Hotel Lilla Roberts Helsinki

Room Type: Lux Room*

Hotel Amenities: Lobby bar and restaurant, free wifi, 24h gym, paid parking

Average Cost per Night: $182 (incl. fees, for 2 nights)*

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

My Rating: 7/10

*With Amex Platinum, we received a free room upgrade, $200 hotel credit for Amex Hotel Collection Hotels, and $100 on-site credit for dining—bringing our actual average cost per night to a mere $32.

Finland, and Scandinavia in general, is not exactly known for bargain hotel prices. Quite the opposite, in fact. So when I did the math with our Amex Platinum hotel benefits and saw that we could stay at this stylish art deco hotel in central Helsinki for pennies on the dollar, I didn't hesitate to book it.

I'm glad I did. The facade of the hotel is imposing and eye-catching, built in 1909 as a power plant and administrative offices, and later housing the Helsinki police department from 1974-2012. The hotel lobby is striking, with its black-and-white Harlequin marbled floors, decadent leather lounge chairs, and cozy fireplace and cocktail bar. Staff were friendly and helpful. Our room (a free upgrade category with Amex) was massive, even if the furnishings and decor seemed a bit incongruent with the art deco style of the rest of the hotel. And we took advantage of the basement gym, which was small and dated, but a nice amenity to have nonetheless.

Overall, Hotel Lilla Roberts is a good value (especially if you take advantage of credit card perks, like we did). It's notably less expensive than other 5-star hotels in similar locations in Helsinki, likely due in part to some lacking amenities. But on the whole, we were charmed by the history and design of the building and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.