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- May 25, 2013
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During the last six months I've now stayed in all three hotels that are near the airport (a 10 min shuttle bus / taxi ride) and below are brief comments for future reference. Please note that there are three additional hotels connected to the airport terminal (and a few more in surrounding suburbs) but it's too long since I stayed at those to comment on them properly.
1) Holiday Inn Helsinki - Vantaa Airport. A conversion from a mid-range domestic hotel chain. This could perhaps work as a 3-3.5 star hotel. For a Finnish hotel, this is still mid-range and starting to show its age. Cleanliness is generally good but not 100% thorough. Rooms are functional, beds OK and the breakfast buffet big enough.
Last time I booked a standard room (as a single traveller) and got a rather compact queen standard. There was very little room between the bed and desk but enough space for my bag and clothes for one night. The lighting was dimmer that I hoped for (as a lover of good lighting in rooms).
OK value for money if you get it for max 120e.
2) Scandic Helsinki Aviapolis. Scandic is a Nordic brand and they focus on functionality and environmental friendliness (they have pioneered many initiatives in the hospitality industry in the region already 20 years ago). The rooms have been redone recently but I'm not a fan of the new decor: it's very much IKEA or cheapie style. It attempts to follow clean scandi design but comes across too cheap. It's functional, though, so if you are not faced by visual aspects, the rooms will work well for you. The bed is pretty comfy, I could easily spend a few nights on it.
The breakfast buffet is good. The gluten-free / vegan-specific / etc items are tucked away in a separate location and I had to ask the staff before I found them.
Generally OK value for their average room rates if you are OK with the room decor. I'd list this as a good 3.5 stars. At quiet times, the hotel may refer you to use the restaurant at their neighbouring property, Scandic Helsinki Aviacongress.
3) Scandic Helsinki Aviacongress. This is like a "big brother" to Scandic Aviapolis. It also feels slightly better appointed, more mature and used to be more of a business hotel. The rooms have been redone here, too. In general, I like the plentiful use of wooden elements. However, the whole other wall was filled with a skinny shelfing unit but only half of it served a real purpose and the rest just made the room feel smaller and restless. Photos attached below. The bed is comfy enough for a few nights of solid sleep. Cleanliness was good. The breakfast buffet is spread out over a large area and has all your usual suspects for the typical Western diet (but those accustomed to rice etc for an Asian style brekkie will need to improvise).
This gets 3.5+ stars (but not 4) and is good value for their average room rate. Of these three hotels in their current form, this became my favourite.
All three hotels are usually very quiet and you get an uninterupted sleep there. The free shuttle bus to the airport is punctual and runs every 20-30 mins (the timetable is available through the hotel websites).
Coffee lovers, please note that at all breakfasts, you get your coffee from an automat (it tastes like coffee but is far from the bliss of a good Melbourne coffee shop) and there's no way to get a proper espresso at the breakfast. You need head out to a dedicated coffee shop for your fix.
Hotels by the airport terminal. The terminal has three hotels: Scandic Helsinki Airport, Hilton Helsinki Airport and GLO Hotel Airport. I like the Scandic property, it's an elegant one. Hilton is your vanilla Hilton (at least was a few years ago). Those two are in separate buildings within a 3-5 min walk from the terminal while the entrance to GLO is in the arrivals hall (right after the exit from the baggage claim & customs).
1) Holiday Inn Helsinki - Vantaa Airport. A conversion from a mid-range domestic hotel chain. This could perhaps work as a 3-3.5 star hotel. For a Finnish hotel, this is still mid-range and starting to show its age. Cleanliness is generally good but not 100% thorough. Rooms are functional, beds OK and the breakfast buffet big enough.
Last time I booked a standard room (as a single traveller) and got a rather compact queen standard. There was very little room between the bed and desk but enough space for my bag and clothes for one night. The lighting was dimmer that I hoped for (as a lover of good lighting in rooms).
OK value for money if you get it for max 120e.
2) Scandic Helsinki Aviapolis. Scandic is a Nordic brand and they focus on functionality and environmental friendliness (they have pioneered many initiatives in the hospitality industry in the region already 20 years ago). The rooms have been redone recently but I'm not a fan of the new decor: it's very much IKEA or cheapie style. It attempts to follow clean scandi design but comes across too cheap. It's functional, though, so if you are not faced by visual aspects, the rooms will work well for you. The bed is pretty comfy, I could easily spend a few nights on it.
The breakfast buffet is good. The gluten-free / vegan-specific / etc items are tucked away in a separate location and I had to ask the staff before I found them.
Generally OK value for their average room rates if you are OK with the room decor. I'd list this as a good 3.5 stars. At quiet times, the hotel may refer you to use the restaurant at their neighbouring property, Scandic Helsinki Aviacongress.
3) Scandic Helsinki Aviacongress. This is like a "big brother" to Scandic Aviapolis. It also feels slightly better appointed, more mature and used to be more of a business hotel. The rooms have been redone here, too. In general, I like the plentiful use of wooden elements. However, the whole other wall was filled with a skinny shelfing unit but only half of it served a real purpose and the rest just made the room feel smaller and restless. Photos attached below. The bed is comfy enough for a few nights of solid sleep. Cleanliness was good. The breakfast buffet is spread out over a large area and has all your usual suspects for the typical Western diet (but those accustomed to rice etc for an Asian style brekkie will need to improvise).
This gets 3.5+ stars (but not 4) and is good value for their average room rate. Of these three hotels in their current form, this became my favourite.
All three hotels are usually very quiet and you get an uninterupted sleep there. The free shuttle bus to the airport is punctual and runs every 20-30 mins (the timetable is available through the hotel websites).
Coffee lovers, please note that at all breakfasts, you get your coffee from an automat (it tastes like coffee but is far from the bliss of a good Melbourne coffee shop) and there's no way to get a proper espresso at the breakfast. You need head out to a dedicated coffee shop for your fix.
Hotels by the airport terminal. The terminal has three hotels: Scandic Helsinki Airport, Hilton Helsinki Airport and GLO Hotel Airport. I like the Scandic property, it's an elegant one. Hilton is your vanilla Hilton (at least was a few years ago). Those two are in separate buildings within a 3-5 min walk from the terminal while the entrance to GLO is in the arrivals hall (right after the exit from the baggage claim & customs).
