Review – Hilton Helsinki Airport Hotel is great for long layover

Introduction and Booking

After a memorable journey to Lapland in northern Finland to attend the Midnight Sun Film Festival, my return trip to Toronto routed me via Rovaniemi, Lapland’s capital, with a connection in Helsinki. I secured an excellent business class redemption on Finnair via American Airlines for 57.5K points, though the short RVN–HEL segment operates only in economy. The trade-off for that solid long-haul value was a 14-hour overnight layover at Helsinki Airport.

HEL Airport

Rather than heading into downtown Helsinki, I opted for convenience and booked a one-night stay at the Hilton Helsinki Airport. The hotel is directly connected to the airport precinct and is an easy walk from the arrivals terminal, making it an ideal option for late arrivals or early departures.

Rooms were priced at 40,000 Hilton Honours points, but I found a competitive cash rate of €151. Given the relatively low cash cost, redeeming points didn’t make sense here. Paying cash also allowed me to stack several Hilton-related credits from U.S. Amex cards, ultimately bringing my out-of-pocket cost to well under half the posted rate.

Location and Getting There

Getting to the hotel is straightforward and well signed. From the arrivals hall, walk toward the R-kioski convenience store and Espresso House café. Between those two landmarks, head outside, turn right, and follow the hotel signage. The walk takes approximately five to ten minutes at a relaxed pace.

Airport Signs for Hilton Helsinki

Part of the route is covered, but not the entire walk. During my June visit, this wasn’t an issue, but it’s worth noting for winter stays when Helsinki temperatures can be unforgiving. A fully covered or underground pathway would be a welcome improvement, especially given the hotel’s proximity to the terminal.

Partially covered walkway to hotel

Check-in and First Impressions

I originally booked a standard 300-square-foot Twin Guest Room and was proactively upgraded to a Twin Executive Room. While the room size remained the same, the upgrade included executive lounge access, which I already had through Hilton Diamond status.

At check-in, I was able to “suite talk” my way into a 409-square-foot King Family Room with a private sauna, which significantly elevated the stay despite it being just a single night.

Immediately to the right of the reception desk is a small marketplace offering snacks and drinks. Adjacent to that is a self-service station where guests can print boarding passes and checked luggage tags before leaving the hotel. This was a first for me at a Hilton property and a genuinely useful feature, especially for airport hotel guests.

Marketplace and kiosk for luggage tags

My Room

The family room was located on the fourth floor toward the end of the hallway. Upon entering, the bathroom sits immediately to the right and is generously sized, featuring both a bathtub and a separate shower. At the back of the bathroom is the private sauna, with a glass panel that offers a view into the bedroom—a distinctly Finnish touch and a standout feature of the room.

Continuing into the main space, the room opens to a king bed and a light grey pull-out sofa. Built-in nightstands with reading lights flank the bed, and there is ample closet space on both sides. To the right of the bed is a minibar area with a mini-fridge, coffee station, and in-room safe. A desk and chair provide a functional workspace, while a flat-screen TV sits opposite.

King Family Room

Between the bed and the sofa bed is a small coffee table placed on a green accent rug, with a standing lamp in the corner, adding warmth to the space. Two bathrobes and slippers were provided, along with an ironing board and iron. There was no microwave in the room.

Work desk in-room

Bathroom with private Sauna

The view wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but for a short overnight airport stay, that was a non-issue. The highlight here was unquestionably the private sauna, which I fully enjoyed before checking out.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Restaurant Gui, located behind the reception desk. The dining room is spacious, with plenty of seating and a calm atmosphere that never felt crowded during my visit.

Breakfast Restaurant

The hot buffet included sunny-side-up eggs, scrambled eggs, egg casserole, and a made-to-order omelet station. Additional hot items featured bacon, sausages, meatballs, hash browns, baked beans, and several traditional Finnish breakfast dishes.

Breakfast Buffet

Cold options included deli meats, cheeses, cold fish, yogurt, fruit, and a waffle station. Coffee and tea were available on request and delivered to the table, and there was also a juice station with freshly made smoothies. The mango smoothie, in particular, was excellent and easily one of the best breakfast smoothies I’ve had at an airport hotel.

Amenities – Executive Lounge and Sauna

Just around the corner from reception, behind the elevators, is a small children’s playroom stocked with toys and books, providing a quiet space to keep younger guests entertained.

Kid’s Play Room

Directly across from the playroom is the hotel lobby bar, with Restaurant Gui located to the left. Gui serves breakfast and lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Room service is available 24 hours a day.

Restaurant bar

The executive lounge is on the fifth floor and operates from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with happy hour from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Unfortunately, my late arrival from Lapland meant I missed the evening service. The lounge features a fireplace, a refreshment area with soft drinks, juices, water, light snacks, and fresh fruit, and a coffee machine offering a variety of hot beverages. Seating includes wooden tables and chairs as well as very comfortable leather and vinyl couches. On a clear day, the views over the airport apron and aircraft at the gates are excellent.

Hilton Helsinki – Executive Lounge

Executive Lounge – F&B options

The fitness center is located one level below reception on floor −1. It’s compact but functional, equipped with three treadmills, two ellipticals, a rowing machine, several weight machines, and free weights. Adjacent to the gym are shared men’s and women’s saunas with showers, towels, and lockers. Some areas require a key from reception.

Hotel Gym

Sauna in Gym

Takeaway

With less than 24 hours in Helsinki, choosing an airport hotel made sense, and this property exceeded expectations. While there are Hilton and Marriott options in downtown Helsinki for those wanting to explore the city, the proximity and efficiency here are hard to beat for a long layover.

The breakfast quality was on par with other Finnish hotels I stayed at during the trip and included several local touches. For guests who don’t score a room with a private sauna, the shared sauna next to the gym is absolutely worth visiting before a long flight.

I made full use of my private sauna before checking out and walking back to the terminal, a relaxing way to end the stay. For an airport hotel, I’d comfortably rate this a 9 out of 10. It caters equally well to seasoned business travellers and leisure passengers on extended layovers.

Small details stood out: the ability to print luggage tags at the hotel, the ease of splitting payment across multiple cards and gift cards, and the accommodating front desk staff who handled my somewhat complex payment requests without issue. When you’re deep in the points and credits game, those touches genuinely matter.

My one suggestion for improvement would be a fully covered or underground walkway to the terminal, particularly for winter travellers. That aside, the Hilton Helsinki Airport hotel is one of the best airport hotels I’ve stayed at and an easy recommendation for anyone transiting through Helsinki.

Hyvää matkaa 😊