5.10.2020
Hesperia is back!
A renovation has brought the almost 50-year story of this unique hotel into the present day
The legendary hotel Crowne Plaza Helsinki – Hesperia, located on Mannerheimintie, has reopened today, Monday 5 October, after a renovation lasting almost 10 months. The biggest changes were made to the street-level lobby, the ‘restaurant world’, reception and almost 350 rooms. Interior designers, dSign Vertti Kivi & Co, created the hotel’s new look.
As part of the global Intercontinental Hotels Group, the Crowne Plaza Helsinki – Hesperia hotel is operated by Scandic Hotels Oy, which is focusing on the future despite the current situation.
“We believe that Helsinki and Finland will continue to be regarded as an attractive country for tourism and conferences,” says Aki Käyhkö, Managing Director of Scandic Hotels Oy. “While awaiting the return of international customers, we hope that domestic tourists, and event organisers and guests, rediscover this well-known hotel,” says Käyhkö.
”The renovated Crowne Plaza Helsinki – Hesperia provides fast, attentive and high-level service in an international milieu. It offers a relaxed combination of work and leisure time. Our 15 conference rooms include versatile facilities for meetings and events, and our Hesperia Ballroom banquet room can accommodate up to 1,000 people,” says General Manager Saija Savela-Palovaara. The meeting and event facilities have been upgraded to provide a level of comfort and technology that meets today’s needs.
Inspiration found in the neighbourhood
dSign Vertti Kivi & Co, an internationally distinguished design agency, was hired for the renovation.
“This was a dream project for our office. It felt great to revive Hesperia, originally the creation of world-class designers, and make it flourish once again,” says Vertti Kivi, the interior designer responsible for the project.
“We found plenty of inspiration in the hotel’s glamorous heritage from the 70s. Our goal was a luxurious ambience in tune with the spirit of Hesperia, which would also be cosy, modern and highly approachable. So we changed the location of the access routes and entry, creating an inviting, living-room feel in the lounge and working areas in the lobby, which are also used by Helsinki residents. We paid homage to the hotel’s surroundings in Töölönlahti by adding the related graphical themes to the rooms as well as the lobby. We achieved the inviting, light flow we were seeking at lobby level by combining rounded furniture and carpet graphics with the straight lines of the building,” explains Kivi.
Restaurant Hesperia is back
The stylish and atmospheric Hesperia Restaurant & Bar is the face of the hotel at street level. Together, the new restaurant, lobby bar and elegant hotel lobby provide hotel guests and city dwellers with a living room environment.
“The name of the restaurant, the classic dishes on the menu, and the favourite drinks at the bar pay homage to the history of the hotel. We won’t bring the nightclub back, but an updated version of the samba carnival may still be seen,” Savela-Palovaara comments.
One of the city’s most stylish breakfast rooms also serve city dwellers, while the Hesperia Restaurant offers straightforward flavours from lunchtime until late at night. A skilled international pianist will entertain guests three nights a week in the hotel lobby bar.
Convertible rooms
The hotel’s almost 350 Crowne Plaza WorkLife rooms provide guests with a flexible transition between work and relaxation, as well as unbeatable sleeping comfort based on the Sleep Advantage programme. In addition to the well-appointed standard rooms, there are spacious superior rooms and Junior Suites for extra comfort. The Club rooms and suites on the ninth floor bring luxury to everyday routines. Food and drink are offered exclusively for Club Floor guests at the Club Lounge from morning to night.
A new WiFi system for the hotel rooms and public areas – IHG Connect – provides a stable connection for everyone, and easy login and additional services around the world for IHG Rewards Club members. Room service is available 24 hours a day, so dining in rooms is always an option.
A safe stay
Our hotel is committed to a high standard of cleanliness, based on the IHG Way of Clean programme launched in 2015 and stepped up during the coronavirus epidemic. The hotel is also committed to high-quality cleanliness and practices that promote the wellbeing of guests through IHG’s Meet with Confidence programme. IHG Clean Promise provides hotel guests with peace of mind, based on a guarantee that they can stay over and meet safely.
Crowne Plaza Helsinki – Hesperia
- Built in 1972, renovation and opening of Crowne Plaza in 2005, renovation in 2020
- 349 rooms and suites, Club Lounge
- Hesperia Restaurant & Bar: 180 seats
- Working area in lobby
- 15 meeting rooms and Hesperia Ballroom
- Payable parking garage for 70 vehicles
- Carwash
- Forever Töölö Fitness Centre
