The brand-new luxury hotel St. George recently opened its doors in May in Helsinki. The hotel industry is booming in Helsinki and new hotel-openings occur fairly regularly. However, St. George is not a usual case as its aim is to be the best city hotel in Helsinki. There are not so many luxury hotels in Helsinki, so their aspiration to be the best may not be too ambitious that they cannot achieve it, especially when their biggest rivals, Hotel Haven and Hotel Kämp, are both owned by the same hotel management company.
St. George Helsinki has the perfect location in the city center next to the beautiful Old Church Park. The most important shopping and cultural attractions are all within walking distance. The building itself was formerly an old office building, originally the printing house. The renovation of the building has been done meticulously, and every detail has been thought through carefully.
A story to tell
Nowadays, hotels need to have a story and a theme, and so the story of St. George begins from the history of Finnish literature and grows into a constant art theme. Huge art statues in the lobby and Winter Garden welcome guests, while at the same time representing the most shareable social media brand stamps to advertise the hotel. There is original art everywhere in the hotel—even in lobby toilets. First time guests should take time to study the art collection.
The hotel services are comprehensive, and include a spa and gym for adults, an own bakery, a restaurant, and a winter garden. If you book a hotel room at St. George and intend for just to sleep there, you’ll miss out on a huge part of the overall hotel experience. Room rates at St. George are high, but the whole experience explains the high price a lot.
The best city hotel in Helsinki
As a hotel breakfast lover, I was more than interested to experience the St. George breakfast. The breakfast is served in the restaurant Andrea. In the restaurant, there is an open-fire oven, which they also use at at breakfast time: the open-fire baked omelet was the king of the breakfast setting, a very good start to the day! And if your breakfast time is later in the morning, you can probably skip lunch as breakfast is so hearty.
There are still a few teething issues, but I’m sure they will solve all these minor things to take their coveted place as the best city hotel in Helsinki. If your budget and schedule in Helsinki allow it, I would recommend with my whole heart that you choose to stay at the St. George.
