Clarion Hotel Helsinki opened on October 17 in Jatkasaari and Clarion Hotel Helsinki Airport on October 22 in Aviapolis. The first days in the hotels have been busy with overnight and conference guests as well as locals who have welcomed the restaurants and bars in their neighborhoods according to a Nordic Choice Hotels press release.
The first Clarion hotels in Finland opened last week and increased the hotel capacity in the capital region by almost 700 rooms. In addition the hotels provide employment for almost 250 people. To recruit the best talents Clarion organised a new kind of recruitment event Talent Hunt in the beginning of May. At Talent Hunt each participant could showcase their skills to a jury in any way they wished for two minutes.
“Introducing a new brand in a new market has been an exciting ride from the start. Opening two hotels within one week isn’t something we have done before but obviously it went great and shows what Clarion is all about. We are changing the perception of an ordinary hotel and proving once again that we are spot on” says Henrik Berghult Senior Vice President at Clarion Hotels.
Clarion Hotel is more than just an ordinary hotel chain. The hotels are vibrant meeting spots with the most passionate staff attracting hotel guests as well as locals. Both hotels include the popular restaurant concept Kitchen & Table by the Swedish top chef Marcus Samuelsson. Sky Room located on top of the Jatkasaari hotel provides beautiful views over Helsinki. The cocktail menu is inspired by the city sights visible from the bar with dedicated drinks named after sights.
“It’s been great to notice that locals have already during the first week found their way to our Jatkasaari hotel. Kitchen & Table received a good number of reservations before our opening and locals have also discovered our lunch. There’s also been bustle around our Sky Room. Based on a few first days we’ve had positive experiences also at Clarion Hotel Helsinki Airport and the first big event will be organised there this week” reports Inari Lehtinen Area General Manager at Clarion Hotels Finland.
Cooperation with local businesses and organisations in all areas is important to Clarion. Clarion Hotel Helsinki Airport has a close partnership with Artsi the art museum of Vantaa and the Finnish Aviation Museum. Clarion Hotels have also organised an Easter egg hunt in Jatkasaari and cooperated with the Kustaankartano nursing home. The food & beverage sector also cooperates with local producers. In addition Clarion is the main partner for next year’s Helsinki Design Week.
The event venues have already had their first events.
Also the hotels’ event facilities have raised interested already before the opening of the hotels. Clarion Hotel Helsinki Airport has 12 adaptable and differing meeting rooms: it is possible to draw on the table in one of them get carried away by music in another and end up in the middle of an art exhibition in third. The old warehouse building designed by Lars Sonck in 1935 was transformed into Clarion Hotel Helsinki’s event venue for up to 1000 people. The venue has already hosted several events during its first week of operation.
Facts about Clarion Hotel Helsinki:
425 hotel rooms
15 meeting rooms
1 restaurant 3 bars
2 saunas with a view 1 gym 1 pool with a view
Facts about Clarion Hotel Helsinki Airport:
258 hotel rooms
12 meeting rooms
1 restaurant
1 bar
2 saunas
1 gym
Clarion Hotels are vibrant meeting places centrally-located hotels suitable for conferences events and business driven by passion. Clarion Hotel has been voted Sweden’s best hotel chain seven times in a row by 1200 sales representatives at the Grand Travel Awards. Clarion Hotel is part of the Nordic Choice Hotels hotel group. For more information on Clarion Hotel go to www.nordicchoicehotels.com/clarion/.
Nordic Choice Hotels is one of the leading hotel groups in the Nordic and the Baltic countries with a total of 190 hotels and 13000 employees. Nordic Choice Hotel has the brands Comfort Quality Hotel Clarion Collection Clarion Hotel as well as 20 independent hotels. All of the company’s hotels are certified with ISO 14001.
Photo: Clarion Hotel Helsinki in the heart of Helsinki. Photo from Nordic Choice Hotels.
