Hotel Haven

I made a booking for a Prime Superior room from a sale. The price was 143 euros. The rate was flexible and included breakfast. I aimed for the next room category Grand Deluxe because of my Nordic Choice Platinum status. However, we got a double upgrade to a Grand Deluxe Harbour Seaview room with a normal price of 344 euros. To our surprise, we got exactly the same room #807 where we stayed last time in August. Luckily the placement of the sofa had been changed to a more convenient position. But the small round sofa table had been disappeared. It would have been needed to put cups and glasses somewhere while sitting on the sofa. The views were exceptionally beautiful this time and compensated for this small impracticality. The breakfast was pleasantly calm. It is served in a historical building next to the hotel.

The scones along with clotted cream and jam are the most important for me in an afternooon tea. Haven’s AT didn’t include scones (in my opinion) and the cream was just whipped cream, so a BIG disappointment! Also the traditional cucumber sandwiches didn’t taste like anything, I mean no flavor whatsoever. Otherwise the tea tray was ok. Only three kinds of teas to select from. Haven offers an old-fashioned setting when the tea is served at the restaurant. I guess depending on the number of guests it can also be served at the bar.

Generally a very good visit during a trying time. Staff courteous, and acting responsibly. The room is very nice and quite spacious. Had a tiny hiccup with the HDMI port on my TV, but it was sorted very quickly and in a very satisfactory manner. My only real issue with the room, a very minor one at that, is that there are no towel racks in the bathroom. The breakfast is also just so-so.

There was a slight wait at check-in with several people queuing to the front desk. The receptionist was probably somewhat new as she was not sure about some of the questions we asked. The service was ok but nothing extortionary. Our room was a superior room on the 8th floor. The size was adequate for a superior, but the furniture of the room was surprisingly inadequate and simple. There was only 1 sofa, sofa table and 1 chair (1 chair only!) plus the bed even though there would have been room for a much ample and decorative furnishing. The sofa table was worn out and dirty with crumbs (see photo). The WC was good size and nicely designed. Water flow for the bathtub was slow with restricted hot water flow and it took ages to fill the bath with sufficient warm water. The bath being something we looked forward to as the hotel does not have sauna facilities. The air-conditioning unit in the ceiling was somewhat noisy and only provided cold air. Turned it off as it was winter. There was no in-room dining or room service which was a bit surprising for this class of a hotel. Maybe due to COVID – not sure. On the positives breakfast was served late until 12:00 noon. However, due to COVID you had to choose a breakfast slot in advance which felt bothersome as you wanted to relax and unwind and go for breakfast without pre-made schedules. Breakfast itself was the best part of the hotel experience. Set in the old (ex) Sundman’s restaurant the setting was refined and the breakfast assortment good and sufficient despite special orders (such as waffles) costing extra. The downstairs bar and lounge area is also great and refined with a wide range of drinks and whiskey assortments. All in all, a slight value-for-money (220€+ for a night) disappointment especially compared to expectations for a 4+ star design hotel. Biggest disappointments being the room furnishing and having no room service. Overall service was ok and friendly but didn’t stand out as this class of hotels should.

Haven is a beautiful hotel in Helsinki - my absolute favorite! I have both lived in this hotel and used it for work purposes, and it works perfectly for both. Haven's atmosphere is unique - when you step in, you step step in another world and forget your sorrows. Haven's rooms are beautiful and unique (there are also special rooms with very high sealings, glass paintings and curved windows), their spa products are the luxorious (the best in town, if you'd ask from me) and their furniture is colorful and unique. Their staff is very accommodating and Haven's breakfast is just lovely. Value for money is also much better than in other 5 star hotels in Helsinki. I highly recommend this hotel for anyone looking for a safe haven, a beautiful place to work or a unique stay in beautiful surroundings.