Best Western Premier Hotel Katajanokka  

The prison conversion is very good. At every spot from inside the room to the jailbird restaurant you can feel the presense of the old prison. City's number 4(not 4t) tram from the center, has a stop right in front of the hotel enterance. And being very close to viking line cruise ships station is a plus if you plan to take the cruise to stockholm.

All the night there was a high-pitched sound, I guess it was a fire-alarm, so it annoyed and there was hard to sleep. Also though it is allowed to bring pets to the hotel we were not allowed to bring him in restaurant - I didn`t quite catch why.

The previous jailhouse has been turned into a very comfortable hotel without loosing the main attractive details - thick walls, metal doors, typical prison corridores and windows with bars. However the room was very trendy with a comfortable bed, flat TV-set, nice shower, safe, coffee kettle etc. Breakfast was served in the cellar from metal plates and the choice of food was outstanding, incl tasty salmon and herring. The hotel is situated in the Katajanokka district, about 20-30 min by foot from the city centre, but there's a tram station just at the gate of the hotel, so you can reach the centre in just 5 minutes.The service was friendly and nice.

The only problem you may face is the quality of wifi signal in the room. I was informed already during the check-in that due to very thick walls the signal may be weak in the room and in case of a need one could use a much better signal at the reception or in the main corridor. There was also a decent signal in the cellar during the breakfast. So do not expect to lay on your bed, turn on the wifi of your iPhone or iPad and tweet about your comfortable life in a prison.

Staying in a historic building.

Staff was really great! atmosphere in the hotel is very strange, in a good way. it completely deserves 4 stars as it is mentioned. breakfast is good. room was big and comfortable, internet is fast. bathroom is clean, nice and quality. tram stop is just next to the hotel. it takes 5 minutes by tram or 20-30 minutes walking to the city center.

The main thing we disliked was that mentioned "Queen-size bed" was actually 2 beds together (which is okay) and (!!) 2 duvets. and duvets were not queen-size. not critical, of course, but anyway..

Soft and discreet Scandinavian service for families, even on a limited budget

Perhaps too much distance from Helsinki kind - but the first floor near the wall and in the end, it's the former prison, so that everything is OK!

Our second stay in this hotel, it is a pleasant walk into the centre of Helsinki, alternatively the trams stops right outside and runs every few minutes.

The staff was very friendly and helpfull. The hotel and the restaurant has a fantastic atmosphere. The twin premier room is very spacious, but the others are much smaller. We would definitely return to this hotel.

The night we arrived we switched 4 times of room because they were not clean. We ended at a room smaller than the one we reserved, but on the next day we changed to the twin premier room. For this inconvenient, the hotel did not charged the first night and the rest of the stay was wonderful.

When we first booked the hotel the novelty of staying in a former prison intrigued us and we found the Hotel Katajanokka met and exceeded our expectations the staff were extremely welcoming and friendly and did their best to try and order a pizza for us after our late arrival since the kitchen was closed. Our room was very well designed with very modern furniture, a comfortable bed and an ingenious shower that we both enjoyed very much. The whole atmosphere with the staff in black and white striped attire with a written description of the history of the place was a nice attention to the well planned effect that the hotel had upon us. Although we were there mainly for business reasons, we did enjoy the whole city of Helsinki and will return again and stay at this novel and welcoming hotel. We might also add that the breakfasts were the best we have ever enjoyed anywhere. The quality of the food was second to none and we enjoyed the fact of having our juice in prison style tin cups was a nice touch.

There is not much we can say to complain, other than the fact of having to listen to the staccato beat of rain and wind against the metal surfaces surrounding the windows kept us awake during the evenings of high winds and driving rain.

I've been at Katajanikka Hotel two times and I've been always satisfied by th eaccomodation, clearness and friendly welcome. As well the building is extremely ineresting and well maintened. The staff is efficient and available to all requests. We will come back in the future

Excellent location if you need to spend a night before ferry trip (close to ferry term); the hotel with history - very interesting and remarkable interior decoration.

A bit cold in the room and corridors

Very interesting idea of the hotel - former prison. Repairs is very modern and design is authentic. It looks like luxury style in prison. Also very rich breakfast (included in payment for room). This is not just a croissant with coffee

The location is near the port. Therefore it is more cold in winter and windy in summer.

Nice breakfast and decoration in the hotel. Very close to the terminals and convenient to go to city centre (within walk distance)