Kauppahotelli

The price was fair and the location in the city centre was good. Breakfast had a decent range, though I would have liked more sweet choices, like pastries or cereals. The frustrating part was having no reception service in the afternoons. Two colleagues in our group accidentally left their key inside the room and were charged 150 euros to have someone come open it. That could have been avoided if reception had been staffed. Nothing was broken, and this sort of thing can happen to anyone, so the fee felt completely excessive and unacceptable to me. A real shame, since everything else was fine.

The staff were welcoming, friendly, and spoke English surprisingly well. The hotel was also very clean for its age. I found the people who helped with the emergency service kind, apologetic, and caring, but I still had to pay 40 EUR after forgetting my key in the room. There was no warning about fees if you forget or lose a key. The building feels old, like a Tarantino take on a 1960s socialist hotel. There’s only one elevator, and the rooms are very basic. The radiator heaters can malfunction, especially in the bathroom. Breakfast is quite simple, and may not be what you expect unless you’re from Finland: the scrambled eggs aren’t salted, the boiled eggs are very white, and the food options are limited. The room view leaves a lot to be desired too. Reception closes after 20h, so if you need something after that, you have to call the emergency service.

The location in the centre of Lahti is excellent, and breakfast is good every morning. It’s a three-star hotel with what you need, though some services are limited. WiFi is free but not very fast. The place is fine, just not recently refurbished. There’s one microwave for the hotel rather than one in each room. The rooms have fans, but no air-conditioning.

A basic room, but the helpful service and central location make up for a lot. There’s a garage too, so you don’t have to leave the car on the road.