Northern European capitals do not receive the interest from tourists that they deserve. Anyway, I took advantage of a nice weekend at the beginning of summer to go to Helsinki. The hotel chosen is theKlaus K, from the Design Hotels chain, a network of “boutique hotels” affiliated with the Starwood Spg loyalty program.
Arrival and check-in
The hotel isvery easy to reach from Helsinki International Airport. The airport shuttle bus drops you off at the train station for about ten euros and from there it’s a ten minute walk to the Klaus K.
The facade without exuberance fits into the local landscape even if there is a mass of buildings around it with a more pleasant appearance.
I arrive at the reception where the staff takes care of my check-in. I don’t expect much in terms of upgrades, with Design Hotels not delivering the full benefits of the Starwood loyalty program to date. And yet I was told I would be upgraded to the “Envy room”, the level above the “Desire room” I had chosen. Very friendly, the staff asked me if I also needed recommendations for tours, restaurants etc.
Looking around I can see that the design of the reception area contrasts with the look of the building as well as the adjacent dining room, used for breakfast.
In fact the characteristic of the hotel is to have no consistency in terms of design and decoration, even between rooms. For better or for worse? The photos published on the hotel’s website predict the best…to be verified.
Discovery of the Envy Room.
So I go to the floor of my room and follow the corridor that takes me to my room. Strange sensation, neither ancient nor modern, as if someone put a coat of paint on an old one. So I don’t know if I’m in an old hotel or a modern one that has aged too badly.
The door opens. A small dressing room on the side then the bedroom. It has a “night” part and a “living room” part with table, armchair and chair.
The bathroom is clean, functional but it’s one of the smallest I’ve seen in recent times. It would not look out of place in an Ibis.
After a closer inspection I can see that the furniture is already worn out and that the furniture and walls have many scratches.
The whole is finally not very luminous(in addition the room gives on an interior court), which adds to the dark colors of the furniture. When it comes to design, especially in a boutique hotel, one must expect everything and have an open mind, but frankly I’m not convinced. The whole thing already looks old and dated. You can smell a dust which, fortunately, does not exist.
I will add that the bedding was good, without more.
A video visit to finish.
Catering: the best and the worst
No lounge in this Design Hotel so let’s start with the breakfast. Served as a buffet, it is quite complete and of good quality. The room is also pleasant.
So a good breakfast. Not exceptional but flawless.
The hotel has an Italian restaurant. I had dinner there twice. I sometimes found the service a bit long but to the staff’s credit the room was packed, the reputation of the place obviously extending beyond the sphere of the hotel’s guests. And as surprising as it is to eat Italian in Helsinki instead of enjoying the good local food (actually Helsinki has excellent restaurants of just about every nationality but the local food is also very good),I really found it very good.
A very good point for the restoration.
Klaus K also has a bar, which it praises for its atmosphere for aperitifs and in the evening. I didn’t try it because it was closed! I was indeed in Helsinki during the “mid summer hollydays” where most of the locals leave the city to spend some good time by the lakes during the longest days of the year. No matter that the city is full of tourists, many stores and restaurants were closed…including the hotel bar.
And not necessarily convinced by the warmth of the place.
It also seems that the hotel has a superb rooftop…but only accessible by privatization obviously.
Minimalist facilities.
I did not test the hotel spa, afraid that I was by mazes of stairs in the basement to get there, which did not inspire me confidence.
As for the fitness room, it is a ridiculous cubbyhole cobbled together in the basement. Not very engaging either.
Conclusion : disappointing
We all know that there is often a gap between the beautiful photos of websites and reality. To work hard on the design of the rooms is a good thing (and still it is necessary that the taste is not too questionable) but that, added to a sort of replastering of the old is not enough to give an identity. The whole is ultimately inconsistent and disappointing in modernity and gives a dusty appearance.
What you like about a boutique hotel is its unconventional and non-standard charm. But sloppiness is not an element of charm.
Ratings:
Room: dark, worn furniture, very small bathroom. It spoils all the effort put on the design which finally is not highlighted. 6
Restaurant / bar: a very correct breakfast, an excellent restaurant and a bar closed for vacations while the hotel is full. It is the restaurant that saves the day. 7.
Check-in/out. Smooth check-in and very friendly staff, express check-out. 10
Application of the loyalty program: recognition of the customer, application of all benefits and even the (small) upgrade to which the hotel was not obliged. 10
Facilities: untested spa and the cobbled-together fitness room in a basement is worth a 4.5.
Experience for money the promise is not kept but at 150 euros per night it avoids being too frustrated. 6.
Service and attention: nothing to complain about. Scandinavian hospitality… 10
Hotel: well placed, but too inconsistent in its promise and execution, looks a bit too much of “fake new on old”. 6
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