Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel, Helsinki — Hotel in Helsinki sub-region

This is the written version of a video review made for the Honest Helsinki Hotel Reviews YouTube channel. This video is a combination of two different visits in Radisson Blu Seaside in the years 2021 and 2024||Lobby ||Lobby of the Radisson Blu Seaside is cozy, inviting, and full of character. It features unique art pieces, including a life-sized cow statue that nods to the building’s past. Before being transformed into a hotel, the building was once a dairy laboratory and cheese factory. ||Given its location next to an old shipyard, the sea has clearly influenced the hotel’s interior design and identity. The lobby is filled with nautical-themed decor and artwork. The reception desks resemble old travel trunks, and behind them is a wall made from a repurposed shipping container. Black bookcases are stocked with old binoculars, globes, books, and various maritime curiosities. Thick ropes stretch from the sofas up to the ceiling, evoking a sense of sailing and life at sea.|You’ll even spot graffiti-style artwork on the walls here and there. Together, these details make the lobby truly one of a kind. ||Check-in went fairly smoothly, although we had to wait a little while since an entire Japan Airlines crew arrived just before us, and there was only one receptionist handling everything.||Business class room - 733 - ||We booked two nights in one of the hotel’s Business Class two-storey loft rooms with a balcony — and we were in luck. Our room had the most spacious balcony of all the business class loft rooms. There was plenty of space for not just chairs, but a table as well. Looking out, we noticed that the balconies on similar rooms were much smaller and narrower. ||The day we arrived was pleasantly warm, so we ended up enjoying our takeaway dinner outside on the balcony, breathing in the fresh sea air, and enjoying the beautiful views of the Baltic Sea. The smell of the sea — along withà the scenery — somehow made the food taste even better. It’s worth mentioning that this was still during the COVID-19 restrictions, so the hotel’s restaurants were closed at the time. ||The room itself was very spacious, even though the design was nothing particularly eye-catching. That said, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the space with natural light and gave us even more so opportunity to admire the views — both from the living area and the second-floor bed. The views from both the balcony and the upstairs bed were so beautiful that they more than made up for the room’s perhaps otherwise modest design. Of course, the room came with all the expected business class amenities: a capsule coffee machine, mini fridge, bathrobes, slippers, and high-quality Radisson-brand toiletries. The bed was exactly what you'd expect from Radisson — soft, cozy, and together with the views, we slept exceptionally well. ||Later in the evening, we considered watching a movie on the room’s 55-inch TV using the Chromecast feature. Unfortunately, we had trouble getting the Wi-Fi to work. We called the reception, and the staff were understanding, helpful, and even offered to move us to another room. In the end, we decided to stay put and simply asked them to make sure the issue would be addressed for future guests. ||One downside was the bathroom — it was probably the smallest I’ve seen in any Radisson and even more basic looking than the rest of the room. If the bathroom at Radisson RED is the most stylish among Helsinki’s Radissons, then this one is definitely on the opposite end. It even reminded me of a bit of a ship cabin bathroom. Still, it did have a rain shower, which was a nice touch. ||Despite a few nitpicks, we genuinely loved this room. I can’t emphasize enough how much we loved the views from both the balcony and the upstairs bedroom. The scenery was truly the highlight of the room. The spacious room and breathtaking views from both the balcony and second-floor bedroom made us forget all the minor flaws the room had. If I could put my feelings into words, it felt like a place I could imagine living in — a real “home away from home.” Had it included a sauna, it might have combined the best of both worlds. ||Of all the five Radisson Blu hotels in Helsinki, this is one of my favorite rooms, even with its imperfections. That’s how much we ended up loving it. ||Business Class Room – 649 ||We chose this room mainly because it had a private sauna. My wife isn’t comfortable using public saunas in hotels, so having one in the room gave us the chance to enjoy a sauna together in peace and privacy. ||The room itself was fairly spacious. The carpet’s color scheme oddly reminded me of something from the 1970s — not unpleasant, just a bit retro. As a small Valentine’s Day gesture, we were greeted with a room gift: a pack of chocolates. Nothing extravagant, but a nice touch. ||The room had a similar-sized TV to the one in the loft room, and this time, the Chromecast feature worked perfectly.|All the standard Business Class amenities were there as expected: a capsule coffee machine, slippers, bathrobes, and quality toiletries. We had sea views from the window, although during winter, there wasn’t much to see. ||I wasn’t a big fan of the bathroom’s design, which was quite similar to the one in the loft room. However, this one included a sauna — exactly what we had hoped for, and luckily, it was available at check-in. While the sauna was on the smaller side, it was clean, modern, and perfectly suited for two people to relax and unwind together.||Gym & Sauna Facilities ||The gym is located on the basement level of the Radisson Blu Seaside and its one of the largest hotel gyms I’ve come across in Helsinki. It’s spread across five separate rooms — one large main area and four smaller ones —equipped with all the machines and weights you could possibly need — whether you're into cardio, strength training, or something in between. By the way the entire gym was renovated last year, so all machines and weights are brand new. There's even a virtual workout room, where you can follow pre-recorded training sessions led by an instructor on a large screen. To be fair, calling it a “hotel gym” is a bit of a stretch, as it’s actually part of the EasyFit gym chain but since it’s located on the hotel’s basement level, all hotel guests have free access to it. If you have questions about the machines or need guidance, EasyFit staff are available on-site Monday to Thursday from 4 PM to 8 PM. Another big bonus is that the gym is open 24/7. So whether you're an early riser or a night owl, you can work out whenever the mood strikes.|The hotel sauna is also located within the gym premises. Just be aware that it’s shared with other gym users, meaning both hotel guests and local EasyFit members. The gym might be open around the clock, but the sauna has limited hours: it's available from 6 AM to 10 AM in the morning, and from 6 PM to 10 PM in the evening. ||Breakfast ||The breakfast area was warm and inviting, with a variety of plants and soft, moody lighting that created a relaxing atmosphere. It was a pleasant space to relax and spend an hour or two enjoying your tasty and filling breakfast. |The breakfast selection was varied and more than enough to meet anyone’s needs. There was a good balance of hot and cold items, along with a nice variety of sweet treats like croissants, pancakes, and muffins — perfect for those with a sweet tooth. While there was nothing particularly groundbreaking, everything was fresh, tasty, and well-presented, so I had no complaints.|As with many other Radisson Blu's, there was the option to order a freshly made omelette from the chef, which is always a nice touch. A slightly more unique offering was the selection of stuffed breads and baguettes, which added something a bit different to the usual hotel breakfast experience.||Conclusion ||Even though the room was a bit bland in appearance and could probably use a fresh coat of paint and an updated look, and despite the Chromecast not working properly because of the Wi-Fi, we still thoroughly enjoyed our stay. In fact, I’d say it was one of those experiences where, even if you could nitpick a few things that weren’t quite up to top-tier standards, the overall feeling and atmosphere of the hotel truly won us over. I’d easily recommend it over many other hotels we’ve stayed at in Helsinki. ||We both absolutely loved the Business Class Loft Room. Looking through the large windows and enjoying sea views straight from the bed was something truly special. No other Radisson in Helsinki can offer that kind of experience. While the other properties may provide different unique touches, none can compete with those views. ||I can’t fully explain why, but the room gave me a strong “home away from home” feeling — like I could actually live there. Plenty of hotel rooms can impress you with beauty and luxury, but very few make you feel that comfortable. That’s exactly how I felt staying in the loft room. Sure, I’ve stayed in prettier rooms — even just within Helsinki — but beauty doesn’t always equal “best” or “favorite.”. And for me, this Business Class Loft Room has become one of my favorite hotel rooms across all five Radisson properties in Helsinki. That says a lot. ||Breakfast was on par with other Radisson hotels, What stood out, though, were the filled baguettes and breads, which added a unique and tasty twist to the usual buffet offerings. We also really appreciated the lobby’s sea-inspired design; it gave the space personality and made it stand out from more generic hotel interiors. ||Of course, I have to mention the gym. It was everything you could ask for if you want to maintain a solid workout routine while in Helsinki, whether you're visiting for business or leisure. It’s one of the best-equipped hotel gyms I’ve come across. ||While the hotel might feel slightly outside the very center of the city for some, the tram stop is conveniently right in front of the entrance. It gets you to the heart of helsinki in about 10 minutes, so the location isn’t an issue at all. ||All in all, I can easily recommend this hotel. With a variety of room types to choose from, there’s something for everyone — whether you’re looking for sea views, a private sauna, or just a comfortable base to...

Radisson blu seaside

When we came to radisson blu seaside there was whole crew of japan airlines waiting to check in and as there was only one person to take care all of that we had to wait a bit until it was our turn. Otherwise check in went quickly and without any hassle.

Room

We had booked two nights in their two floor business class room with balcony. We were lucky as we got the room which had the biggest balcony so there was space enough for not only chairs but table too. Other balconies in business class rooms are much more smaller and narrow. Day when we arrived was nicely warm and we had our take away dinner in balcony while enjoying the sun and views of the baltic sea. Note that this was still time when corona restrictions were on so hotel restaurants were closed. Room was really spacious even though otherwise not much to look at. Still stunning sea views from balcony and second floor bed were more than enough us to forget blandness of the room. We were thinking of watching movie using tv's chromecast but we had problems to get Wi-Fi to work in the room. We called to reception about it and they were understanding and friendly about the whole situation and were even ready to change our room. Still in the end we decided to stay but reminded them to fix it for the next time. Still i can't emphasise enough how we liked the views from balcony and bed which was really the main star of the room. If you don't care much of balcony and enjoying the sea views from balcony or otherwise spending time in balcony then they also have business rooms with sauna but those rooms have no balcony or second floor so you need to choose which is more important to you. Bathroom was smallest I've seen and even more bland than the room itself. Still I don't want to be overly negative as we truly liked the spacious room and stunning views from second floor bedroom and balcony which truly made us forget all the negatives.

Breakfast

Because of Covid restrictions you could order breakfast to your room or go downstairs to pick what you want and take it to your room. We chose the latter and decided to pick it on our own. Of course breakfast selection wasn't as good as in normal days in radisson hotels but still good for what it was. We could even take thermos coffee pot to our room which was nice.

Gym/sauna

We couldn't try their sauna or gym as they were closed because of covid.

Conclusion

Hotel and some of it's services were limited because of covid restrictions so we can't give you full detailed review of the hotel this time but even though room was bit bland and chromecast didn't work as it was supposed to because of bad WiFi, we still enjoyed our stay. I could even say it was one of those experiences that even though you could nitpick things here and there which were not perhaps the highest highs and up to standards but still this hotel took my heart and would recommend it easily over list of different hotel's we've been in Helsinki. Strange is also that I can't completely pinpoint why, was it just because of the views, two floors and balcony, or was it that it also felt like bit of coming home. It felt bit like you could live here which not all hotels can make you feel even though rooms in some hotels can be much more prettier. Every hotel has something different to like and this time it was huge two floor room, beautiful sea views and that strange feeling of you could...

Stayed for 2 nights in a superior king room.

The room itself was quite big and the decor was nice. The bed was huge and very comfy. It was let down by cleanliness; dusty surfaces, yellowing duvet and a faint but constant fecal smell in the toilet.

Check-in was professional if not friendly. We were given most of the information we needed (although we weren't told about needing to tap the room key inside the lift to make it work, causing us to spend five minutes standing around inside it like lemons wondering what to do before finding another one which much to our embarrassment turned out to be a staff lift), the interaction was cold and not very welcoming.

A sea view was requested and happily that's what we were given. However, the windows at the front of the hotel facing the harbour are shallow horizontal windows that you need to be around 6 foot to properly see out of which somewhat limits any enjoyment of the view.

The location appears to be the business district which made it hard to find places to eat and drink around the hotel at night and weekends without heading towards the centre, although this is more a complaint of the city than the hotel.

As a Radissons Rewards member we were gifted two small bottles of water in the room fridge. This is something I expect as standard of most hotels, not a reward for membership. We opted not to have our room cleaned (which I'm a fan of being an option rather than being forced to vacate your room for a certain amount of time every morning) so I don't know if the waters are generally replaced daily.

Overall the hotel is nice enough, although don't be fooled by the photos, the bar is on the ground floor, the fancy looking rooftop is private hire only. Our room was disappointing though.

At 234 euros for 2 nights I don't feel it was the best value, however, I equally don't feel I've been conned. Maybe better suited to the business traveller rather than holidayer looking to...