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You are here: Home / Trips / Helsinki 2 / TRIP REPORT: Doing it for the Tier Points – Crowne Plaza, Helsinki

TRIP REPORT: Doing it for the Tier Points – Crowne Plaza, Helsinki

01/10/2022 by Kevincm

Crowne Plaza, Helsinki
Doing it for the Tier Points

Doing it for the tier points cover image

  • And once again, welcome to the Tier Point Enrichment Centre
  • What can you do with about three hours and a bit of sleep? (Coach, Heathrow Airport and Lounge)
  • Finnair AY1332 London Heathrow to Helsinki (Business Class/A350)
  • Planes, Trains, Boats and Trams – Into Helsinki and slightly beyond
  • Crowne Plaza Helsinki
  • A Morning walk around Helsinki 
  • Back to Vantaa, Finnair Non-Schengen Lounge
  • Finnair AY1337 Helsinki to London Heathrow (Business Class/A350)
  • Heathrow wows, Euston moans, and Rugby looks pretty
  • 320 Tier Points, Done

I arrived at the hotel after my walk and checked in.

a building with many windows
Yes. It’s a recycled photo.

Once again, I was offered a choice of a drink at the bar, or points as a welcome amenity. 

a bar with a counter and shelves of liquora room with chairs and tables
Welcome

a lobby with a chandelier and chairs
Reception 

a lobby with chairs and tables

a room with a round wall and a black tile floor

We all know what I went for. Because my point balances are never high enough.

I was in a Junior Suite this time – with no club room access. That was fine for a one-night stay. I did select having breakfast at my rate, so I wouldn’t be hungry in the morning. 

With all that done, a key card was issued and away I went. 

a gold elevator with buttons and numbers

Let’s take a look at this room – whilst not as large as the Club Room I had previously, it was well sized, to put it mildly. 

a room with a bed and a backpack a room with a couch and a desk
The junior suite

a building with ivy growing on it
The outside view. 

As expected, the room had all the usual amenities  – even a Nespresso machine with proper pods (an easy way for a hotel to save money). 

a black coffee machine on a marble table
Nespresso compatblile machine

a tray with wine glasses on it
Glasses

a small metal safe in a shelf
Safe, Minibar, Kettle and all the drinks. 

I’ll be honest at this point. I was going to cheat like hell and return to S-Market to get some late-evening food after a little doze.

My body had other ideas, with me out cold for a good 10 hours plus. Oh well, I didn’t fancy painting the town red at least. I’ll take a good night’s sleep on the bed that was there in the room. 

4 am and I am friends enough as it is.

Thankfully, I brought the laptop to keep me entertained, as well as to push out a few things that had been queuing on the blog.

Believe it or not, it can be cathartic writing this blog sometimes. I also took the opportunity to shower too. 

The bathroom in this room… is a little odd, as you have to get to it via the left-hand side of the room and past the bed. 

a white robe on a door
The positioning of the door to the bed is … unusual. 
a bathtub in a bathroom a bathroom with a mirror and a bathtub
Please excuse the idiot in the mirror.

An odd design for sure, and one way to wake someone up if they’re in bed.

With 7:30 am coming along, I decided to make my way downstairs for breakfast. Well, I had been up a fair bit at that point, and further sleep was not happening for love or money. 

Arriving at the restaurant, I was checked in and found a seat with a window. A server kindly asked if I wanted coffee or tea to go along with breakfast. 

Regular readers of this blog will know exactly what I went for.

a table with chairs and a glass window

With that in, I headed into the main food area to scout out breakfast. I was in the mood for hot stuff. I was not disappointed(as this hotel hasn’t done), with its full spread.

a restaurant with a counter and people standing in front of it
The breakfast area

a buffet table with plates of food

a buffet table with food on it
Continental Items 

a buffet with food on the counter

a group of trays of food
Hot items

a food in a pan
Pancakes

jars of jam and cookies on a counter
Jam

 

a counter with pastries and pastries on it
Waffles and chocolate-dipped croissants

a buffet table with food on it
All the gluten in the world 

Whilst it hasn’t changed from last time – that’s not a bad thing in this case, as the spread covers both continental and hot options, as well as items for those on special diets.

a shelf with food items on it
Superfood bar

a display case with food on it
Special diets bar. 

What was nice was that when I sat down, I was offered coffee or tea straight away – this came in a hot coffee jug – something to help the day get off to a good start I thought. 

I’m a fan of this buffet breakfast (least of all there are options for all), so this was a win-win for me, especially with a detail to service that is always welcome to see.

With breakfast done and dusted, I went back upstairs to relax and ponder what to do. The fact is – I had no plans.,

I’ll be honest here – I sometimes don’t plan a thing when travelling. It has helped sometimes when I just want to wander and not worry about things – with the only deadline me being at the gate at an airport. 

Sometimes, letting go of the rush and going with the flow helps a bit in life. Well, it’s sometimes needed as a safety valve occasionally. 

With the clock hitting 10 am, I decided to make something of the day. I headed downstairs to check out. 

As I had paid for the room the day before,  and there was no further paperwork to be completed, I headed off for a morning walk.

Overall: A continuous delivery of service is a welcome thing to see. The room itself was more than adequate for a medium-term stay (even if I was just night-stopping) and continues to be one of the better-priced chain hotels in Helsinki.

Combined with friendly service and an excellent breakfast buffet, it’s one hotel I can recommend without hesitation.

Next: A Moring Walk around Central Helsinki


Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, featuring in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.

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