Stay Report: Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel
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I was traveling to Stockholm and when looking for a place to stay, there is not a lot of variety especially if you want to stay in the city center. There were only a couple of options and one of them was a local brand and the other was the Radisson Blu. Radisson Blu had a couple of locations throughout Stockholm City Center so you could choose from a variety of options. I had never stayed at a Radisson Blu so was not sure what to expect, but my travel companion had stayed and had some status so we decided to book the Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel.
This hotel is located right next to the train station and is within walking distance to many sights, shops, and restaurants and this is the main reason we choose this hotel; location. We booked the hotel through the Radisson app as there were discounts through the app that were not available online. There were various room types to choose from and each room had various booking types - bed only, bed plus breakfast, bed plus extra points, etc. We were using the hotel as a base to walk around and were not planning on being in the room long so we booked the basic bed-only room.
The hotel is located on the main road right next to the train station. As you exit one section of the train station - right next to the entrance to the airport train - you will see the hotel on the left-side. From the outside, the hotel does not look like much and definitely needs an upgrade and paint job from the outside. There are entrances to the hotel - one is located right next to the train station entrance so you can walk out of hotel, take 5 steps and be inside the train station. This exit is only open during the day and closes at night due to security reasons; I did not feel unsafe walking around at night but did have to be more vigilant at night. The main entrance is located on the main road so from the train station you go towards the main road, take a left and the main entrance is right there. When you enter the lobby, there is a long walkway that leads you to the check-in desks at the other side of the lobby. Service at the check-in desks was varied and greatly depended on who was at the desk which made requests and service extremely difficult and inconsistent.
Along the left-side of the walkway are seating areas. Along the right-side are seating areas, the hotel restaurant, the hotel bar, as well as access to the second section of the hotel (more on that below). The lobby did not match the outside and luckily looked updated so was large, roomy and had plenty of seats. There were two sets of elevators - one of the left and one on the right - and these led to the two different sections of the hotel which contained the rooms.
The rooms on both sides were designed the same and both resembled a cabin on a cruise ship. In my stays I experienced both a smaller room size as well as a 'deluxe' room type - both were laid out the same and had the same amenities and the only difference was the size of the room. In both rooms, as you entered on the right was the bathroom. The bathroom contained a sink, a toilet, a shower tub or shower stall as well as refillable bottles of hand wash, lotion, and body wash. In addition, there were other amenities in the bathroom including towels, comb, and other bathroom amenities. Across from the bathroom was an extremely narrow closet which contained an iron, ironing board, safe, shelves, and place to hang your clothes. The closet had everything but was EXTREMELY narrow. In between the bathroom and the main part of the room was a nook that had a fridge on the bottom and the coffee maker on top. In the main part of the room, on the right side was the two twin beds each with a nightstand on either stand as well as a nightstand in the middle. The beds were small but comfortable and provided a decent nights sleep. Along the left side, across from the beds, was a TV mounted on the wall and a desk and a chair next to the wall; it was a basic desk but nice since there was no storage space in the room. Those were the basic amenities that were in both rooms - and as I said the only difference between the rooms was space as both were identical in features but one was larger. Both rooms also had a window and in one room there was a chair and small desk next to the window; the other room did not have this feature.
Amenities in the hotel included a restaurant, a fitness center, wifi, and meeting rooms. The wifi was complimentary and at a decent speed with no limitations to the number of devices connected. The fitness center was not a fitness center but an actual gym in the bottom of the hotel that hotel guests were allowed to use; but the service at the fitness center was not pleasant so it did not create a pleasant workout experience. Overall, it was a disappointing stay at the Radisson Blu. The only advantage to the hotel was the location right next to the train station but otherwise they offered an average room that had ok features but was small and definitely not worth the exorbitant price that was charged for the room. The service was poor and the amenities and layout did not match the price paid.
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