Omena Hotel Helsinki Lonnrotinkatu (Helsinki, Finland)

Rooms are essentially clean, comfortable and warm. They are on the small side though, with very limited storage space. The TV and Wi-Fi signals are excellent. The lift is a useful asset and is reliable.

It’s a good, central location. The railway station is approximately five minutes walk away and there are restaurants and cafes close by. You are directed to one of the latter if you want breakfast. There is no catering onsite.

You have your own access code so you can come and go whenever you wish. There isn’t the usual problem encountered late at night when reception is closed and you have to ring the bell constantly to wake the night porter.

On a positive note, you can’t possibly complain about members of staff ... because there aren’t any! The entire visit is automated, starting with access via a code. In the event of any queries, you have to phone or email Customer Services. Even those who prefer hotels to be impersonal may feel that they’ve taken this theme to new levels here

Noise from neighbouring rooms is a negative feature. You can hear everything … everything … that’s happening in the other rooms and so, of course, can they! Sleep is difficult to say the least and it’s not as if you can phone the front desk to ask them to quieten the neighbours; there isn’t a front desk.

Many guests will miss the features that usually come with a hotel stay. There’s no communal lounge or bar in which to relax. The lack of a luggage storage facility can make things difficult on the day of departure.