Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna — Hotel in Helsinki sub-region

Overall good experience as a hotel for our day trip to Helsinki. First time staying in Vaakuna and didn't have be disappointed. The rooms are clean and spacious enough, beds comfortable, bathroom clean although could be a bit bigger. The TVs chromecast function worked like a charm, so we could watch our streaming services through it before going to bed. Free Wi-Fi is a good option for tourists, we obviously had good mobile internet with us as domestic travellers. Parking was OK in the P-Eliel next to the hotel, although pricey but in line with Helsinki parking all and all (24h parking is couple euros cheaper when paid in the reception). Gym is arranged in the Sokos Hotel Presidentti, a small walk from Vaakuna, which is nice. Only truly negative remark was the breakfast, or part of it. Warm dishes were only for those who eat meat or eggs, so no warm vegetarian options, no beans, no fried vegetables etc. This is where scandic hotels wins big. But like said, that's the only negative aspect that we ran to during our 1 day stay. Hotel gets points for environmental considerations, like not automatically cleaning the rooms if not necessary and so on. We could and did pay for the carbon footprint of our stay beforehand (included in the bill), option for it is a definite plus. Pets would've been welcome, a good thing to know even when we left ours at home this time. Hotel gets my...

A so-called family-friendly hotel, except that it is NOT.

No automatic doors at the entrance which makes it hard for families with strollers to enter/exit. Steep ramp at the entrance which is challenging for strollers and wheelchairs. 20min queue during check-in! The elevators were so small that we couldn't go together with the stroller; my wife went first with the (folded up) stroller and then I went with our son. A single parent with a child has no way to safely go in the elevator with their child and a stroller! Elevator layout is very confusing, some elevators bring you in the shop next to the hotel instead of in the hotel lobby. This is not clearly marked and very disorienting! Cramped room (standard king) for 2 adults and 1 child, and there were no towels for the child, no steps to help him reach the sink, and no toilet supports for children. The room was never cleaned during our 2 day stay. At a minimum they could empty our trash and refill the supplies, but that didn't happen. Breakfast options are very limited for children, and they don't even have small utensils for kids! Luckily we didn't need a baby chair because I only saw 1 and it was in use. Also no pancakes available, which is something they have in all other Sokos hotels.

We will never come back to this hotel, and I definitely do NOT recommend this hotel to families...

The hotel is located in an excellent location, right next to the central railway station, access to metro, train, trams and taxi, walkable distance to main sites in the center and a nice view. It was originally built as a fancy place but probably never maintained. The rooms are old, with run down bathrooms, old and not so clean towels and sheets (see photos).

There is no gym in the hotel; they say you can use the gym in the other hotel, which a 10 min walk from there… but that is super inconvenient. Any hotel can claim to have a gym this way then!

The service is definitely 3 stars or less. It is not a cheap hotel but the service is kind of cheap. There are a couple of crisps and candies sold next to the reception… is this a hostel or what?! •There is no information about sauna and the supposedly gym hours when you check in, neither in the room. •There is no menu of the restaurant in the room. •No info about the minibar prices, or whether it is free. •The breakfast has many options but not very high quality food. •The coffee is bad, and the whole rooftop restaurant does not have a proper...