Glo Hotel Helsinki

The Glo Hotel is the young, hip sibling of the stately Hotel Kämp, which is located around the corner. Both hold enviable sites, in close proximity to Helsinki's grand Esplanade, the waterfront, museums, theaters, and shopping (a very upscale mall connects them and a Marimekko store stands between them).Rooms are clean, quiet, and modern. They feature a double bed, an extensive menu of pillow types, and a small stuffed animal topping the twin duvets to assuage any latent homesickness. The task desk has good lighting and a fine, boxy, black leather-upholstered chair that make it a comfortable place to work. Floors are a laminate, but the supplied slippers (and robe) keep guests cozy. A flatscreen TV and wi-fi are provided. Nicest touch: A Tivoli desktop radio with a jack to plug into an iPod earbud socket. Turn radio to "aux," and let your own music fill the room.Breakfast is included in the rate at the Glo Helsinki, and the full buffet features scrambled eggs and sausages, cereals, fresh fruit, cheeses, smoked salmon, ham and turkey, and a varied breadbasket including light, flaky croissants. The hotel also has a lobby bar and Cocina restaurant. At the latter, which serves Catalan-style food reinterpreted for Finns, the service is negligent, the food odd, and the artwork unappetizing. Bottom line: Stay for breakfast but take the rest of your meals elsewhere.Positioned as a "lifestyle" hotel, the Glo enables guests to indulge in in-room spa treatments and will deliver gym equipment to your room. A Glo Box in each bathroom contains a selection of pampering products for sale. And the Palace Kamp Day spa, which contains three different saunas — a eucalyptus-scented steam sauna, a Turkish hammam, and a traditional Finnish sauna — is accessible without having to go outside. And a fellow traveler says, "The gym at the Glo was the best thing about it, a staggering expanse of circuit-training equipment and cardio machines including a rowing machine, so often neglected by gyms."A few steps from the Esplanade, walking distance to the waterfront, in close proximity to Helsinki's finest stores and design disctrict, the Glo is ideally located. It connects to the Kamp mall, which features Marimekko and other top international brands. Directly across the street is a Karl Fazer cafe, which offers pastries, coffees, and snacks in an elegant space. There's also a Wayne's Coffee, which offers free wi-fi.The Glo's excellent location, modern rooms, and hearty breakfasts have much to recommend it. Those who like to use their hotel to socialize may find the lobby space a bit austere. A long undulating bar bifurcates the drinking area. However the lobby computer with free Internet access is a big draw for travelers without a laptop who want to surf or check email.Despite the high-tech, frosted glass doors that slide to reveal or conceal it, the bathroom can use some work: Showering creates a stream that flows past the toilet en route to the drain on the far side of the commode; the mirror over the sink is not well-lit, and there is no magnifying makeup mirror.

Glo Hotel Helsinki
Kluuvikatu 4
00100 Helsinki
Finland
+358 10 3444 400

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Glo Hotel Helsinki Web Site

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