Background and Booking
My parents were arriving in Helsinki late at night, and I would be arriving before them in the afternoon. So, I thought it would be wise to stay at the airport for the night, and then move into the city the next day. The Hilton Helsinki Airport is right next to the airport, and it’s close enough that you don’t need to take a shuttle to the property, but you can walk maybe 5 minutes from the arrivals area. You do have to walk outside but there are coverings in case of rain, and you just need to follow the signs to the Hilton.
The rates for the standard room were about 150 EUR for my August date.
Pre-Arrival
Two days before arrival, I noticed that I was upgraded to a room on the Executive Floor, courtesy of my Hilton Diamond Status. I’ve read some reviews online that certain room types have a private sauna in the room which sounds super cool, and very fitting for a trip to Finland. I went into the chat and requested this room type, which is some of the “Plus” ones and the hotel representative was able to get me into a King Executive Plus Room with a sauna. Yay!
Arrival
I arrived at the hotel right before 3 pm and was quickly checked in by a friendly associate. There was virtually no one in the lobby, but when I came back down at 5 pm to re-key my card since my phone demagnetized it, the line was packed and a line was out the door. Thankfully the person who checked me in saw me and quickly reactivated my key for me.
There is also a little sundries store in the lobby if you need a snack or essential item.
The Room: King Executive Room Plus
There are 5 floors, with the top 5th floor being the Executive Level where my room was located, as well as hosting the executive lounge.
As you enter the room, towards the right is the bathroom the bathroom is quite spacious. It has a large sink separate bathtub standup shower toilet and then the coolest thing about the room is that there is a private sauna.
Toiletries are provided by Crabtree and Evelyn in the refillable bottles. Near the sink, there is hand wash and body lotion and both the bathtub and shower have shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
You enter the room there is a large sofa, king-size bed, and desk area since there were three of us when we checked in they already set up the extra sofabed, and bed and provided extra towels, robe, and slippers, which were a very nice touch. We didn’t have a great view. If you peaked your head towards the left, you could see the airport and it was nice to see some airplanes taking off, but in front is just another building.
On the sides of the bed, there are these unique nightstands that are inside the cabinet tree so you do have little cubbies to put your items as well as charger phones, and there’s an alarm clock.
In the closets, they have two ropes two slippers as well as an iron iron board and fully stocked a mini bar with alcohol and even some chips. There’s also a hot water maker to make coffee or tea.
Little things like the fact that the curtains overlap so there wouldn’t be a gap in the window to let in light was a major plus.
The elevator sign said that you can request dental and vanity kits if needed.
Executive Lounge
It is located on the 5th floor, open daily from 7 am to 10 pm. Daily from 6 pm to 8 pm, there is an evening tapas service and a selection of drinks served in the Executive Lounge. I went there during the tapas service and was a bit disappointed in the food offerings.
During the tapas service, there was only 1 hot dish and it was a cheese-filled fried pickle. Kind of disappointing. There were some self-serve alcohol options as well.
Dining
The on-site restaurant Gui is located behind the lobby. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Breakfast buffet is served from 6 am to 10 am. Then, lunch is open from Monday to Friday from 11:30 am to 5 pm. It’s open daily for dinner from 5 pm-11 pm.
A nice touch is that those with early flights, have an early breakfast served daily from 3:30 am to 6 am on the lobby level.
I found the main breakfast buffet to be quite good, and there was a ton of selection from cold and hot items. I loved the juice varieties as well. They even had Reindeer Meatballs which was special!
If you don’t want to eat at the restaurant, in-room dining is also available for a 15 EUR fee.
Fitness Center and Sauna
On the basement floor, there is a small, but well-equipped fitness center. I liked that it felt open and spacious, and I was able to get a workout in to try to fight my jet lag. The fitness center is open 24/7.
Next to the fitness center are the saunas (a men’s one and a women’s one). There are lockers and showers for each as well. Since my room had a private sauna, I didn’t use this one, but it’s a nice feature to have and it’s open daily from 6 pm to 11 pm.
The Verdict
Overall, I found the Hilton Helsinki Airport to be a solid airport hotel option. The room was adequately appointed for a one-night stay, and I appreciated having the larger bathroom with a private sauna. Plus, the breakfast was extensive and quite good. A great start to a fun trip for me!
Have you stayed at the Hilton Helsinki Airport before? How was your stay? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
Nice comprehensive review Takeoff. Nice to have access to the Executive Lounge, pity about the hot food though.
Thanks for reading! If only they had some more hot food options, then the lounge would be solid!