Forenom Aparthotel Helsinki Kamppi — Hotel in Helsinki sub-region

We stayed for two nights at Forenom Aparthotel Kamppi and needless to say, the experience was less than pleasant. It’s unfortunate because it easily could have been a hassle-free stay but there were just too many inconveniences that were too had to ignore that ultimately marred our experience. Below is a detailed review with a few suggestions for improvement.||I. Check In. The check in experience was complicated and confusing. We were expecting a contactless, self check-in process similar to other accommodations in Europe. But lo and behold, Forenom had to make a simple process a bit tricky. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were puzzled that a PIN code was needed in order to access the main entrance door and the elevator. We did not receive any instructions or PIN code via email, so as any confused traveler would do, we attempted to key in our Agoda booking ID multiple times without success. Frustrated, we ended up calling their call center to ask for guidance. To our surprise, we were told that the PIN code is ONLY sent out to customers who booked directly through Forenom's website. For those like me who booked through a third party site (Agoda), we really needed to call the contact center in order to get the PIN code. That was such an inconvenience. Why was there no mention of this PIN code in the instructions that we got via email? Why is there a need to call a “call center” when the experience is marketed as ‘contactless, self-check in’? What if the customer doesn't have the ability to make phone calls using mobile? Anyway, we got the PIN code from the call center agent and just shrugged it off. |Suggestion for Improvement: Please inform guests via email that they need to call in order to get a PIN code to access the hotel’s main door. Guests do not like surprises – especially when they are on holiday. Better yet, provide an autocode generator to eliminate the need of making a phone call. And please don't exclude your other customers who book through third party sites. Make the PIN code generation simple and truly contactless -- trust me, nobody wants to call a call center while on holiday. If you insist, provide a landline/ dedicated phone onsite so guests can call directly without having to worry about phone charges.||II. Room. The room was clean and bare bones with a functional ensuite bathroom. There was a flat screen TV which we didn't use and a surprisingly spacious desk attached to the wall. At 15 square meters and with such a low price tag, we knew what to expect and it would be very hard to disappoint us. Nevertheless, heating wasn't quite working and I can imagine how this can be challenging for guests during winter. ||III. Luggage/ Laundry Room. There was a luggage/ laundry room available for guests at the hotel basement but take note -- the PIN code for this room is entirely different from your room PIN code. We received email instructions that we must call an automated system to generate the PIN code for the luggage/laundry room, but for some reason, this automated system wasn’t working for us. So we had to reach their call center once again to ask for the PIN code. |Mind you, they change this PIN code every day so if you’re the type who does the laundry or has plans of leaving the luggage after checkout, you have to call their call center every freaking day. I was so aghast by this process. Why is this hotel so paranoid with multiple pass codes to access multiple doors? Is Helsinki such a hotbed of crime and hotel theft to warrant these FBI-level type of controls? Never have I experienced this with similar accommodations in Europe—hell, not even in hotels in developing countries. The level of unnecessary security is insane. To add to that, we had to contact the call center multiple times because some of the PIN codes they gave us weren't working. Jeez. This is a good example of "automation gone wrong". Why insist on a contactless process while still requiring customers to contact the call center every step of the way? Might as well assign an onsite staff to assist guests real time. |Suggestions for Improvement: Proactively email an autocode generator for the luggage/laundry room to all guests. Please unburden your call center staff of trivial tasks like generating a PIN code. They should only attend to complex guest challenges/complaints.|I am still a bit shookt after a two-night stay here. And it’s unfortunate because the facility has a lot of promise. But for now, I have no intention of coming back nor can I...

Basic no trills cheapest option in Helsinki Centre

N60°09′58.42″ E24°55′57.05″ This self-service hotel (no apartment) is an 850-meter walk from Helsinki Central Station. It takes about 13 minutes to walk, but you can take tram 7 from Helsinki Central Station and arrive in 9 minutes. Before Forenom, another self-service hotel by the name Omenahotelli was located here.

This 77-room self-service hotel does everything by internet. You book and receive a key code on the day of arrival. Staff is limited to a daytime receptionist, an introductory booklet and a telephone line.

Our room 204 in May 2018 was located on the first floor (2F) next to the elevator (no noise). When entering the room, it was a hot reptile cage void of cool fresh air. We could not open the windows or turn off the heating. Luckily, the booklet mentioned a key, stored behind the reception desk. This key opened the windows and turned this hot dungeon into a liveable bedroom. Without this key, we would have left the room.

The room has two twin beds (no double bed), bathroom and a closet with a kitchenette (fridge, microwave, coffee maker, kettle, crockery and cutlery). Clearly not enough to start cooking (no ventilation). Just to prepare your own breakfast. Near the door is a second closet with some cleaning equipment, hairdryer, iron, and ironing board. Additional cleaning equipment is located downstairs, as a washing machine. Extra laundry service is available. Streaming Wi-Fi reception is good.

The room is serviced once a week. No fresh towels in the meantime, but you can order a more frequent cleaning service. The receptionist was kind to deliver fresh towels to our room upon request. Additional breakfast can be ordered in Egg restaurant on the ground floor for €10 per person.

Hotel rooms in Helsinki Centre are very expensive. Cheaper (not really low cost) self-service rooms fill the bottom of the market. Are they cheap: no, they are above the average hotel room price in Europe. Since the room without breakfast cost at least €10 per person, this self-service hotel room without the service of a hotel costs €120 per night.

Forenom is a basic no trills cheapest option for...

My wife and I stayed at this hotel on December 31, having booked it through Booking.com. The day was challenging: a long and tiring journey, a walk around the city, and in the evening, we headed to the hotel.

To our surprise, the hotel had numerous doors with pin codes and… no reception desk. This was particularly confusing because the Booking.com website clearly showed photos of a woman at the reception desk (attached to the review). We were supposed to receive a message with a pin code to access the doors, but no such message ever arrived.

Trying to contact support turned into a real headache. No one answered our call for 10 minutes, we ran out of credit on our phone, and we had to top it up. After multiple attempts and a long wait, a consultant finally answered. She claimed she couldn’t find our booking in the system, blamed Booking.com, and advised us not to book through them. The question remains: why list rooms on Booking.com if they can’t be booked reliably?

To get the pin code, we had to send photos of our passports and a selfie. Afterward, we still had to wait a long time. Only after a second call to support did we finally receive the access details. Altogether, resolving this issue took about an hour.

When we finally entered the room, we faced another unpleasant surprise: instead of a double bed, the room had two single beds placed on opposite sides of the room. We were too exhausted to complain further. On top of that, the windows couldn’t be opened, making the room stuffy and uncomfortable.

In the end, the evening of December 31 turned into one of the most stressful moments of our trip. We spent an entire hour before New Year’s making endless calls instead of relaxing and enjoying the celebration.

This was one of the worst hotels I have...