Original Sokos Hotel Helsinki

Great location, nice breakfast included, very clean and spacious room.

Great location and a wonderful sense of history associated with this hotel makes it the place to stay in Helsinki for myself. I have stayed here on many occasions over the last 20 years when visiting Finland.

The sense of Finnish identity and traditional hospitality has been diluted. For example there is no complimentary water in the room which is the norm in hotels of this calibrate; I was charged for the single bottle of still water that I used. It is not the price but rather the fact that the guest was not accorded the traditional complimentary bottle of water. Additionally there was no welcome note or guide to the hotel that I could see. Thirdly there was no draft Finnish beer available at the hotel bar but rather one of the International brands. Finally there was no information to remind the guest that Finnish Independence day had been recently celebrated. In a hotel of this standing and tradition it is important to maintain the sense of uniqueness and Finnish ethnicity and tradition.