Radisson SAS Plaza, Oslo
May 6, 2008, 8:58 am
I think my rate is 1920NOK per night which is about $385 per night which seems about right based on your post
Anyone know how I'd input my GP number to this reservation, I tried and couldn't figure it out. the orig rez was made via AX travel and I didn't have a GP number at the time
Also, at what rate do I earn points when its in Kronas?
I see that the Plaza averages $375 all-in for their standard rooms in June, a bit too expensive in my opinion.
Let me also introduce you to my favorite in the Norwegian capital, Clarion Collection Gabelshus (part of Choice hotels, smaller hotel located in Oslo's posh embassy district of Frogner, a brisk stroll or 5 minute cab ride from the city centre) averages $210 all-in:
http://choicehotelseurope.com/hotels/hotel?hotel=NO094
If you prefer to stay with Radisson, I would choose the Scandinavia over the Plaza because of the far better location, but YMMV. Plaza is like others have pointed out very close to the Central station (including the Airport Express Train to OSL).
Jun 3, 2008, 7:27 am
did you ever make this stay in late may? I'm curious as I will be there Sunday
Any other oslo comments
Jun 5, 2008, 10:01 am
I would highly recommend getting a transit day-pass from the Concierge for 60 Kroner. It allows you unlimited rides on the Subway, Trams and Buses (all of which are very convenient). I got out and saw the National Theatre (Nationaltheatret is a good subway stop for exploring the city). From that stop, it's a very short walk to Slottsparken and the Royal Palace.
After that, I rode the subway up to Majorstuen Stop, then took a tram out to Frognerparken (a very beautiful park). From there, it was back on the Subway to Nationaltheatret station, where I was able to walk to the harbor in about 5 minutes. I took a scenic harbor cruise with Batservice tours, and the scenery was stunning.
Oslo turned out to be the gem of the entire trip (which also encompassed Moscow, Hong Kong & Bangkok). It helped that the weather was gorgeous while I was there (60s and sunny). I would definitely recommend trying to get out and see as much of the city as possible, as it's a beautiful place. If I have a chance this evening, I will try to get some photos uploaded to my flickr site, and will post a link here.
Jun 14, 2008, 7:58 am
a) 5 minutes walk to the harbour (Aker Bruge)
b) I always find Scandinavia hotel staff very friendly
The business class rooms are normally the same size, but they are on the refurbished floors.
If you want a bigger room, at the standard price, I recommend you ask at check-in for a corner room (the corner rooms with the mountain view have numbers ending in 14 and 23 - such as 1014, 1114, 1214, etc.) I can't remember the numbers of the sea-view corner rooms (I prefer the mountain view).
Again - the corner rooms are just the standard rooms, but designed for families, and there are more corner rooms in the 23 storey hotel than families needing to use them (normally).
Do ask for a room on one of the re-furbished floors if you can (although I often stay on 9 and 14, and both are fine).
Note also that if you are coming from OSL, the FlyToget (train) stops at Nationaltheatret station, which is 3-4 mins walk from the Scandinavia across the park by the palace (depends if you have bags, I guess), or you can get off at Oslo S (sentrale) station, and get a cab (100NOK ish).
Only 50% of the trains go to Nationaltheatret.
Have fun.
Jun 15, 2008, 11:45 pm
a) 5 minutes walk to the harbour (Aker Bruge)
b) I always find Scandinavia hotel staff very friendly
The business class rooms are normally the same size, but they are on the refurbished floors.
If you want a bigger room, at the standard price, I recommend you ask at check-in for a corner room (the corner rooms with the mountain view have numbers ending in 14 and 23 - such as 1014, 1114, 1214, etc.) I can't remember the numbers of the sea-view corner rooms (I prefer the mountain view).
Again - the corner rooms are just the standard rooms, but designed for families, and there are more corner rooms in the 23 storey hotel than families needing to use them (normally).
Do ask for a room on one of the re-furbished floors if you can (although I often stay on 9 and 14, and both are fine).
Note also that if you are coming from OSL, the FlyToget (train) stops at Nationaltheatret station, which is 3-4 mins walk from the Scandinavia across the park by the palace (depends if you have bags, I guess), or you can get off at Oslo S (sentrale) station, and get a cab (100NOK ish).
Only 50% of the trains go to Nationaltheatret.
Have fun.
Jun 16, 2008, 1:21 pm
The Hotel
Lobby & Entrance
Check-In Desk
Standard Room, 19th Floor
Standard Room, 19th Floor
Standard Room Bathroom
The View
As I stated previously, it was a serviceable hotel. Nothing too fancy, and the room was not especially large, but it was comfortable and clean.
Apr 10, 2011, 10:06 am
Is it worth paying roughly 1.5x cost to stay at the Scandinavia vs. the Plaza (1000 kr vs 80 euro)? I have several friends who work for Carlson Companies so given the expense of Oslo/Norway in general I'd rather save money by using F&F, unless the other hotel is superior for sightseeing/with kids/etc.
We will be spending 2-3 days in Oslo, taking the train to Bergen, then onto the Hurtigruten and then train back to Oslo, arriving at 11 p.m. We are then flying out the next day. Will either hotel hold our large suitcases for us for the 4-5 days we are in Bergen and on the Hurtigruten or will we have to take them with us?
Lastly, and off-topic, should we shorten our time in Oslo at all? We can either add a day to our time in Stockholm (currently 3 days) or Bergen (currently 1 day). We have never been to this part of the world and I am not sure when, if ever, we'd get back, so I am hoping someone might have some helpful insights.
Thanks for your help.
Mar 14, 2019, 8:16 am
Location: The hotel is really well located for touring Oslo. It's connected via a pedestrian bridge directly to the Oslo Central Train Station which gives you access to the Airport Express Train and the local train to OSL plus it's near several tram, subway and bus stations. Within a mile of the hotel is the opera house and a huge number of bars and restaurants. This was my first visit to Oslo and I was really happy with the hotel's location. The only negative is the train station does attract some vagrants but they're easy to avoid.
View from train station
Hotel: A massive 37 story high rise that's quite distinctive and easy to pick out from afar so you know which direction to walk back towards. They have a bar and restaurant on the 34th floor that has its own elevator. The lobby has a small bar and an attached Irish Pub. There's also a fitness center on the 37th floor, and two restaurants as well as meeting space on the 2nd floor.
Check In: Handled well by the agent who thanked me for being a Radisson Rewards member and told me about my room and the hotel.
Room: I was in a mere Plaza Standard Room on the 7th floor which was small but not oppressively so. The bed was large and comfortable and there was a small closet, sitting area, desk and a large enough bathroom with a shower that had annoyingly bad water pressure. Wifi worked well and there were outlets near the bed
Breakfast: A really impressive spread with eggs, breakfast meat, tons of breads, cheeses, cold cuts, smoked fish, a Gluten Free Station, and an omelet and sweet food station.
As I said before the hotel was really good as a base of operations to see Oslo. I was very happy here and would come back.
Mar 11, 2020, 8:50 am
Check In: Agent was extremely nice and friendly. I arrived at only 9:45 AM but he said "let's see if I can get you upgraded" despite me having only Club level status and then apologized and said all the rooms he had were next to the elevator. I was just happy to get a room at that point.
Room: The room itself was nice enough but I had an absolutely tiny bathroom. One of the smallest I've ever had in a hotel in fact. However, all that matters was I got to a bed and a shower at 9:30 AM after not sleeping on the flight over.
Hotel: Elevators are now summoned from central computers outside the elevator and must be accessed with a key card. You tap your key and enter the floor you're going to. Even just going to the lobby from your room requires using the key.
Another lobby view
Free coffee, light snacks and water set up in the morning
Overall still a great location and with amazing service I'm glad to come back.
May 17, 2022, 2:19 pm
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo
Sonja Henies Plass 3 Postboks 9206 Oslo, NO N-0134
Radisson Blu Plaza Oslo = Poor Service (7 Photos)
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo
I rank Radisson at the very bottom of international hotel chain loyalty programs so I almost never book Radisson when I have other options but Oslo is not a city with lots of attractive choices. GHA used to have lots of Thon hotels in Norway and was arguably the strongest chain in the country but unfortunately Thon quietly left GHA which is a bummer. Marriott has a new Moxy in Oslo but this is not a brand I am in a rush to try, and Hilton+Hyatt+Accor+IHG+SLH have nothing at all. I stayed at Radisson Blu Plaza Oslo many years ago and due to the lack of choices I decided to return. My stay ended up being moderately unpleasant.
Location
By far the biggest advantage of Radisson for me is location. From the airport to the hotel door, the transit is very smooth thanks to the Flytoget airport express train which brings passengers non-stop to Oslo’s main station in less than 20 minutes and Radisson is only a short walk away with ramps which do not prevent from reaching the hotel with large heavy suitcases.
Check In
My arrival was poor because the queue for check-in was long and was compounded by the fact that the lobby bar was overflowing on the opposite side so both crowds converged at the entrance – it was awful. On subsequent days almost every time I went downstairs to get out of the hotel it was a similar mild chaos and long waits at front desk. To make matters worse, on one day my key card stopped working and I was forced into the queue despite wanting to minimize contact with staff as much as possible.
Room
Not only Radisson is one of the least generous hotel loyalty programs for upgrades, but in addition Radisson was full on one of the days of my stay so I did not expect any upgrade at all as Gold tier member. I guess I was moderately surprised by an upgrade to a premium room which was a nice gesture given the circumstances; I was told the differences with standard rooms are: higher floor, bathrobe and coffee machine – nothing to write home about in fact some things I might get without an upgrade at other chains, but at least they proactively made status count. Besides the upgrade, I think one of the few benefits of Radisson Gold tier status is the welcome gift : here it was far from impressive with three chocolates and a bottle of water. Anyway the room was relatively nice thanks to a lack of carpet and it was in decent shape so I would not complain strongly. The main weakness was we could hear doors slamming very easily, one morning there was loud talking in the hallway at 5:30am. The bathroom toiletries were unbranded and nothing impressive and also the curtains did not extend all the way to the wall so there was a bit of sunlight in the room which can be a problem during the summer time with very early sunrise; it prevented us from sleeping well in the morning. However when there is very little local competition from hotel chains, the hotel can be weak and I must accept it nonetheless and it tempers my criticism.
Service
Service left to be desired not only because of the long waits at reception but also because of staff trying to get rid of customers instead of answering questions properly which I noticed on at least a couple of occasions, including the day of departure when I wanted to resolve the billing while my wife was packing suitcases and I was asked three times by the receptionist to come back to check out when we were ready to leave which I repeatedly refused because of the long queues. The receptionist insisted I had to come back to give the room keys; finally it had to be resolved with a supervisor telling the receptionist that it would be no problem if I left my keys in the express checkout box near the entrance if the payment was taken care of.
Gym
The gym was on the top floor with great views however the shape was odd: a very long and narrow room. If walking from one end of the gym to the other, sometimes we had to crouch under the triangle shape roof to avoid disturbing people who were lifting weights.
Wifi
Wifi worked well with speed of 20 Mbps.
Overall
Overall I am not a big fan of this hotel but location is excellent. That said on my next stay I might try Hotel Continental (LHW) rather than to return again to Radisson so that I can compare and judge if the price premium of Continental is worth it over Radisson.
