Hotel Ivalo Oy — Hotel in Northern Lapland

Extremely Disappointing Stay – Rude Staff, Outdated Hotel, and Zero Hospitality

(Posting here because Agoda filtered my review! Don’t trust the reviews on Agoda!!)

We had a very unpleasant experience at Hotel Ivalo and checked out after just one night, even though we had originally booked for two. The hotel is extremely dated, rooms are old with bathroom door falling off its hinges, basic, and lack even the most standard comforts you’d expect at this price point. But what made it truly awful was the attitude of the receptionist (brunette with short pixie hair), who was shockingly rude and unhelpful from the moment we arrived.

When we asked for recommendations on what to do in town, she flatly told us, “There’s nothing to do here,” and added that “It’s not a town, just a village.” When we asked about hiking to see the midnight sun, she replied dismissively that “Ivalo is flat,” so there’s no hiking, and told us we wouldn’t be able to see the midnight sun because “it’s cloudy.” Not only was her tone incredibly condescending, but she made no effort to offer alternatives, ideas, or helpful suggestions - just a list of reasons why we shouldn’t have come. It honestly felt like she was trying to convince us we had made a mistake, rather than welcoming us as guests.

We also noticed she was far more pleasant with tourists of other nationalities. That contrast didn’t go unnoticed.

There was zero service. For example, when we inquired about bathrobes for the sauna, she snapped that they were only available for suite guests and offered no alternatives - until I explicitly asked what we should bring instead. Only then did she suggest using the towels from our room. The sauna is only open from 6–9pm during dinner hours, so who the hell can get to enjoy it??

The breakfast? Truly appalling. We arrived at 9am (it ends at 9:30am), and most of the food was already gone, with no effort to replenish anything. The scrambled eggs were the worst I’ve ever tasted - rubbery, bland, and frankly inedible. The bread was supermarket sliced bread, not the hearty Finnish kind you’d expect. Everything was cheap and bare minimum.

To make matters worse, this hotel was more expensive than the 4-star Wilderness Hotel in Inari, where we stayed after leaving Hotel Ivalo. The difference was night and day—breathtaking views, exceptional service, and thoughtful amenities. Hotel Ivalo doesn’t even come close. Honestly, Wilderness felt like paradise in comparison.

Unless you’re absolutely desperate, avoid Hotel Ivalo. It has no redeeming qualities: subpar facilities, bad food, terrible service, and a front desk staff that makes you feel like an inconvenience just for showing up. I deeply regret booking this place, because I was too deceived by the good reviews on Agoda for this place.

And one final warning - Agoda filters negative reviews. I submitted my review, and it never showed up. I’ll be posting a screenshot as proof that I stayed here and left a review, and yet it’s been hidden from public view. Do your own research and don’t rely on glowing reviews from platforms that...

We were a big family group traveling from Spain, Mexico and the US to spend New Year's Eve in Lapland. After a long day of traveling, the rooms were not ready at 5pm when we arrived at the hotel. Once we got the chance to check in, the triple room was in terrible conditions. The bathroom looked like an old jail cell bathroom, with all the tiles broken and the toilet with yellow stains. We went to the reception and complained about it, the receptionist told us that it was A LITTLE DETERIORATED, and that no one else had ever complained before. After a heated conversation, she got us 2 double rooms, which were in much better conditions. From that moment, our stay at HOTEl IVALO was a nightmare. They did not make or cleanup our rooms for 3 days, with the excuse that they didn't work on Sundays. After, when they finally decided to "make our rooms" they stretched out our beds and a couple of the days we did not get new towels or clean trash cans. Which means we lived most of our vacation with the accumulated garbage and dirty towels. The "buffet", if we can call it that, was terrible!! The trays were always almost empty. They only had one choice of protein, we had the same meal for 5 days. The presentations were terrible, like I said before with the bathroom, it really looked like a jail dining buffet. And to put the icing on the cake, on New Year's Eve we didn't have HOT WATER. After a long day of activities, what you want is to have a good hot shower and get ready for a nice new year's dinner. Most of our group had to shower with ice cold water, imagine the water temperature at -20 C outside. Same happened the next day. We were like 24h without hot water in the middle a really cold winter town. Also, the pool is in terrible conditions, the tiles were dirty and old, definitely it wasn't part of the renovation. The sauna was acceptable. Overall, the hotel staff were rude and careless, ( not all hotel staff was rude but most ) the service wasn't good at all. Nothing about the hotel met the expectations of our trip. They definitely need to upgrade their service, installations, food...

Hotel Ivalo – Fading Charm Amidst Winter’s Beauty

Hotel Ivalo is a property that has clearly aged, though it retains a certain charm during the winter months when the snow-covered landscape adds a romantic touch. Unfortunately, the interiors tell a different story: the rooms are trapped in the aesthetics of the 1980s, with furnishings and decor that are well past their prime.

The restaurant experience is underwhelming, with à la carte and buffet options that come at a high price point. The offerings seem designed primarily for the influx of Asian tour groups that arrive by the busload each day. Breakfast is particularly disappointing, falling short in quality and variety. The juices are dispensed from machines that dilute syrup rather than offering fresh alternatives, and the selection of cold cuts and cheeses is meager.

Overall, Hotel Ivalo delivers a third-rate experience, failing to meet the standards one would expect given the prices. The high praise in some reviews is baffling – perhaps a reflection of lower expectations rather than actual quality.

For those seeking comfort, quality, and modern amenities, this hotel is...