detail if you're interested - the showers in the locker rooms were "I want one of these in my house" fabulous.

Overall - great hotel. Enjoyed it much more than the Westin Dublin, where we went next. If you go and have time to take a day trip to Tallinn - it's great, too.

andymo99

We stayed here for 3 free weekend nights in July (sorry for the delay).

As most have reported, the hotel is very upscale, with good service. The location is unbeatable. Central to everything in HEL.

We were given an "executive" room at check-in. It wasn't huge, but nicely sized, with a beautiful bathroom. As others have noted, the shower was amazing. Simply one of the best anywhere that I've ever experienced.

We noticed on the first night that the A/C wasn't satisfactorily cold. Someone checked on it for us and showed that it was blowing air... but not cold enough air. Oh well. On the second night, the inadequate A/C actually kept us awake. I called at 3am and said it was time for a new room. We were moved to one of the named suites (I don't recall the name) which was really something. As described by EWR ATC Hold, the living room had a library motif, and the bedroom was just off of this. The only quirk was that the bathroom ends up being a far ways from the bedroom due to a poor design. But we lived with that!

The sauna(s) was very nice. As described, Plats have free access. There are several to choose from, and we hopped about a bit. As it is co-ed, you need to wear your trunks in the sauna, though one or two of the men seemed to ignore this rule.

The staff was very friendly and helpful on all fronts. We did not partake of F&B at the hotel.

Anglo Large Clawed Otter

I had a brief stay here over New Year's. Very nice hotel, with a good location in Helsinki. They had originally pre-blocked me for an Executive Room, but I managed to obtain a suite (the desk clerk was initially quite firm that the hotel had a "one-category only upgrade policy ). The initial passed quickly, though, and I thoroughly enjoyed the hotel. I don't recall if breakfast was offered as an amenity, or whether I selected a rate that included it, but the breakfast spread was phenomenal (on par with Le Meridien Munich, IMHO).

Below are some photos of the Suite I was given:

AmericanMontrealer

I am now home from an extended business trip to Bangkok. I flew Finnair from Montreal (on the codeshare flight operated by BA) and connected speedily through London and Helsinki on the Finnair operated flights. The journey was perfect and I survived being in Bangkok during the protests.

On the way back home, I decided I would stop off in Helsinki. I had lived in a village northwest of Helsinki when I was a high school exchange student from the U.S. Since I had not been in Helsinki for a few years, I decided to revisit the Hotel Kamp with my Starwood Platinum status, which I earned last October.

I booked my reservation on spg.com. Since I would be arriving at the hotel at 6:30 a.m., I decided to book for the night before my arrival and guarantee for late arrival. I had been told several months ago by a Platinum Concierge that my room would automatically be held for me until check-out time, so I assumed that all would be fine. I was wrong.

When I arrived at the hotel, I was told that I was a no-show. While they had rooms available, it took a great deal of time to find one. The clerk gave me my room key in a "Gold" key cover and pointed the way to the elevators. I asked what the Platinum amenity would be and showed him my Platinum card. He examined my card closely and told me that his records showed that I was a Gold member. (I was Gold the last time I stayed at the hotel about four years ago so I assume that the Kamp's profile of me had not been updated notwithstanding my on-line booking.) I assured him that I was indeed Platinum ("earned the hard way", I stated). He gave me the Platinum amenity card to complete, I selected the 500 points as my choice, and was on my way to my room.

When I got off the elevator, my room was about as far from the elevator as one could be. When I entered the room, it was small and dark. I decided to call the front desk and ask if a nicer room was available with a view of the street. I was told no, but that I could be moved to a larger room with a king bed. I decided to be bold and ask about an upgrade to a standard suite. After conferring with his colleague, the clerk told me that I would be upgraded ("at no additional cost") to a junior suite with a view of the Esplanade facing the hotel.

The junior suite was lovely. It was in excellent condition, bright and possessed a spectacular view. Closet space was ample; toiletries were well-sized 100ml Molton Brown bottles and towels were in abundance. Bottles of water were everywhere.

After a well-deserved nap, I spoke with the front desk again to make certain that my room bill would reflect the fact that I had guaranteed my room for late arrival, as I wanted to make certain that I received two nights credit for my stay. I was assured that it would be. I was told that my profile stated that I liked Finnish chocolate (I do, and very much so), and a box of large box of Fazermints was later delivered to my room.

Having just come in from seven nights at Le Meridien Bangkok, I have to admit that I was indeed spoiled by the level of service in Thailand. The Hotel Kamp left much to be desired when I arrived late and was told I was a "no show", and was then assigned to an undesirable room. The upgrade to a junior suite was wonderful, but I did hate having to ask. I was never asked about a newspaper or offered breakfast, which was standard for Platinums at Le Meridien (even though breakfast was included in my room rate in Bangkok).

When I got home and checked spg.com the next day, I had been credited with only one night. A call to the Platinum Concierge corrected that although she advised me that I would lose my Platinum amenity for three to five days and then it would be re-posted by the Hotel at her request.

All in all, I did receive a nice upgrade at the hotel. It was a struggle at 6:30 a.m. to be recognized as a Platinum after a long trip, but the hotel eventually made up for it with a box of chocolates. A newspaper delivered to my room would have been nice and perhaps the offer of a free breakfast would have gone a long way to making my brief stay all the more pleasant. I did take advantage of free internet for Platinums, which is a great perk from Starwood.

The Kamp is still my favorite hotel in Helsinki. Its location can't be beat and if you're lucky to score a Platinum upgrade, that's a bonus. I will stay here again in the future but I'll make certain to contact the hotel in the event that I guarantee my stay for late arrival. I may even use points to guarantee a junior suite upgrade as the junior suites are too nice to leave it to chance.

SanDiego1K

I'm glad that the hotel ultimately redeemed itself. What a frustrating experience at 6:30am.

It's my understanding that hotels in general purge their systems sometime in the middle of the night or the prior night's bookings. Thus, what you experienced is normal in terms of you being considered a no show. Your strategy going forward of notifying the hotel when you anticipate such a late arrival is a sound one.

It's unfortunate that the hotel had not updated its system re your status. That happened to me at a different European hotel last summer. This hotel is known for nice platinum upgrades. I had stayed as a gold, and was really looking forward to the platinum experience. Unfortunately, they had me as gold and had already given out the great upgrades. I guess it would be nice if it worked the other way, where you lost your plat status and the hotel remained convinced you were still one - but it sure is frustrating this way.

Thank you for your update on the hotel.

jbcarioca

Contrary to earlier posts Hotel Kamp has been Luxury Collection for a long time. I always stay there is Helsinki. I regard it as one of my favorite hotels anywhere, and certainly the best in helsinki. It is small, elegant, and the service is impeccable. The rooms are not always the largest, but they are always delightful.

In-season upgrades are short, but I've normally had them anyway.

paulmoscow

We have just returned from Helsinki and all I can say is the Kamp is not even close to luxury. The bathroom was extremely tired, the bed was one of the worst that we have ever had anywhere.

BTW, why bedding is always so terrible at Starwood hotels? I switched to Starwood in January from IHG and none of 7 hotels I stayed so far had beds comparable to a typical Intercontinental.

RTWSTARALLIANCE

Might be heading to HEL soon. Comments on recent treatment of Ps appreciated. Also from HEL to Hotel. Understand Fin Air bus to central station. Is there a "train" from HEL to station? From station is it pretty easily determined walk to Hotel? Any and all information appreciated. Thanks.

Leumas

Walk from Central Station to the hotel isn't far (~10 mins). I used to get a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. From memory, it was about 10 or 15 Euros, but that was about 3 years ago. Taxi would be at least double that.

In other words, I don't have any recent experience of the hotel, as much as I'd like to go back.

vulle

Shuttle from the airport http://www.airporttaxi.fi/index_airporttaxi_en.html to Kämp would cost €25:- , taxi would cost about €35-40:- depending on traffic.

skrosvik

There is no train station in the immediate airport area, but they are currently building a railway, this won't be completed until 2013.

There is a Finnair bus every 20-30 minutes heading to the main train station in downtown Helsinki, it takes about 30 minutes, and cost € 5,90. Hotel Kämp is an EASY 10-minute walk from the main train station!

There are also local buses available, at a lower cost. But these will take about 60 minutes.

I have only great memories from my stays at the Hotel Kämp. A great hotel!

RTWSTARALLIANCE

Thank you. My award return is not coming together so it looks like my trip will be delayed until another day. Thanks again for the information.