Captainfire

Radisson Blu Royal Helsinki

Stayed during a festival in central helsinki in the middle of august, friday to sunday. Hotel was fully booked for atleast saturday night.
Checked in at about 2pm with a trainee who spoke poor english, turned on my charm and try'd to get an upgrade, unsucessfull. When o got to the room i noticed that i'd been given a 'low-rate' room, i.e tiny and in a poorer condition the the rest on them (i'd stayed in this hotel before in a standard room, and it did not look like this). Went down to the reception again and asked (nicely) to change rooms, this time a senior check-in agent was standing beside her, noting my status. I was given an upgrade to a business room, together with some drinkchits.

The room was quite good actually, fairly recently renovated and in good condition. Nespresso machine was nice as always, as was the free inroom breakfast. Free pay-per-view aswell, atlhough i never used it. Good amenities, with bathrobe and slippers. Breakfast served in the restaurant is standard continetal plus a good choice of warm dishes (the usual + potatocakes and fried rice) We didn't eat in the restaurant, but i've heard it's good, metioned in the michelin guide.

Best part was the value, 104€ a/i for 2 persons 2 nights inc breakfast. I would definitely stay again.

defeyter

Nice hotel, booked standard room, got upgrade to junior suite on top floor.

Food in restaurant is expensive and very poor quality. One dish was uncooked and the cook challenged me for pointing that out to him and said: that is not uncooked, moist maybe.

We were talking about a dough dish here and the dough was completely uncooked on the inside.

Although executive manager apologized over the phone, I will NOT return to this hotel.

SocialAdept

Spent a night here some weeks ago when I visited the Technical fair.

I was upgraded to a junior suite when it turned out that the regular guest rooms where all taken (at least that's what she said, not sure if my GPP status played in). The suites at this hotel aren't all that much to write home about though. Radisson Royal Viking's suites contain the same small CRT TVs as the rest of the rooms with the same sparse bathrooms. To their credit the queen bed was really good.

The breakfast buffet is, as in most self-respective scandinavian hotels, superb and a step above average international level. The japanese breakfast selection is a nice touch. I rarely touch it but it's a neat addition. The skybar is also one of the more atmospheric bars in all of Stockholm with its great view.

I've stayed here a number of times as this is a company program associated hotel. My stay has been better however the one time the hotel was fully booked and I had to take a room at the Sheraton down the street. Still as a business hotel it gets the job done.

niksal

Short review of the hotel:

Nice GP Gold recognition. Had booked a deluxe room for 5 nights, was upgraded to a junior suite. Also got complimentary fruit and water delivered to the room. The room was big, but somehow empty. It was, however, only the room that was upgraded, not the service. There was some note about free shoe polishing for junior suites, but with the note that it is not valid for free upgrades. Also no free pay-tv

Otherwise the hotel is in a good location, modern, clean (ok, don't look under the bed...) and it suited my needs perfectly. And you have a great hotdog stand around the corner. In Reykjavik all destinations were walking distance.

Often hotel breakfasts are poor value for money, but this one I found decently priced. 2200 ISK for the breakfast was quite decent I thought. I didn't eat at the restaurant lunch or dinner, but the menu in the elevator indicated also very competitive prices!

I would stay here again. There are cheaper places, but I enjoyed the location. On the downside, the location can cause some noice during weekend-nights.

Captainfire

Stayed at this location last weekend for 3 nights, a/i for 2 persons were 120€ inc breakfast, incredible value. Arrived about 10 a.m, and told that at our room would be ready at 1pm, We were upgraded to a junior suite due to my gpp status. Room was nice and big, walk-in shower and bathtub. We were also given a bottle of wine, together with some fruits, which were replenished every day. The beds were a tad bit hard to my liking, but reasonably comfy.
Breakfast was very good, standard british and continental plus an array of cheeses, waffles and pancakes. Staff was also very efficient with offering a wide range of coffees.
Location is alright, not the the most central street, but still only about a 1km away from berliner dom. Alexanderplatz is 3 minutes with u-bahn, ku'damm about a 15 minute ride.
My only gripe would be the staff's english skills, the majority were good, but some of them really struggled.
All in all, a good hotel, given the same rate i'd even choose it over the radisson berlin, a very good hotel.

docr775

Country Inn and Suites, Ontario Mills, California

I stayed there last night to take advantage of the 15K points offer and for the fact that the rate was $68 prepaid. I also emailed my Hyatt, Hilton and PC credentials and I was upgraded to Gold before the stay.

Lobby was very nice, but small, trying to give that B&B atmosphere, with a fireplace, bookshelf full of books that one could borrow and seemingly cozy. Upon check in everybody was given a bag with two fresh baked cookies and because of the Gold status I was also given a bag with a bottle of water, a cereal bar, a bag of microwavable popcorn and a bag of peanuts.

The room was very large with a comfortable king size bed, a separate living area with a couch, table and a 32 inch flat screen TV and a very ample work desk with multiple plugs available for all the electronic gadgets one might want to carry. The bathroom was adequate size, with Pantene products, and there was also a small area with the coffee station, fridge and microwave.

The workout room was adequate and they also had a heated pool and a hot tub available.

Since I had to catch a 1:00 am flight, I did not sample the breakfast.

Overall, it is a good place to stop if you have a late flight into Ontario or a red eye out, and it's proximity to Ontario Mills mall, makes it a good stop for a shopping trip.

8dimsum

My 2nd stay at WFJ-BJ: 3 adults for 3 nights during National Holiday period (10/4-7.)

Easy taxi ride to hotel which is tucked away behind a large office tower with 2 expensive car dealers facing Jinbao liu. Starbucks is still mearby. The office building had 3 ATMs in its lobby.

We had booked a triple: the staff suggested a suite. We looked at the configurations and agreed to the upsell. The sitting area's sofabed was opened up. The room had a 1/2 bath. The 2 beds in the bedroom were firm. The bathroom had a tub and a seperate shower. The lighting was not well planned for the rooms. Both rooms had flat panel TVs.

Staff upon request did bring in additional towels, bathrobes and bottles of water for three guests.

For the holidays, the Japanese restaurant was closed. The upstairs breakfast/restaurant was comfortable and there was plenty of choices and variety for breakfast. We had Club privilege: quite crowded when we went for the PM happy hour. Personnel was on duty to oversee coffee/tea amenity and assist guest with the 2 available computers. Also able to offer some tourist info. The downstairs Concierge was helpful and fluent in English.

My elderly mother brought her foldup wheeled walker. We asked about wheelchair use and the hotel had some loaners for guests: must sign a note to cover replacement charge if not returned, otherwise free for guest.

Easy check in/out. The reception counter has a monitor that flashes daily FX rate, weather. Easy to exchange USD. Pleasant, bilingual front desk staff, and bellmen. The room staff are hardworking, pleasant and hesitant to speak English.

We had a pleasant stay at this hotel. I have earmarked this hotel for my future BJ stays.

seat56f

Just added a review of the St Petersburg Radisson in a separate thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/radis...etersburg.html

docr775

It is right across the street from the convention center and it used to be a Marriott. It changed ownership and the new owner decided not to pay franchise fees to Marriott and it became a Radisson. Let's just say that it was much better as a Marriott.

At check in, the desk clerk was busy answering the phone and did not acknowledge anybody waiting in line for almost 10 minutes. My gold status was not recognized, no upgrades or welcome gifts were given and I was given a room at the end of the hallway. When I asked about the concierge lounge that is advertised on the web site, I was told that it is closed until further notice. The restaurant was closed, the snack bar was closed and only the bar was open. This was at 7:30 at night.

I stayed at this hotel when it was a Marriott and nothing has changed. The room that I was given was on the first floor and had a glass door facing the patio and the pool. The latch on the door was broken and anybody from the outside could have easily entered the room. I went back to the front desk and asked for a different room. When I explained the reason why, the answer was - "I guess we will have to fix that". The second room was closer, on the first floor, and two of the light fixtures did not work due to burnt light bulbs. At this point I just gave up and went to bed. I checked out at 6:20 am and inquired about the restaurant opening for breakfast and I was told that it might open at 7 but the front desk was not sure.

If you need a stay at a Carlson property near the Ontario airport, I would highly recommend the Country Inn about a mile away. They have great staff, recognize elite status and go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

franzose

Did you have a look at the Jersey Gardens outlet mall that is just across the street? Is it worth to go there?

THX

THFC82

Park Plaza Riverbank London

Booked standard (superior) room on 2for1 rate, received after writing an e-mail an exekutive room with Thames view. Great Views and - in total - great value for money.
Next tube station: 10 minutes walk to Vauxhall and 10-15 mins walk the other way to the London Eye (Westminster Bridge). But there is a bus station in front of the hotel. A taxi to Southbank center/Waterloo is about 8 GBP.

JTXC

In June I stayed at both of these hotels. Both were excellent, from the moment I arrived to the moment I left. I booked a business class room in each; I was upgraded to a suite for my first stay of one night at the Dubai hotel.

The rooms at both were modern, clean, and in very good condition (the bathroom at the Abu Dhabi hotel was lovely). Wonderful view of the Arabian Gulf from the balcony of the Abu Dhabi hotel.

Food at both was excellent. Excellent range of food for breakfast and lunch (the buffets at the Abu Dhabi property deserve special mention). The Dubai hotel has a very large number of restaurants. I tried the pub and the Japanese restaurant. The business class lounge at both was excellent.

At the Abu Dhabi hotel I tried the spa which was also good.

I am pleased to see that Radisson is opening hotels in other UAE cities in 2012 and 2013.

yaromac

Radisson Blue Waterfront, Stockholm

As a Diamond member with Hyatt, which has almost no presence in Scandinavia, and Hilton, which does but where the offerings tend not to be of uniformly high quality, I had stayed a single night in a Radisson Blu in Oslo, and been impressed. So when I needed to spend a week in Stockholm, I decided to try the Radisson again. I made a one-night reservation at the Radisson Blu Waterfront, sent a copy of my Hyatt and Hilton cards, and asked about an upgrade and a room for the week at the same rate (which was very similar to the rate being offered at the Hilton, Slussen). (I also sent an email to their Carlton club, and was offered a status match to gold). The front desk manager at the Radisson emailed me back almost immediately and offered a Business Class upgrade for the week. From check in to check out, my stay was close to perfect and I’m ready to switch my loyalty. My profile at Hilton and Hyatt specifies that I prefer to be assigned a quiet room, far from the elevator, on a high floor. At least half the time this doesn’t happen, and as we all know, Diamond benefits sometimes need to be explained to the staff at check-in at both chains. However, at Radisson, without even asking, I received a quiet and tranquil room, with a stellar view, on the top floor, far from the elevators. I received the Carlton Gold fruit and water. I was recognized at breakfast each morning and offered my eggs the same way I had requested them the previous day. The front desk staff went out of their way to help me with a document I needed printed so that I could then sign it, and then scanned and emailed it for me, as well as being consistently extremely friendly and helpful with directions, maps and so on, regardless of the time of day or night. Twice I asked for things to be sent to my room (sugar etc.) and each time they appeared within about two minutes of me asking for them, brought up by the front desk staff themselves. On the single occasion when there was a problem with the heating in my room (no heat, odd noise), their 100% satisfaction policy was explained by the very apologetic front desk staff member, who personally brought up extra blankets and checked the system. The issue was resolved as soon as possible the next morning by them sending up their engineer as soon as I was ready (like all the staff, prompt, friendly, perfect English, efficient), and then by switching me to an equally lovely room immediately (giving me, without me needing to ask for it, a choice of rooms to make sure I was still happy with the view). Room service was never too early, nor too noisy and did an excellent job for seven days straight without ever missing anything. In other words, the service at this hotel was more exceptional than at world-famous landmark hotels I have stayed in at the two chains where I am Diamond, including the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome and the Conrad Hilton in Tokyo. It was warm, efficient, and, well, flawless in every respect. The rooms are beautifully designed, in an understated, modern but very comfortable and practical, Scandic style. Service in the bar was friendly, and the surroundings tranquil. The small health club was always well stocked with towels, fruit and water, and spotlessly clean like everywhere else in this hotel. The next to Centralen Station location cannot be beaten. This particular Radisson will now always be my go-to choice in Stockholm, and when my Carlton Gold membership comes through, I will be trying the other options in this chain. Flyertalkers, I can’t recommend the Radisson Blu Waterfront, Stockholm more highly. Give it a try. (It's a new hotel, and has already made it to #2 position on tripadvisor).

MDtR-Chicago

Excellent stay; exceeded expectations...

Hotel is in rural upstate NY, along I-86. Great place to stop on a road trip.

In advance, I had requested any CC Gold upgrade available. Moved up to an "Executive King" - recently renovated in a great European style. Roasted peanuts and bottled water amenity in the room waiting for me.

Tons of free parking, free wifi (fast). Quiet enough that I slept until 10am.

Staff friendly and even followed up personally to the after-stay survey.

The location is surprisingly excellent. It's at one end of the "Gaffer District", an honest-to-goodness traditional small-town-America downtown area. Several great restaurants, bars, shops. Corning is home to Steuben Glass, so there are ornamental glass shops and museums there.

balima

We reserved 2 king rooms for 12/25 at the Des Moines Airport Radisson. We made the reservations under 2 different names, one of us being gold and one with no status. We requested rooms next to each other at booking. We were both upgraded to top floor Jr. Suites. We also received breakfast vouchers. Our sleep number bed did not work and will be writing Radisson. 2 bottles of water were available in each room. One room had a microwave and refrigerator. Free WI-Fi worked well. The breakfast was fine (especially in Iowa standards). Fresh fruit, mini-sweetrolls and muffins, cereal, milk, juice, coffee, tea, scrambled eggs (with and without cheese), bacon, pancakes, hot syrup, bagels, English muffins and toast.

Also reserved a double queen for the following night. Since we reserved 2 beds, we did not receive a room upgrade even though we were gold. But we did receive 3 breakfasts and 3 free drinks at their steak house. WI-Fi again worked well. One sleep number bed did not. (I mentioned this at check out and they said someone would look into it but did not offer anything). Breakfast again was similiar to day before except we had french toast instead of pancakes, sausage instead of bacon and there was an omelet bar.

For Des Moines not bad and I would return.

Update: Just received email that we would receive $40 refund for bed not working. Thanks Radisson. We will return.