Credits: Glo Hotels
Are you searching for an exceptional place to stay during your city break in Finland? If so, you’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re a fan of Finnish design, Moomins, or simply looking for an unforgettable hotel experience, you’re up for a night to remember. There are plenty of room options from independent boutique hotels to established hotel chains.
Browse through our curated list of some of the most unique hotel rooms in Finland.
The renowned architect and designer Alvar Aalto created a style that never seems to go out of fashion. If his aesthetics please your eye, check out Hotel Helka in central Helsinki. The hotel has a selection of rooms that have been furnished with Aalto’s famous design furniture. If you’re travelling to Lakeland, take a closer look at Hotel Yöpuu in the heart of Jyväskylä. This charming hotel is known for its unique, boutique-style rooms; two of them are decorated in the spirit of Alvar Aalto including his signature furniture.
If you'd like to know more about where to shop Finnish design icons in Helsinki, read our article "Design flagship stores in Helsinki."
Soak yourself to sleep in Helsinki surrounded by the renowned Finnish brand Marimekko. At Glo Hotel Kluuvi’s homelike studios, you get to familiarize yourself with Marimekko’s iconic design patterns and items. Hotel Yöpuu in Jyväskylä also has a Marimekko room. Alternatively, get enchanted by northern tales and nature at Hotel Presidentti’s suites, which have been designed by the Finnish fashion brand Ivana Helsinki.
For a truly unique experience, stay at a hotel that’s previously been a prison! At Hotel Katajanokka in Helsinki, you can sleep undisturbed in a modernized and comfortable cell block surrounded by metre-thick brick walls. Alternatively, Hotel Bulevard, in the southernmost tip of Finland in Hanko, welcomes you to spend a night at an old police station. There you can choose between a snug jail cell or a police officer room decorated with Finnish designer pieces.
Want to take your prison break still up a notch? Stay overnight in a boat suit in the middle of a prison yard at Hotel Kakola in Turku.
Why not elevate your stay in Helsinki with some postmodern art? Hotel AX’s creative suites will expand your imagination with exceptional conversation pieces. Centrally located Hotel Klaus K also offers unique rooms transformed by acclaimed Finnish artists, such as Katja Tukiainen and Riiko Sakkinen.
The boutique hotel Haawe, at the heart of Rovaniemi, has found inspiration for its unique rooms in the changing seasons and natural phenomena of Lapland. Fan of Moomins? You’ll be thrilled to discover that both Naantali Spa and Ruissalo Spa located in the Coast & Archipelago region, have theme rooms built around these famous, Finnish characters. For truly one-of-a-kind themes, head to any of the Original by Sokos Hotels that provide themed rooms, like the jazz-themed room in Pori, the Baltic Sea room in Vaasa, or the Finnish summer-night-inspired rooms in Oulu.
Get acquainted with the Jugend style in architecture by staying overnight at the elegant Scandic Grand Central in Helsinki. The building was originally designed by the world-famous architect Eliel Saarinen. This beautifully transformed space, which once used to be the headquarters of the Finnish National Railways, now offers a variety of timelessly stylish rooms in central Helsinki. Another national romantic-style hotel nearby is the castle, Glo Art, which also has rooms with classic aesthetics.
In case you are travelling further east and are looking for a dashing place to stay, head to the Scandic Imatran Valtionhotelli – loosely translated as “Imatra State Hotel” – a historical gem located by the Imatrankoski rapids. This beautiful Jugend castle had the honour to host Catherine the Great already back in 1772, and the grace of the hotel hasn’t vanished since.
The Art Nouveau villa, nowadays known as hotel De Gamlas Hem, has a fascinating past. Originally it was a private care home for upper-class women, and during World War II it even housed Swedish fighter pilots! Today this wooden gem offers beautifully furnished rooms for visitors of Oulu.
An elegant alternative is the Lillan Hotel, situated in the historical milieu of Tampere. The building was initially a nursing home for maids and now it has been transformed into a boutique hotel. Here, you can simultaneously experience the timeless charm and atmosphere of an old log house and the comfort of an elegantly furnished, modern suite.