Back in Gothenburg after a trip in Turkey and Mexico, I had to spend the night there before leaving for Paris via Zurich the next morning.

I chose the Gothia Towers more out of obligation than conviction.

All the articles related to this trip.

Booking

I started to worry about the reservation a fortnight before my departure and then, surprise, on the outward journey as well as on the return journey there was almost nothing available in Gothenburg for reasons that are still unknown to me.

On my outbound journey, the problem was quickly solved as a friend kindly offered to host me but she was not present on my return journey and there was no way to find a room in town.

Leaving early the next morning I could have tried the Scandic at the airport but I was not more motivated than that to spend the night in Landvetter.

So I used the American Express Platinum concierge who got me a room at the Gothia Towers even though their site had no availability.

Location of the hotel

Gothia Towers is not unfamiliar to you since I’ve already talked about it during my stay at the Upper House. They are in fact the same hotel, the Upper House being the premium part occupying the highest floors.

It is just on the fringe of the city center but this is not a problem because in Gothenburg you are always more or less 20 minutes walking distance from everything.

From the airport the Uber ride will take me about 20 minutes.

Check-In

I arrive at the end of the afternoon in this mid-November…with the weather that goes with this time of the year in Sweden.

I did my check-in online but what was my surprise when I sawthe queues.

Let’s use the right words:I haven’t seen such a mess at a hotel check-in for ages. It’s more like the arrival of an all-inclusive vacation club.

In fact, it’s a bit the case: obviously, these are people who come to spend the weekend at the hotel in “staycation” mode and who therefore arrive once the working day is over.

There is a line for customers who have checked in online and a line for others. The first is slow, the second very slow.

I maintain the impressions I had during my stay at the Upper House, but this time in the middle of a pandemic in an almost empty hotel: this hotel is a “factory” and its 5 stars will not change anythinh The common areas and the lobby, in particular, are quite inpersonnal and if you were in the hall of a conference center, it would have no less soul.

Anyway, I finally got my key ( at least the staff is always so nice in Sweden) and went to my room.

The standard room at the Gothia Towers.

The room is composed of two parts: a bed area and a small living area.

The bedding is comfortable even though I’m not a fan of double single beds and two separate comforters that Scandinavians love.

The living room area is decorated with simplicity and good taste.

The desk area is minimalist but it exists. I would have preferred a real chair though.

As for the bathroom, it is a good size but lacks warmth, it feels like a hospital or a stadium locker room…

I really have a hard time with this room and I find a little bit the feelings I had in my suite at the Upper House: it’s nicely decorated, without any lack of taste (in a Swedish way), the colors are even warm butI don’t feel good.

I have a great ability to feel at the hotel like I am at home but I find these rooms like the hotel: cold. And the colors of the decoration will not change anything.

It’s nice, let’s admit it, it’s large for a standard room, especially in Scandinavia, but something is desperately missing.

Fortunately I only stayed one night but I couldn’t make this room my own at all, unlike the rooms at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia, for example, which I like very much.

By the way, if you go to read this review fo the Radisson Blu, the spa comparison says it all about the difference between the two properties. As much as the one at the Radisson is relaxing and warm, the one at the Gothia / Upper House (tested here) is cold and impersonal. Beautiful, large, but without any personality or soul. A factory.

And finally the coldness of the bathroom does not make it especially pleasant to use. It makes you feel cold just by looking at it. It’s even close to “cheap”.

Oh, I almost forgot: the view overlooks the nearby park and its Ferris wheel.

In the end a nice room, a pleasant bedding without being exceptional but not a place where I felt good and not one of my best nights either even though I arrived quite tired with a certain need for sleep.

The hotel facilities

Here again I refer you to my article on the Upper House since both hotels share the same facilities.

Guests at the Upper House can choose between a dedicated gym and one shared by both properties, but both are very good.

The spa is free for Upper House guests and charged to Gothia Towers guests. As I was just passing by and found the practice a bit petty, I won’t use it this time.

Bars and restaurants

This time they were all open but I preferred to dine out.

I’ll just have a drink on the way back to the hotel in the evening. Efficient service and professional staff but the impression of being in the lobby corridor is not the most pleasant and contributes to the “station hall” effect of the place.

Check out

No express or mobile check-outso I have to anticipate waking up to go to the reception. Fortunately this will be very quick and with less paperwork than elsewhere.

And I leave without regret this cold hall to go to the airport.

Bottom line

I don’t have much to complain about the room, the staff was very pleasant but this hotel is missing something: a soul. And yet I have stayed in many large capacity hotels, business hotels, but I have never felt the coldness of the place and the discrepancy between an upscale positioning and a “station hall” feeling.

In short,I am not a fan. Especially at nearly 300 euros per night. There are certainly better if you want to find a hotel in Gothenburg.

Articles similaires

Upper House Gothenburg: so beautiful, so cold… Radisson Blu Scandinavia Gothenburg : another nice stay and a very nice suite Hotel Avalon Gothenburg: Almost Very Good Scandic Rubinen Goteborg: good but wasted potential Clarion Draken Hotel Gothenburg: premium and lively…but not yet fully operational Scandic Landvetter Hotel: a very pleasant surprise at Gothenburg airport