Indulgent Opulence Unveiled: A Detailed Exploration of the Historic Hotel Kämp Helsinki - An Exclusive Review
Welcome to my review of Hotel Kämp; a stunning 5-star hotel located in central Helsinki. Being part of Leading Hotels of the World, a favourite collection of mine, and realising where it was located as well as having a spa, that made me sold on where we should book for our stay in Finland’s capital city.
We decided to visit Hotel Kämp as part of a trip to visit Finnish Lapland in the north, and it made sense to either tie in a visit to the capital as well, at the start or finish of the trip. As worked out best with the direct flights from Scotland with Finnair, we started off with five nights in Helsinki, before taking the overnight train up to Rovaniemi in the north.
Hotel Kamp Helsinki Exterior
In this review of the Hotel Kämp, I’ll detail our experience of the location, local activities, the best restaurants in town and of course, the accommodation and facilities at the hotel itself. Read below to find out everything you need to know before your next trip to Helsinki in Finland.
Exterior of the Kamp Hotel, refurbishment in final stages
Why Book with Classic Travel and The Private Traveller
By booking through my affiliation with Classic Travel, I was able to secure a number of additional VIP benefits with their Virtuoso rates. These included:
Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
Complimentary Full Breakfast daily for two per bedroom, served in restaurant
$100 Resort Credit
Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
Complimentary Wi-Fi
The exclusive Upper Lounge in the Hotel Kamp
Fast Facts for Kämp Hotel
Address - Pohjoisesplanadi 29, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
Website - https://www.hotelkamp.com/en/
Group website - https://www.kampcollectionhotels.com/en/
TripAdvisor ranking - #4 of 68 hotels in Helsinki
Instagram - @kamphotel & @kampspa
Nearest airport - Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) - 17 km or 10 miles (about a 30 min drive, traffic dependent)
Opened - 1887 (originally)
Number of rooms / suites - 179 guestrooms (including 15 suites)
Number of floors - 10 (although varies whether original or new wing)
Bars - 1 (Kämp Bar)
Restaurants - 1 (Brasserie Kämp) & Upper Lounge (executive level) also available for afternoon drinks and snacks
Wellbeing - Kämp Spa & Fitness (traditional Finnish sauna, eucalyptus-scented steam bath, wellness gym & treatments)
Visited - March 2024
Hotel Kamp Lobby Area
The grand staircase of Hotel Kamp Helsinki
Hotel Accommodation: A wonderful mix of the historic original building blended with a newer extension joined by dual door lifts
The 179 rooms and suites are spread across different floors between 1 and 9, with the lifts opening out on either side depending on whether you were located in the original building (where all the executive rooms and suites were). Accommodation was across 8 floors in the newer wing, 5 in the traditional front (Esplanade/Park facing) building.
“Since 1887 Hotel Kämp has been the safe haven in the heart of Helsinki for both locals and visitors alike. Unforgettable memories are in the core of all we do at Kämp, and you as our guest are the top priority.”
Facilities & Service at The Kämp Hotel
There was everything we could need from such a centrally based hotel, with an on site restaurant and bar, gym, spa, etc. and of course the conjoined Kämp Galleria shopping centre.
I’ve broken down the key facilities and services and shared my opinion on them below:
Rooms/suites
There’s a big choice of rooms and suites, in either the original 1887 part of the hotel (the top floor at the front was a later addition) or in the office building behind that has been repurposed back into the hotel, on reopening. All of the executive rooms and suites come with access to the Upper Lounge, an executive lounge that’s open on the 2nd floor of the hotel each afternoon. With our upgraded (from an executive room) Maria Kämp suite, we still had access to this and it was such a nice environment to go and relax in, with exemplary service and attention.
Levels of Comfort
Despite the ongoing renovation works in certain parts of the hotel, this didn’t disrupt our stay at all and (most of the time) you’d have no idea that a renovation programme was indeed underway. From the entrance reception through to our suite, the spa and restaurant etc. the entire hotel was spotlessly clean, and was a wonderful mix of historic with the modern.
Our Suite (#512 - the Maria Kämp suite)
On the 5th floor, this was a great suite with an entrance lobby before going into a really large open plan seating, work, wardrobe/dressing area, with a platformed bedroom area.
Bathroom
This was like the size of a hotel room in itself, with a very grand double door entrance off the living room part of the suite. With double windows (heated) overlooking the front Esplanade, the bathroom definitely had the wow factor. Traditional with two-tone marble tiling throughout, there were twin sinks which I love (his’n’his style) with a whole array of ESPA toiletries.
Breakfast
In the same restaurant (Brasserie Kämp) breakfast was served daily with a large buffet serving a full range of the usual breakfast items. Everything was covered from the usuals juices and yoghurt, to breads and pastries, homemade jams and sauce for a fried Finnish bread (kind of like French toast). Good service, and there were other items you could have made to order; however the buffet really was more than sufficient.
Restaurant & Bars
There’s only the Brasserie Kämp on the ground level of the hotel, on two sides of the corner, where meals are served throughout the day. We enjoyed breakfast there a few times (seating either inside, or outside in the heated terrace area), as well as dinner one night. Service was always good, as was the choice and quality of food. There was the Kämp Bar, adjacent to this which opened late morning and remained open through the day and evening, plus of course there was room service and a choice of eateries in the adjacent Galleria Kämp.
If you’re booked into an Executive Room or a Suite, you also have access to the Upper Lounge, located on the second floor of the hotel which served drinks (soft drinks, teas and coffees, as well as full bar service) and snacks each afternoon. The lady that ran this was excellent, exceptionally friendly and very attentive in serving us a few times.
Spa & Wellness
The newly reopened (and completely refurbished) Kämp Spa was on the 8th floor of the hotel. I have written a separate spa review blog about this, but basically it’s a wonderful addition to the hotel with a whole array of treatments by either ESPA or Environ South Africa, both are brands I love. There was a large well-equipped gym, open 24 hours with your room or suite access card, a thermal suite with both traditional Finnish sauna and a eucalyptus steam room, heated beds and a refreshment centre (bubbles available on request and at cost) and then what would normally be 6 dedicated treatment suites and a further treatment relaxation area.
Design & Architecture
Originally built in 1887 as a hotel, this remained as such until 1965 when I believe the back part of the hotel was knocked down to replace it with a more modern office building. This was only reinstated in 1999 when it reopened as a hotel and merged the original front with the newer wing behind. Our suite was sited in the original part, where the ceilings were higher and has such wonderful history, as well as the amazing grand staircase.
What about the Helsinki location?
Situated on the Esplanade, the hotel is in the heart of the centre with everything you could want on your doorstep, and many of the major sites an easy walk away. Despite being cold when we visited, it wasn’t extreme so we did a lot of walking, as well as taking some taxis to areas further afield (like the terminal for the ferry to Tallinn), and Ubers were cheap and accessible too.
Some of the top activities I’d recommend doing in Helsinki are as follows. All the details are in my Travel Diaries series blog .
Stockmann (Europe’s largest department store)
Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour (albeit this is seasonal, and city tours over the winter aren’t hop on/off)
Kamppi Helsinki / Kamppi Chapel
HAM - Helsinki Art Museum
Food and Drink in Helsinki
Some of our favourite restaurants and cafes we encountered over the course of our stay in Helsinki, Finland were as follows. I’ll expand on them much more in one of my Travel Diaries blogs, but here is the list:
Highlights of our stay
There were so many highlights of the stay at the but here are just a few of the key points, which I hope you find a useful summary.
Location - so easy to walk places, yet also easily accessible by taxis (literally a taxi rank outside the hotel) or Uber.
Adjacent Kämp Galleria - loved the ‘secret’ door from reception. We had seen the sign in the hotel directly, but we couldn't find the way. There is actually a hotel boutique in the centre, and it’s in the back of that store.
Spa and gym facilities - excellent. Read all about them in my separate spa review blog.
Having two favourite spa brands - ESPA & Environ Skincare South Africa in the Kämp Spa.
Breakfast in Brasserie Kämp - large buffet choice, or omelettes/eggs to order.
A wow bathroom - and ESPA toiletries, but seemed hard to get shower gel.
Being able to check-in online in advance, made for a very speedy check-in after a quick passport check at the front desk
I love when there is a blend of old and new architecture wise, and it was fascinating having three lifts that would open on two sides to connect different levels of the two merged buildings. In the historic part, where we were, there were fewer levels; yet the full 1-9 in the newer part.
Areas for improvement
Wherever we stay, I do always like to look at the positives on any property we stay in, and airlines we fly with etc. but sometimes you can’t help but notice things that (for me, but I realise this is always personal) might have made for a better stay.
Small bottles ESPA - though fully recyclable, it can seem a waste to use so many small bottles vs having was seems like more sustainable larger bottles.
They were a bit mean on leaving shower gel - having to ask more than once for a replacement, and often being left with shampoo instead.
Not having WhatsApp - always think this is such a good communication means for any hotel, albeit there was some sort of chat facility which you could access via the hotel emails, it just wasn’t as simple as Whatsapp or accessible.
Room service - this could have been an opportunity to have a wider variety of foods, and be different to the same Brasserie menu. We looked one night thinking we would order dinner in-room, but it was just the same menu we’d had the night before.
Would I stay here again?
Yes definitely - would always be good to see the hotel once the final renovations are complete, but as it stands it’s a great location and a perfect choice for central Helsinki.
The newly renovated and reopened Kamp Spa
My final thoughts on Hotel Kämp Helsinki
Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) properties hardly ever disappoint, and this was another example of one which delighted. We loved the location as it was so easy to walk to a lot of the main sites, as well as having the Brasserie Kämp on site. There was a whole array of other cafés, bars, and restaurants literally on the doorstep.
Have you stayed at Hotel Kämp before? I’d love to hear your own thoughts and opinions on it as well as your impression of Helsinki as a holiday destination.
Comment below to share your thoughts and opinions.
Let me know which hotel I should review next!
