Hotel Kämp

Archive article.

Hotel Kämp isn’t just another luxury address—it feels like a truly great city hotel with high standards located in the Finnish capital. Appearing on a Condé Nast Traveler Gold List is impressive, and I arrived excited to experience one of the best luxury hotels in Northern Europe.

From the moment I arrived, things moved smoothly. The check-in went well, and thanks to the Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum status I had, I was upgraded to a junior suite, which was very impressive.

The suite itself was generous in size, thoughtfully laid out, and overlooked Esplanade Park—a view that adds a calm, almost cinematic quality to the stay. There were small, well-judged touches too: welcome drinks and chocolates that felt less like a formality and more like a warm introduction.

The property has 179 rooms, and that number feels appropriate for a city hotel in Helsinki. It’s large enough to offer full-scale facilities, yet not too big to avoid the anonymous feel of bigger hotels. The wellness area is particularly well done, with a proper health club and a spa that includes three different types of saunas—very much in keeping with Nordic traditions.

Breakfast deserves its own mention. It was, at the time of my stay, one of the best I’ve had at any hotel in Europe. Absolutely impressive and appreciated.

Overall, it’s one of the strongest hotel experiences I’ve had in Europe. With just a bit more personalization in service, it could compete with the absolute best city hotels in Europe basesd on my experiences. Even so, it’s a memorable stay— and a hotel I can highly recommend for discerning travellers visiting Helsinki.

Update 2016: Finnair flew me from Copenhagen to Helsinki and back in March, 2016. Both flights were pleasant and I enjoyed flying them for the first time. They have just introduced a new route from Billund, their second airport to serve in Denmark.