Hotel Indigo Helsinki Review: Good Value for A Quick Stay

Rating: 4/5 (Good price to value. Hotel itself is a bit bland but really well located and friendly staff so hard to complain for the price)

Price Paid: Free – used my annual free night certificate with my Chase IHG Premier Card, which offers 1x free night certificate per year up to 40,000 in points, which more than offsets the annual fee which is why I love this card (Note this stay would otherwise earn 26x on qualifying IHG hotel stays had I actually paid for this in cash). Cash stays usually price out in the USD $100-$200 range here, or 20,000 – 40,000 IHG points per night depending on season.

Introduction

After one of my favorite flights of all time on Finnair’s A350 business class, it was time to head into central Helsinki for a one night layover. This was my first time in Helsinki (or Finland in general) so I was excited to have the opportunity to explore here, even if just for a day. The only challenge was that this was the end of February, and I was just coming back from a 2 week trip to Southeast Asia, so my winter wardrobe was non-existent. Luckily though, it ended up not being that cold during my stay when I visited (40s Fahrenheit / low single digits Celsius) so the one pair of long pants and one jacket I brought was good enough.

After two weeks on the road, I had racked up too much on my credit cards, so I decided to use my free night certificate via my IHG Platinum Card to cover this stay. Also this hotel is really well-located in the center of the city, and given I had only 24 hours here, I wanted to maximize my ability to walk around and explore.

In this post, you’ll find:

Getting to the Hotel & Check In

After flying 14 hours from Phuket, I was completely exhausted and needed sleep. Luckily, departing Asia in the morning and flying westward, we landed evening time in Helsinki which makes jet lag much easier. Usually I would take the train (especially in Europe where public transportation to airports actually is good unlike the US), but given I was so tired I just called an uber. The ride took around 30 minutes and cost ~30 euros.

Check in was quick and efficient. Despite being a free stay, the front desk recognized my IHG Platinum Status (free via the Chase IHG Premier Card), and offered the usual selection between 600 points or a free drink / snack. Given 600 IHG points is worth ~$3USD, I opted for the drink and snack.

This hotel is mid-sized, with 8 floors and 120 rooms total.

The Room

I made my way to my room on the 8th floor. The color scheme of the hotel interior was kind of weird. It gave neon walls from Squid Game vibes (iykyk). Or like what I imagine a minimum security Nordic prison would look like.

The room itself was modern and artsy, fitting the vibe of the Indigo brand.

There were also boxed ads for jewerly inside the room, which I thought was weird. Also the furniture was very ikea-esque.

Overall the room was clean and good enough for a one night stay, which was all I needed. The bed was also super comfortable which was all I really cared about after flying for 14 hours.

Property Tour & Amenities

I didn’t spend a ton of time in the hotel, but the property has a very nice lobby with a restaurant & bar called Bröd Punavuori on the ground floor. I got my free coffee & pastry here:

Here’s the hotel lobby dining area:

And here’s another shot of the hotel from the outside:

In terms of other amenities, the hotel also offers the usual hotel spread plus a Finnish sauna:

• A small gym
• Bike rentals
• EV charging and parking
• Business center
• Laundry & housekeeping
• Steam room and Finnish sauna. The sauna was really nice, but I have no pictures of it because it was busy when I went and I’m not trying to get arrested out here, as nice as Scandinavian prison may be

Things to Do Nearby

One of the best features of this hotel is its location. It’s located within walking distance of most attractions that you’d want to see in a day tour of Helsinki. Helsinki is also a really walkable (and small-feeling) city in general.

I woke up early the next day, because I only really had the morning to explore before it was time to head to Helsinki airport to catch my next flight home to NYC.

My favorite places were the food markets. I visited the Old Market Hall (Vanha Kauppahalli) for breakfast, and then Hietalahti Market Hall for lunch.

I tried the caviar bread for my breakfast, because why not. It was actually quite good, although I’m not sure caviar is something worth paying more for in the future, but I’m glad I tried it.

They also had lots of reindeer meat options, which I didn’t have room for but I honestly regret not trying:

My last stop was another food market for lunch, Hietalahti Market Hall. This one was much more international with food from all over the world. It was good, but honestly for the Finnish experience if choosing between the two I’d just stick with the Old Market Hall by the water.

Conclusion

After a fun morning of exploring downtown Helsinki, it was time to head to the airport to catch my final flight home to NYC.

The Hotel Indigo was the perfect home base to crash for a night and explore the city from. The hotel itself has some weird design quirks and can feel a bit cheap in places, but for the price and location, it’s hard to do much better. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here in the future, although I would probably only stay 1-2 nights since there’s not a ton to do in Helsinki.

Next stop, checking out the Finnair Business Class Lounge at Helsinki airport before flying back home on Finnair’s A330 Business Class.