TRIP REPORT: We do it on behalf of Tier Points – Crowne Plaza, Helsinki
Crowne Plaza, Helsinki
Do it for level points
I arrived at the hotel after my walk and I checked in.
Yeah. It’s a recycled photo.
Once again I was offered a choice of a drink at the bar or points as a welcome gift.
Welcome
Reception
We all know what I was getting at. Because the points balances are never high enough.
This time I was in a junior suite – without access to the club room. It was fine for a one night stay. I chose breakfast at the price I wanted so I wouldn’t be hungry in the morning.
After all that was done, the key card was issued and I was off.
Let’s take a look at this room – although it wasn’t as big as the previous Club Room, it was a good size to say the least.
Junior suite
View from the outside.
As expected, the room had all the usual amenities – even a Nespresso machine with decent pillows (an easy way to save money).
Nespresso compatible machine
Glasses
Safe, minibar, kettle and all drinks.
I’ll be honest at this point. I was going to cheat like hell and go back to S-Market for some late night food after a little nap day.
My body had other ideas after being out in the cold for a good 10 hours plus. Well, at least I didn’t want to paint the town red. I sleep well on the bed in the room.
4am and I’m friends enough as it is.
Luckily I brought my laptop to entertain me and push out a few things that had been queued up on the blog.
Believe it or not, writing this blog can be cathartic at times. I also took the opportunity to shower.
The bathroom in this room… is a bit odd because you have to access it through the left side of the room and past the bed.
The position of the bed door is … unusual.
Sorry idiot in the mirror.
Definitely an odd design and one way to wake someone up if they are in bed.
Arriving at 7:30, I decided to go downstairs for breakfast. I had been a bit up at the time, and no longer slept for love or money.
Arriving at the restaurant I was checked in and found a seat by the window. The server kindly asked if I wanted coffee or tea for breakfast.
Regular readers of this blog know exactly what I was looking for.
After that I went to the main food area to look for breakfast. I was excited about hot things. I was not disappointed (as this hotel has not been), with its full spread.
Breakfast area
Continental products
Hot items
Pancakes
Jam
Waffles and chocolate-dipped croissants
All the gluten in the world
While that hasn’t changed from last time – that’s not a bad thing in this case, as the spread covers both continental and hot options, as well as those on special diets.
Superfood bar
Bar for special diets.
The nice thing was that when I sat down I was immediately offered coffee or tea – this came in a hot coffee pot – something to help get the day off to a good start I thought.
I’m a fan of this buffet (the least choice of all), so this was a win-win for me, especially the service detail, which is always nice to see.
After breakfast was done and dusted, I went back upstairs to relax and think about what to do. The fact is, I had no plans.
I’ll be honest – sometimes I don’t plan anything when I travel. It has helped sometimes when I just want to wander and not worry about things – the only time limit is I’m at the airport gate.
Sometimes letting go of the rush and going with the flow helps a little in life. Well, it’s needed every now and then as a safety valve.
When it was 10 o’clock, I decided to make something of the day. I went downstairs to check.
Since I had paid for the room the day before, and there was no more paperwork to complete, I went for a morning walk.
Overall: Continuous delivery in the service is a welcome sight. The room itself was more than adequate for a medium-term stay (even if I was only staying overnight) and is still one of the more affordable chain hotels in Helsinki.
Friendly service and an excellent breakfast buffet combined is one hotel I can recommend without hesitation.
Welcome Economy class and above. Your clear guide to online news, honest reviews, with in-depth coverage, unique research, and the humor and craziness I know how to deliver.
Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond latest updates! You can follow me Instagram too!
Also remember that we are a part the Boarding Area a community that brings you the latest loyalty news from around the world/
Related