Crowne Plaza, Helsinki
Feeling Finnair
- How much for 160 Tier Points?
- 3 am. Digbeth Coach Station. We know the drill by now…
- Cathay Pacific Lounge (Business Class), London Heathrow
- Finnair AY1332 London Heathrow to Helsinki Airport (Business Class)
- This is new: Leaving Helsinki Airport
- Crowne Plaza Helsinki
- Exploring Suomenlinna
- Back to Helsinki Airport
- Finnair Non-Schengen Lounge
- Finnair AY1337 Helskini to London Heathrow (Business Class)
- What a Heathrow Omnishambles
- 160 Tier Points Down, 160 To Go
After a short walk from the tram stop, I made my way in.
Going into the reception, it was full of dark woods and a nordic design.
I wandered over to the reception desk. My details were confirmed for check-in and room keys were issued.
I was upgraded from a base room to a Club Room, with access to the club lounge. My rate also included breakfast as well (something I didn’t pay attention to when booking the hotel room – but I’m fine with that).
There was an offer of a welcome drink or 600 points. I took the points, as my IHG balance is pretty… weak.
With everything in hand, I headed up to the 9th floor – the Club floor.
This hotel layout has some odd twists and turns – but I found my room at the end of a corridor.
Opening the room – it’s a massive room. Lots of space to bounce around in – or fall asleep in.
Dominating the room was a double bed – which was the right firmness for me (put it like this – after a bad night’s sleep, that bed worked pretty well for me.
The air conditioning was set to chilly – the perfect temperature for your truly (as coming from the hot UK and returning to one was something I didn’t plan for). Dominating the wall is the TV.
Underneath were the coffee machine, kettle and cups.
Nearby was a work desk that faced out of the window.
At the desk, there were two power outlets and two USB-A outlets.
This is not difficult people. Adding USB sockets (both A and C) should not be an afterthought anymore.
Let us look at the bathroom. This is a large affair, to put it mildly, with individual amenity items.
These were refilled each day. And as you can see, there were bathrobes, with slippers too.
It’s almost as if they want you to be comfortable in the hotel or something.
The design itself was very nordic. With nice touches everywhere.
There was also a Nespresso-compatible coffee machine, with actual Nespresso pods. This is one way where some hotels can cheap out, by using generic pods as opposed to branded ones. So this is a very nice touch indeed.
As for the view – well. Not too shabby.
The hotel offers a Club lounge for those who are eligible. This features a lounge area, with a subset of the breakfast served here, along with a Happy hour in the evening, featuring alcoholic beverages and snacks.
Breakfast offerings in the club lounge
Evening snacks
Or a late evening spot to blog in some social comfort.
Drinks station
Breakfast is served downstairs in the restaurant on the ground floor.
As usual, your name is checked against a list. With that, you can take a seat and get comfortable, then go and play “Help yourself”.
As we know, a buffet breakfast can offer a lot of fun.
This hotel’s buffet breakfast was… expansive to put it mildly. Working around the stations
Hot items
salads and…
And a salmon. Because why not?
Bread items
this is actually something rather good – a food section dedicated to those on special diets (gluten-free, Lacto-free, etc). A very good touch.
Superfoods for those who enjoy that sort of thing.
Berries and yoghurts
Cereals
Oh. You. The App-Based drinks machine. One day I’ll have a post on this. But not today.
It’s a very good buffet, with options for all sorts – beating out the usual continental fare or the sausage/beans/egg option. Options are nice to have
Checking out of the hotel was simple, with a confirmation from the front desk that I was leaving (i had paid on entry – some were paying on exit).
With that, I went exploring.
Overall: Impressive for the price to put it mildly. The hotel was well maintained, with room design logical and filled with premium amenities. The massive breakfast buffet is a lovely thing to see (and for once – worth the extra in my opinion (some are just not even worth getting out of bed for).
The upgrade – whilst not essential, was welcomed.
Next: Exploring Suomenlinna.
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