Not surprisingly, Hilton has a pretty small footprint in Helsinki with just one hotel in the city center. As a Hilton Diamond member, booking the Hilton Helsinki was a no brainer for my three night stay in Finland’s capital.
Location
The Hilton Helsinki is located within walking distance to all major sites in Helsinki’s city center and a short walk from Hagnäs underground metro station as well as several tram lines, providing easy links throughout the city.
Overall I found the location to be perfect for getting around the city by foot, tram or metro.
Check In
I arrived at the hotel during sunrise at about 7:30am and was able to check in immediately. Check out that view!
I inquired about available suites and was given an upgrade to a massive one bedroom suite without hesitation. Often European hotels can be stingy with suite upgrades for elite members but this was not the case this time! Check in was quick and efficient, and I was on my way to the room in minutes.
The lobby was modern and cozy with some nice seating, plenty of natural light, and a fire place!
The Room
I was given two keys to rooms 318 and 320. 318 is a direct entrance to the living room and 320 is the adjacent direct bedroom entrance. They do this because the two adjacent bedrooms can be joined to the living room to make a 1 or 2 bedroom suite, otherwise they are sold as separate rooms.
Room 320 is a pretty standard modern hotel room with one double bed, TV, bathroom, and a chair with a small table by the window.
The room was on the smaller side and didn’t include a working desk, though it has an amazing view out to the water where we could watch the sunrise each morning.
The living room (room 318) was two or three times the size of the bedroom! Through the door is a large entrance way with a couple of chairs, coat hanger, and full bathroom.
To the far left of the living room is a seating area with a couch, two chairs, and a coffee table as well as a wall mounted TV.
In the center of the room is a large circular table with seating for five people as well as an entrance to the balcony looking out to the water.
To the right side of the living room was the most comfortable lounge chair I’ve ever sat in with a warm blanket right next to the heaters. This chair is exactly what we all need in the winter time, I could have sat here all day!
Hotel Amenities
The Hilton Helsinki does have a small gym, pool and of course saunas on the top floor. The saunas were pretty standard, however the pool and gym could certainly use some work as they were not in great shape.
The executive lounge was located just above my room with the same amazing view. The lounge served a small breakfast in the mornings and light dinner and drinks in the evenings. While the lounge design was nice, the food on offer could have been better.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served every morning in the lobby restaurant. This renovated space was beautifully designed and the hotel provided a nice range of options for breakfast. On offer was a pretty average breakfast by European standards with a selection of hot dishes, fruits and salads, pastries, coffee and juice, and a few local specialties all of good quality.
Bottom Line
I had a nice stay overall at the Hilton Helsinki Strand. My suite was extremely cozy and spacious with an incredible sunrise view each morning and the hotel is in great location. I didn’t really care for the gym or pool, nor the executive lounge and breakfast which were both adequate though not memorable.
Overall I would gladly stay at the Hilton Helsinki again, though I do hope they improve the gym, pool, and sauna as improve the food served in the executive lounge.