Scandic Paasi

Finnish and international travelers, business people and families are all drawn to this friendly yellow stucco building whose quiet courtyard backs onto blocks that lead to the city's waterways. Stepping into the lobby is a bit like stepping into a brightly lit big top: There are red carpets on the floors and ceilings festooned with rainbow-colored wooden slats. Walls are harlequin black and tan, and the reception desk is white with black pennants. Everywhere, brass and mirrored surfaces glitter. The lobby bar, with its cowhide-colored sofa and azure blue wingback chairs doubles as a library with blond wood shelves of books, photos, and memorabilia. Aside from its whimsy the Scandic Paasi draws guests with its location, right next door to the Paasitorni Congress and Meeting Center and convenient to Helsinki's city center. 

The Scandi Paasi is in the Siltasaari neighborhood, about a 15-minute walk to the center of Helsinki and its central railway. Adjacent to the 30-room Paasitorni Congress and Meeting Center, the hotel backs onto streets leading to the water and its busy, pretty harbor. It is a five-minute walk to the Hakaniemi Marketplace and a tram stop. In 15 minutes, hotel guests can walk to Helsinki Cathedral, and Helsinki's Design District is an 11-minute drive away. The Esplanadi, a rectangular park popular for picnics and flanked by shops and restaurants, is 13 minutes away by train. It is a 13-minute train ride to the Helsinki Music Centre and the Steven Holl-designed Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art. The Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is a 28-minute car ride away.

The splashy style that reigns in the public spaces continues in Scandic Paasi's guest rooms regardless of room categories. From the lipstick-red punching bag, heart-shaped pillows, and goose-neck reading lamps in the Standard Rooms to the mirrored nightstands and zebra-print chairs of the Superior Plus Rooms, the whimsical flourishes abound. Walls vary from thick vertical stripes to silhouettes of performers to vibrant red, while furnishings are a mix of functional pieces, such as pedestal tables, with playful ones, like spherical white ottomans. Beds may have tufted, white or brown leather headboards and colorful pillows and throws. All rooms have minibars, free Wi-Fi, plasma TVs, safes, irons, and tables and armchairs. Higher room categories have coffeemakers and electric kettles, sofa beds, kitchenettes and dining areas, as well as saunas, and terraces. These rooms also have separate seating areas. Bathrooms have a range of tile-work as well, from thumbnail beige tile to rectangular blue or blocky gray. Showers are either walk-in or combination shower/tubs with glass partitions, and all have FACE Stockholm toiletries.

There are four restaurants in the hotel's complex, including Restaurant Paasin Kellari where guests can find a free buffet breakfast. There is also a library bar and room service. Bicycles and Nordic walking sticks can be rented from the reception desk for a fee. And a gym with a few cardio and weight-lifting machines and free weights is open to all guests. Some higher category rooms have private in-room saunas, but there's also a larger 14-person sauna that can be rented for a fee, though it's not open to guests at large. Multiple meeting rooms are also available for events. Wi-Fi is free.