Willow, Worldhotels Crafted

The rooms below the restaurant on the 13th floor are noisy. We could hear heavy chairs scraping across the ceiling until it closed, so ask for a room away from the rooftop bar. The lobby setup is awkward too, with reception behind the bar. A few staff members kept disappearing, leaving one trainee to manage a busy check-in line while pouring drinks. There are some real positives: our Deluxe room was spacious and well soundproofed from street noise, with a private balcony and panoramic harbour views. Breakfast was solid, dinner at the restaurant was great, and the rooftop bars were good. Most of the staff were warm and hardworking. The practical problems added up. Keep paper receipts, since a restaurant bill we’d paid didn’t show in the system and had to be sorted out at checkout. Keycards often failed, and housekeeping skipped our room one day, though reception fixed that by evening. There’s no gym, and not including robes or slippers in Deluxe rooms unless you upgrade to a suite feels cheap. The bathroom floor heating takes ages to dry things. In the bedroom, the TV sits on an unsecured tripod that blocks a narrow walkway, and the ceiling spotlights are harsh and glaring. Even with the 25% opening discount, our four nights cost 6,300 kr, and the experience didn’t quite meet a 4-star standard. The hotel has great potential and a lot going for it, but they’re still working through the problems.

The hotel itself is clean and nice, but the mismanagement spoiled everything. At the restaurant we waited two and a half hours for food that was tasteless, and the cauliflower was awful. We sent two steaks back. The service was great, though. What a joke.

Unloading at Hotel Willow was quick 😎👍🏻

The fire alarm ruined the stay. Twice that evening, everyone had to go down the stairs and evacuate. There was no clear information either time, and no staff were there to greet us or explain what had happened or what would happen next. It felt very uncertain, so after the second evacuation we decided to leave and go home. The hotel gave us a full refund, which I appreciated and thought was the right call. Still, for the most expensive suite during the grand opening of a hotel presenting itself as a premium experience, I expected more. Room service had been advertised but wasn’t available, and the minibar had no price list. Reception didn’t know the prices and had to look them up manually. We stayed in the penthouse suite. The design was lovely, the furnishings were nice, and it was finished to a high standard. It had a large balcony, though in the wrong spot, since the sun disappeared quite early. You can tell they have big ambitions. I think this could be a very good hotel once everything is in place, but right now it feels as if it opened before the operations and service were ready.