Hilton Helsinki Strand {FIN}
Mar 16, 2017, 5:55 am
Hilton Helsinki Strand
John Stenbergin Ranta 4 Helsinki, FI 00530
Good option for leisure and business in Helsinki (2 Photos)
Hilton Helsinki Strand
I originally choose the Strand because of the location close to downtown and specially Senate square, as well as because the available reviews were rather good.
I was not disapointed and had an excellent stay there.
Check In
Check-in was quick and efficient. I was informed that I was not upgraded from a King Room with Sea View to an Executive King Room as they did not had one available for the second night, however I was granted lounge acccess. This was very fine with me.
The agent confirmed my special request was done (I asked for a yoga mat inside the room, this avoid me travelling with one), for which I was grateful.
Room
The room was the standard Hilton type, without trace of much wear and tear. As usual the bed was comfortable and I really have nothing to complain about. Except maybe the AC was hard to control: the temperature inside was 22 degrees, which I found too hot. I try to set it up to 20 degrees, which resulted in a blast of cold air for more than 24 hours.
There was no shower cubicle but a bath tub with a shower, which was OK. The amenities were the usual Hilton ones.
The view was truly good, towards the sea.
Service
I had great service, all the staff were friendly and approachable.
There was two bottles of water for the first night, but none for the second unfortunately. There was also chocolates as a welcome gift.
The lounge was OK enough, I found it small. There were some nimbles from 17 to 19:00, which were OK enough, and cakes and fruits all day long. Overall the lounge is not a feature I would consider when choosing this hotel in the future.
I had a very early check-out, way before the opening of the restaurant for breakfast. I was given a bag with some cookies, an orange and an orange juice bottle.
Dining
The breakfast spread was excellent, with a large choice and good quality products. There was a large egg buffet with boiled, soft-boiled, scrambled, egg pancakes and a couple of other variants. Cold and warm cuts, large bread selection. I was surprised to not see any fish, which for a Nordic countries is rather unusual.
The restaurant is cosy and the menu features a mix of finnish and more international food, although there is not much choices and the prices are inflated. The quality was OK.
Location
The hotel is situated 10 minutes walk north of Senate square, 15 minutes walk from the train station.
The best way from/to the airport is to take the bus 615, which runs every 20 minutes or 30 minutes depending of the time of the day, 24 hours a day 7 days of the week. The bus stop is 2 minutes walk: cross the square towards the sea and turn slightly right at the end of the square, going along the sea. The Hilton is then the second building.
Dec 11, 2017, 6:22 pm
Jul 5, 2018, 3:05 pm
Location: The hotel is located right across from the Hakaniemi Metro, Tram and Bus stop which makes it very easy to access and to get around elsewhere in the city. It's also an easy walk to the harbor and the main Helsinki tourist attractions. The 615 airport bus stops at Hakaniemi which means it's about a 40 minute bus ride to HEL. Nearby is a really good indoor food market and a 24 hour McDonalds (which can come in handy on Sunday night when seemingly no restaurants are open in this city).
Hotel: This is a strange building, definitely different than most Hiltons I've stayed at. The lobby is consumed by a large bar and restaurant and little room is left for the desk. The rooms are around a center atrium which thankfully didn't make them loud. There's a small indoor pool on the 8th floor as well as a gym and sauna and an executive lounge on the 7th floor.
Check In: Handled very well and I was told I was being given a canal view on the 6th floor. Not much of a Diamond upgrade but I don't expect them anymore.
Room: A strange design for sure. The room is small and has a wide desk directly behind which was the bed which faced the windows. In the summer this meant curtains are a necessity as otherwise you've got daylight right on you from 4 AM to 11 PM. The bathroom was small but the shower quite nice and there was also a full sized closet. There were outlets near the bed and the Wifi worked very well.
Lounge: The lounge is a definite plus. It's open from 6-11 with breakfast from 7:30 to 10 and appetizers from 6-8 PM. When I went in the evening there was beer, red and white wine, a few spirits and a good selection of food from basic snacks like nuts, chips and pretzels to a full salad bar and two hot options each night. The employee there is also amazingly friendly and was seemingly everywhere at once collecting glasses and talking to people
Breakfast: As a Diamond I also got a full breakfast in the restaurant. The spread is very impressive: smoked salmon and herring, a large bread selection, cereal, lots of fruit options, several kinds of eggs, meats, potatoes, lo mein.
My rate was 85 Euros a night and it was a good price to pay. This hotel was an excellent Helsinki base of operations.
Jul 5, 2018, 6:28 pm
I've been unhappy with the room layout after refurbishment, as the large desk on the back of the King bed is very space consuming, with little areas to assign to all activities to do in a hotel room but for sleeping, and writing. My impression of the Lounge service and breakfast selections are similar to yours, and I also share the advantages as per airport transport availability, and the great location for city excursions
Jul 8, 2018, 4:38 am
I agree it limits the size of the room quite substantially and also the place to move around especially with a larger suitecase.
I also agree with all other points in your review. A smaller point, as Diamond I was however not offered breakfast in the restaurant (I asked during check in)
Jul 8, 2018, 3:41 pm
Jul 8, 2018, 5:59 pm
2) I've read many reports on this thread about the EL evening spread offerings. I haven't been back for awhile, but with my wife and I not being fans of onions, nor "creamy" sauces (mayo and the like) we rarely found anything that met favorably with our challenged tastes.
3) Agree that is a really nice property and you can really get some great deals there when not in height of the season.
Jul 8, 2018, 8:23 pm
Oct 3, 2018, 10:37 am
Oct 3, 2018, 11:02 am
