Scandic Polar — Hotel in Rovaniemi sub-region

A bit of a hidden gem of overlooked mid-century modern design. Many of the interiors date from 1967 when the hotel was built and they're gorgeous. Not to everyone's taste to be fair, judging from the other reviews here, but I loved it.

It's not completely practical though and my partner, who was in a wheelchair, struggled to get around. The hotel also doesn't have accessible rooms which surprised as we'd requested one through Booking.com but that message failed to get through. We managed but it was very tight getting into the lifts and the threshold to the room was very high. I think a few tweaks can be done though to make it easier for accessibility and a couple of the larger rooms converted to accessible ones

I got the feeling though the hotel is being allowed to run down. The rooms and public areas were all careworn and needed some TLC. One of the receptionists hinted that hotel was due to be demolished. This would be a shame as the interiors are beautiful although they also have a forlorn and melancholic character.

I'm glad I got to see it with many existing remnants of its glamorous heyday. An extra bonus is that there were large canvas prints in our room of what I presume were original promotional photos of the hotel. A lovely touch – and hints that Scandic possibly knows what a treasure this place is.

Back to reality though and there are other mundane issues such as the rooms not being as clean as they could be, towels not getting changed, and the public areas not being as clean as they should be. Also it didn't have a proper bar – a small selection of drinks are available – which was a shame as I would've loved to have whiled away the evenings in its large lounge in front of the fantastically cheesy plastic logs (I loved them!) imagining the groovy cats strutting around in their late-sixties threads.

Even if you don't stay at this hotel when you visit Roveniemi, it's well worth popping in to check out the magnificent ceiling lights in the dining area and the stunning staircase – back when they still made stairs a feature of hotels rather than hidden out of sight as they do now. Just ignore the scruffy '90s carpet...

One of the worst hotels (visited more than 50 countries). Awful experience.||According to the indicated information, the hotel was renovated less than a month ago. Repair passed by our room. Broken lighting switches, old and scratched doors, and more.||The room did not regulate the temperature, it was cool.||The cleaning was very bad! The first day of cleaning came when we returned to the room after 16.00. Asked to remove after 30 minutes. There was no cleaning! The next day the cleaning was a few minutes in the bathroom.||The restaurant in the hotel worked only in the morning.||And the worst impression left by the experience of booking this hotel on the Scandic website.||It is an experience to feel cheated! The site is constantly given information - "best price guarantee." This is the guarantee! I booked a room almost 6 months before check-in. Believing in this "guarantee" booked a room at a rate without the right of cancellation. First, from this site, they track your re-entry and increase the price. In my case, she grew up in front of her eyes. As a result, for 4 nights I paid a huge price without the right to cancel. A month before arrival, the hotel found on several sites a proposal for a similar room less than 500 euros for the same 4 nights. In fact, the hotel took almost twice as much and used the money for 5 months. The site has a link, "if you find a lower price, we will refund the difference." I wrote several letters on this link. It turns out here is misleading. The lower price is accepted only during the day. Perhaps in multipage booking conditions the hotel itself has defended itself. But I felt deceived. In response to my request to return the difference in price, they refused me, offered to contact the hotel directly and wished to "enjoy their stay at the hotel." The hotel refused and offered to rejoice that I would soon be at the hotel. I wasn’t happy, because of the condition of the hotel. Awful feeling to be deceived, it's not even about money!|| During this trip I booked in advance and lived in 2 more hotels of the Scandic network. They were practically perfect. It is a pity that I got this experience. I will never book hotels of this network in the future. What you do, decide.||||Ужасно!||Один из самых худших отелей (посетил более 50 стран). Ужасный опыт. ||По указанной информации отель менее месяца назад отремонтирован. Ремонт прошел мимо нашего номера. Разбитые выключатели освещения, старые и поцарапанные двери и многое другое. ||В номере не регулируется температура, было прохладно. ||Уборка проводилась очень плохо! В первый день убирать пришли, когда мы вернулись в номер после 16.00. Попросили убрать через 30 минут. Уборки не было! На следующий день уборка была несколько минут в ванной комнате. ||Ресторан в отеле работал только утром.||И самое ужасное впечатление оставил опыт бронирования этого отеля на сайте сети Скандик. ||Это опыт почувствовать себя обманутым! На сайте постоянно дается информация - "гарантия лучшей цены". Вот какая это гарантия! Я бронировал номер почти за 6 месяцев до заезда. Поверив в эту "гарантию" забронировал номер по тарифу без права отмены. Во-первых с этого сайта отслеживают ваши повторные входы и повышают цену. В моем случае она росла на глазах. В результате за 4 ночи заплатил без права отмены огромную цену. За месяц до заезда в отель обнаружил на нескольких сайтах предложение за аналогичный номер меньше на 500 евро за те же 4 ночи. Фактически отель взял почти вдвое больше и 5 месяцев пользовался деньгами. На сайте есть ссылка, "если вы обнаружили меньшую цену-мы вернем разницу". Я написал несколько писем по этой ссылке. Оказывается и здесь введение в заблуждение. Меньшая цена принимается только в течение суток. Возможно в многостраничных условия бронирования отель себя защитил. Но я почувствовал себя обманутым. В ответе на мою просьбу вернуть разницу в стоимости мне отказали, предложили обратиться напрямую в отель и пожелали "наслаждаться пребыванием в отеле". Отель отказал и предложил радоваться тому, что я скоро буду в отеле. Порадоваться у меня не получилось, еще и потому в каком состоянии отель. Ужасное чувство быть обманутым, дело даже не в деньгах! || Во время этой поездки заранее бронировал и проживал еще в 2 отелях сети Скандик. Они были, практически, идеальными. Очень жаль, что получил такой опыт. Никогда в будущем не буду бронировать отели этой сети. Что делать...

Review of Scandic Polar Hotel in Rovaniemi (3/2025)

Location The location of Scandic Polar is excellent - very convenient in the center of Rovaniemi and close to shops, pubs, and restaurants. This makes it easy to explore the city on foot and enjoy the local amenities.

Food The food at the hotel is good quality but lacks variety from day to day. During my stay, I had both breakfast and dinner at the hotel, and while tasty, the menu became repetitive.

Staff The staff members are friendly and welcoming, providing good service throughout my stay.

Rooms The rooms are clean and spacious, offering comfortable accommodation.

Facilities The hotel has a homely atmosphere but feels somewhat outdated, with visible signs that renovations haven't been done for quite some time. There are signs indicating a sauna and gym on the -1 floor, but these facilities are closed and not operational.

Overall Impression Scandic Polar is a decent hotel for an overnight stay, but I wouldn't recommend it for longer visits. It provides the basic amenities needed for a comfortable short stay, but its dated appearance and limited facilities make it less suitable for...