Valo Hotel & Work Helsinki

Perfect hotel less than 30 minutes from citicenter with several buses. Clean modern rooms and nice big TV. Only thing that was a little disturbing was the crowd at breakfast, but even though there was a lot of people everything went really smooth and the staff worked really hard. Rooms quite small but very nicely designed and really enough for a few days stay.

The standard rooms are very modern and absolutely fine for one person, but really uncomfortable for two. The room is so small that there’s barely any space to walk around the bed, perhaps 10 cm at most, so you really have to squeeze past. If you’re sleeping on the side against the back wall, it’s practically impossible to get out of bed without waking your partner. Breakfast finishes at 9:30, and they really mean 9:30. You need to arrive well before then, as the buffet is cleared away at that time. The room was still full of guests when they started removing all the food, which I found a bit disappointing and not particularly welcoming. The location is okish because of public transport connexion but obviously outside the city center, but for the price, it’s ok. The sauna area, on the other hand, is absolutely fantastic. There’s a naked sauna in the changing room, at least on the men’s side, plus two saunas and a steam room in the shared area, where swimwear is required. There’s also a cold plunge, a large hot tub, a swimming pool, a fire pit, a bar and a free water fountain. And it’s open until midnight which is really great! And these are proper Finnish saunas, with high benches well above the stones, good ventilation and a bucket so you can make real löyly. That part was excellent and clearly designed by people who understand what a sauna should be.

I had a wonderful stay at this hotel. Check-in was quick and easy, and my room had everything I needed for a comfortable stay. The staff were friendly, professional, and always happy to accommodate my requests. A special highlight of the hotel is the rooftop wellness area, which truly makes the property stand out. It was the perfect place to relax after a busy day. The breakfast buffet was excellent, with a wide variety of fresh and delicious options to choose from each morning. Overall, I had a very pleasant experience and would happily stay here again.

Our first visit to Finland fell short of our expectations, largely because of our experience at Valo Hotel. The hotel’s marketing is very appealing, but unfortunately the reality did not match what was advertised. The rooms are extremely small and feel quite claustrophobic. The inability to open a window or air out the room made our stay uncomfortable, as we often found it difficult to breathe indoors. We raised this concern with the reception staff, but no satisfactory solution was offered. In addition, the air conditioning was permanently set to 23°C, which felt too cold, especially after taking a shower or during the night. The shower water temperature also appeared to be fixed, making it impossible to take a properly hot shower. Another disappointment was that access to the spa required an additional fee. We found this information difficult to locate when booking. In Finland, where saunas are such a common and iconic part of the culture, we had expected this amenity to be included, as it is in many hotels. On a positive note, the breakfast was tasty and offered a good selection.