Following our missed connection, Finnair put us at the Hilton Helsinki Airport Hotel. It appears that Business/Finnair Plus Elite members were put up at the Hilton, while Economy passengers were put at the Holiday Inn. The Hilton Helsinki is connected to the airport terminal by an outdoor covered pathway. It takes around 5 minutes to walk to the terminal from the hotel.
This leads me to my disclaimer: this review will be a short one, as we literally got to the hotel at night and left early the next morning for the flight we were rebooked on.
I appreciate that the hotel’s designers tried to incorporate some local design elements (e.g. exposed birchwood columns) and Nordic-style furniture, which spruced up the aesthetic of the lobby quite a bit.
Hilton Helsinki Airport Lobby
As you can see, the furniture in the lobby looks like it just came right out of an Ikea catalog (which sounds like a complaint, though really isn’t, given that we’re in Finland).
Hilton Helsinki Airport Lobby
We were welcomed by the friendly associate at the lobby, who informed us that Finnair had booked three rooms for the three members of our family. We ended up using two of the rooms that they had booked for us. The associate was efficient and gave us a brief introduction to the hotel before sending us on our way to our rooms.
Hilton Helsinki Airport
Check-in: June 28, 2017
Room Type: Standard King Room
Stay duration: 1 night
Check-out: June 29, 2017
My first impression of the room was that it was small, compact, and looked like it came straight out of an Ikea showroom.
Hilton Helsinki Airport Standard King Room
There was a king-sized bed in the room, which was firm but not actively uncomfortable. There were two business-class style lights located on each side of the bed. My biggest critique with the bed is that the pillows were small and not the most comfortable.
Hilton Helsinki Airport Standard King Room Bed
There was also a small sitting area with an armchair and a table, which we used to hang the clothes that we had washed. The armchair wasn’t comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, but was functional enough.
Hilton Helsinki Airport Standard King Room Armchair and Desk
There was also a desk, with adequate working space and a poorly padded working chair.
Hilton Helsinki Airport Standard King Room Desk
The bathroom featured a separate bathtub and shower to my surprise. The water pressure in the shower was excellent, but I found it a little difficult to operate.
Hilton Helsinki Airport Standard King Room Shower and Bathtub
There was also a sink with a decent amount of counter space. The toiletries were from Peter Thomas Roth, which is in line with the Hilton brand standard. They weren’t actively unpleasant but nothing special either.
Hilton Helsinki Airport Standard King Room Sink
Overall, I quite liked the room. Keeping in mind that most people really only stay at airport hotels for one night, so for that purpose the room was perfectly adequate. The room was well-designed but very compact, and the furniture and the overall design was so “Nordic” that I’m running out of Ikea jokes to describe it. I especially appreciated the separate shower and tub, which was really thoughtful.
For those who might want to explore Helsinki during a layover, you can take a train service from Helsinki Airport straight into Helsinki’s city center. We had a short but really enjoyable walking tour which ended in a Finnish-style reindeer dinner.
We left early in the next morning to catch our 7:45AM flight to Amsterdam.
Bottom Line: Hilton Helsinki Airport
Overall, I quite enjoyed my stay at the Hilton. The hotel is a really nice option for those who need to spend a night in Helsinki, but don’t want to venture out into the city. While the decor isn’t inspiring by any stretch of the imagination, it’s functional enough. The service is friendly enough and efficient. I’d definitely return.
perfectly adequate…..sums up my experience though I didn’t have issues with the bed, my issue was very few electrical outlets. I also had a late dinner in the restaurant and it was quite decent for airport hotel restaurant