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New hotels in Finland – where to lay down your head in Helsinki

Credits: Haltia Lake Lodge

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Finnish tourism sector on the route to recovery in Helsinki region

Slowly but surely the Finnish tourism sector starts to recover from the pandemic; from January to November 2021 an increase of 17% in hotel nights was recorded compared to the previous year.
Credits: Haltia Lake Lodge

The most interesting projects from Helsinki to Kilpisjärvi

04/02/2022

In November 2021 a total of 55,417 hotel rooms were available in Finland, according to Statistics Finland 4,757 more than a year earlier. And there is more to come.

As we realized that there are plenty of new and exciting hotels opening and still under construction in Finland, we put together an overview of some of the most interesting projects from Helsinki to Kilpisjärvi. This article has been divided into 4 parts, so make sure to read them all.

Now, let us start our journey in the south of Finland, in the capital Helsinki.

Quite little surprisingly as the most populated region in Finland, the capital city counts the largest number of new hotel projects. Last year it was reported that in 2022 a total of 7 new hotels are expected to open their doors in Helsinki, followed by further 11 by 2024. Currently the Helsinki region boosts 16,500 hotel rooms and this year the capacity is expected to increase by 1,292 rooms if all projects proceed as planned.

The largest new opening in 2022 will be the congress hotel Scandic Avenue in Annankatu, in a former printing house that until recently hosted the European Chemicals Agency office. Besides 350 hotel rooms, a restaurant and a bar, the facilities will include 2,000 sqm conference and events space.

Credits: Hotel Ax by PrimeHotels

PrimeHotels will contribute more than 400 rooms with 2 openings in 2022, namely Hotel Mestari (237 rooms) opening in downtown Helsinki in March and the artsy Hotel Ax in the district Jätkäsaari. Latter will be created in collaboration with Finland’s most renowned artists boosting 173 rooms and a unique art gallery bar & restaurant due to welcome its’ guests in April. In 2023 PrimeHotels will add another 224 rooms to the Helsinki capacity with the opening of Grand Hansa, the first luxury hotel run by Hyatt in Finland.

Due to the pandemic, the largest hotel operator in the Nordic countries, Scandic, had to postpone the opening of their most recent hotel. The nearly 500-room Scandic Grand Central Helsinki opened in April 2021 in the former headquarters of Finnish Railways VR in Helsinki main railway station.

Another recent opening is the family-owned boutique hotel, Hotel U14. The 117-room property ran under the Marriott brand offers a contemporary and cosy ambiance located only a few steps away from the beautiful Esplanade Park in the heart of Helsinki.

The must-know project around the Finnish capital

The construction work of the largest hotel complex in Finland at Helsinki Airport with more than 700 rooms on 13 floors, begun last autumn. Currently the opening of the Nordic Choice Hotels operated property with two different brands is estimated for 2024. With direct access to terminal 2 and the airport train station, the complex will expand the service portfolio at the airport in Vantaa by extensive meeting and conference facilities, five restaurants, a rooftop sky bar, a spa, and a gym. The operators are aiming at a LEED Gold certification to prove their sustainability efforts.

In western Vantaa Noli Myyrmäki opened in October 2021 taking the co-living concept outside downtown Helsinki for the first time. Next to the local sports and event venues Noli features 322 cosy studios and plenty of community facilities including a gym, sauna area, a shared kitchen and co-working space.

Also, in Finland’s second largest city Espoo, located just a stone throw away from the capital, plenty of development is currently taking place.

The new Hotel Matts in Matinkylä offers 192 rooms and 77 apartments in different sizes to accommodate various needs and larger groups such as families. In true Finnish style, the suites include a sauna.

Credits: Future views of Helsinki Airport

Haltia Lake Lodge is the place to recharge your batteries in the middle of nature – only 30 minutes from bustling Helsinki. The Green Key-certified property opened in August 2021 in Nuuksio National Park and puts great emphasis on sustainability. Accommodation is offered in both rooms and glamping tents. 

The latest addition to Espoo’s hotel offering is Polku Nuuksio, a nature and wellbeing hotel located in Nuuksio. The young hotelier couple wanted to create an active nature holiday destination where one could enjoy the silence of the surrounding nature. The vegetarian and fish dishes in the menu round up the concept.

Yet to open is Heymo 1 by Sokos Hotels in the Keilaniemi business district, expected to launch operations in April. As the name tells, the first of its’ kind, Heymo will be a new type of flexible service hotel category where the guests only pay for what they need. According to their website, “Heymo is a hotel that hopes people will spend as little time as possible in the hotel”.

A little further away from the capital, Hotelli Sointu is situated conveniently at the railway station in Järvenpää and since January 2022 offers a variety of rooms from singles to superior Family rooms for up to 6 persons. Parking is included in the price and the check-in happens digitally.