Hotel St. George, Helsinki, a Member of Design Hotels [In-Depth Review]

A friend and I started our third annual girls trip to our third continent together, visiting 3 countries: Finland, Estonia, and Norway. Our trip began in Helsinki, Finland, which looked to have the priciest lodging, so I immediately got to work trying to see where my points could help reduce our costs.

Hotel St. George, Helsinki, a Member of Design Hotels, is a Marriott property that looked to be a great value for my points in a location that would be easy to access from the airport. Would this historic yet stylish property check all of our boxes for a great stay?

Read on for a detailed review of my 2-night stay in March 2025.

Booking Hotel St. George

Marriott was my brand of choice when searching for accommodations in Helsinki, as I had several free night awards from a welcome bonus offer from the Marriott Bonvoy Business^® American Express^® Card set to expire.

The top 2 contenders were Hotel St. George, Helsinki, a Member of Design Hotels, and Hotel U14, Autograph Collection. The award rates were about the same for each hotel, though the cash rate was a bit higher for Hotel St. George. Since the hotels had similar reviews, I went for the hotel with the better value for my points.

I paid for 2 nights in a Serenity Studio, Studio, 1 King, Street View, with 2 free night awards of up to 50,000 points each. Otherwise, the total redemption would have been 88,000 total points.

The room’s cash cost was €620 total (about $690), so I received 0.78 cents per point in value against the 88,000 points per stay or 0.69 cents per point if you consider the full value potential of the certificates (100,000 points). Either way, I was still beating our valuation of Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.5 cents each.

Hot Tip:

Several of our picks for the best Marriott Bonvoy cards offer free night awards, either as part of the welcome bonus offer or a cardholder benefit.

Location of Hotel St. George

Hotel St. George is in the heart of central Helsinki and is easy to access from the airport by train. When flying into Helsinki Airport (HEL), you can take the 30-minute I or P train to Helsinki Central Railway Station (about €4/$4) and then walk 10 minutes to the hotel.

We found the property well-located for walking to area sites or catching a tram or bus. A charming walk down the Esplanadi would bring us to the Kauppatori Market Square area near Old Market Hall, Allas Pool, SkyWheel Helsinki, and the ferry to Suomenlinna. Consider a lunch stop at Soup+More at Old Market Hall for the creamy salmon soup!

Hot Tip:

We frequently found ourselves in the Kauppatori Market Square area, so Hotel U14 would have also been a well-located choice for our Helsinki trip.

Check-In

Hotel St. George is an imposing historic building across from Old Church Park. The hotel opened in 2018, but the building itself dates back to the 1840s. It has 148 rooms and 5 suites across 7 floors.

The entrance is a bit awkward, as guests are immediately presented with elevators or stairs up to the lobby level.

Looking upwards, guests can see Ai Weiwei’s silk and bamboo kite sculpture Tianwu.

We arrived just after 2 p.m., slightly ahead of the 3 p.m. check-in time. I was pleased to hear our room was ready. I inquired about any twin rooms being available and was advised that we could move to a Companion Twin room for an additional €20 ($22) per night. I should have been eligible for an enhanced room upgrade due to my Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, but my status was never mentioned, and rather than press for an upgrade, I declined the upsell and stayed with the original room.

Elite Benefits

My Marriott Bonvoy Business card grants me Gold Elite status, which is fairly mediocre. As a benefit, I received a welcome gift of 500 points and free Wi-Fi.

I did not receive an enhanced room upgrade or request a late 2 p.m. checkout.

Lobby

The lobby is immediately to the right of the check-in desk. It has a small seating area with 2 sofas, 2 armchairs, and a settee. Sculptures and hanging art are throughout the space.

An extended exhibition by Finnish fashion designer Mert Otsamo, “Ephemeral Beauty,” displayed an interesting collection of outrageous dresses throughout the lobby and surrounding hallways.

Bedroom

My friend and I were assigned room 432, just around the corner from the elevators. The hallway had a weird vibe, as the wall across from the room seemed to have many locked storage doors. It felt sterile.

Stepping into the room felt a bit like entering a cruise ship cabin. The door was heavy, and there was a threshold to enter. It had a unique leather material on its interior.

While I was initially disappointed by the small size of the room (listed online as 258 to 366 square feet), I later felt that it worked perfectly for our needs, and there was tons of storage space.

There were, however, questionable design choices, like this useless nook with a velvet ottoman.

The bed’s duvet was too narrow for my liking, barely covering the side of the bed. The bed also had a mattress topper on it, which I’ve never experienced before at a hotel. The pillows were too soft for my liking, but my daily exhaustion helped me overlook this preference.

Each side of the bed had a reading lamp with a matching nightstand, which had the same wicker look as the closets and TV cabinetry. The left side of the bed had a room service menu.

Each nightstand had lighting controls, an AC outlet, and 2 USB-A outlets.

The right side of the bed had a telephone. Along the wall near the door were the same lighting controls and a digital pad to set privacy and cleaning alerts.

A large closet unit was next to the left side of the bed — I felt like we could have unpacked several weeks’ worth of clothes in this space. The leftmost space had coffee and tea service with a kettle, a Sodastream, and glassware. The central space had open shelves, and the rightmost side had a space for luggage and a rod with hangers.

The note next to the glassware mentioned that “Finnish tap water has been ranked among the best in the world” and that you could make it sparkling water with the Sodastream.

A small oval desk had 2 bottles of water, a desk lamp, and details about the hotel’s artwork. The small basket on the floor was empty, so I’m not sure if it was decorative or meant to be a trash bin.

A 49-inch flat-screen TV was across from the bed on top of a cabinet that held a minibar, a safe, and a basket with snacks for purchase.

I emptied out the minibar so that I could use it as a minifridge for sodas I had purchased at the grocery store. I replaced the items before checking out.

The snacks included chips, nuts, candy, and olives, with prices starting at €5 ($6).

Closest to the entry door was another closet with an ironing board and iron.

This closet also had additional shelves with stretching exercise cards and an exercise band. It also included a fabric laundry bag, shoe polish kit, sewing kit, and shoehorn.

The entry to the bathroom was behind a full-length mirrored door next to the desk.

Bathroom

The bathroom was unbelievably spacious, though it seemed to underutilize its space. Windows ran the length of the bathroom, yet the vanity was small, with only 1 sink and a relatively small backlit mirror. However, I was giddy the minute I stepped on heated tile floors.

Next to the window was a set of fluffy towels and 2 robes.

The vanity had a makeup mirror, hand towels, and a hair dryer. A small ledge above the sink had 2 glasses.

A basket below the sink had bath amenities., including a shaving kit, dental kit, and vanity kit. This is also where the tissues were.

The shower had a sliding glass door to enclose it, and it was fantastic. It had a rainfall showerhead and a handheld wand.

Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were from L:A Bruket, a Swedish company.

I’m not sure how I triggered this, but the toilet also glowed at night, which my kids would have thought was awesome. It also had controls for the bidet.

My only complaint with the bathroom was that it had motion-activated lights, which I realized disturbed my sleeping travel companion when I tried to sneak into the bathroom at night.

Amenities

The hotel’s gym and spa were on the ground floor.

Fitness Center

The compact Playground Gym was open 24 hours a day and had cardio equipment, including an elliptical, a treadmill, a rowing machine, and a stationary bike.

The bulk of the space was consumed by a multifunctional rack station set for squats and pull-ups. A ladder system was attached to the wall for TRX-style training. The gym also had a large variety of dumbbells, plate weights, and kettlebells.

A feature I’ve never seen at another hotel gym was the ability to select a music playlist via a mounted tablet.

Towels, water, and fruit were also available for guests.

Spa

One of my favorite features of the property was the spa, St. George Care, where the pool and sauna were. The friendly agent at reception, Nelly, gave my friend and me a guided tour of the facilities.

The spa was open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and reservations were encouraged. For traditional spa services, a list of treatments and massages was available at reception.

Nail services and chair massages were conducted in a small room at the front of the spa.

After changing into swimwear and robes, guests were welcome to relax in a quiet zone that offers complimentary fruit-infused water, hot tea, nut mix, and fruits. Other drinks, such as Champagne, soda, and coffee, could be purchased from reception.

I was excited to experience a Nordic spa, and Hotel St. George did not disappoint. My friend and I enjoyed bouncing from the sauna to the shower to the cold plunge and repeating the process. I didn’t last long in the steam room, but I was happy to try out all of the facilities.

After watching a British couple hype themselves up to do the cold plunge, I knew I had to try it. I only lasted a few seconds, but it was fun to pop in and out of!

The indoor pool was next to the cold plunge. It was heated but still a bit chilly, and the room was spartan. It was certainly more comfortable to dip into after the sauna than the cold plunge, though!

At the end of the pool was a small room with 2 Neurosonic chaise lounges. These run a pattern of low-frequency vibrations throughout the chair, which you can control via a tablet.

Note that the sauna and pool are only available to guests over 16. Guests in a Cozy Studio are excluded.

Bottom Line:

My friend and I visited Allas Pool, a waterfront sauna and pool, for around $29 each for entrance and a towel rental. The experience was neat, but it was very crowded. It certainly made us appreciate the complimentary access to Hotel St. George’s quiet spa facilities even more.

Wi-Fi

The hotel’s Wi-Fi network was easy to access and had zippy download speeds of 50.8 Mbps. I didn’t have any trouble connecting or staying connected.

Food and Beverages

Wintergarden

Wintergarden is on the same level as the lobby, en route to the elevators.

The bar is open Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until midnight and Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. to midnight. Menus for cocktails and dining can be found here.

What I found really cool was that, before bar hours, the space is open for coworking and as an extended lobby for lounging. A welcoming table at the entrance provided complimentary water, nuts, and fruits.

St. George Bakery

St. George Bakery is a large cafe on the ground floor open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Several cases have chilled and freshly baked items, and guests can also order from a menu (available here).

As an alternative to the hotel’s primary breakfast buffet, guests can order a croissant set with fruit salad and a coffee or tea for €12 ($13) or a bakery breakfast buffet with a bread basket, a boiled egg, a small sweet, toppings from the buffet (which included meats and cheeses during our stay), porridge, and coffee or tea for €20 ($22).

On our visit, my friend was happy with her coffee and pastry, so much so that we came here both mornings of our stay.

The space had lots of seating, with a front room with street views. Rooms at the rear had seating for both solo diners and larger groups.

Boon Nam

Boon Nam is a Michelin-selected restaurant on the hotel’s ground level. It serves Thai cuisine Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to midnight.

The hotel’s primary breakfast buffet is served here for €36 ($39) Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to noon.

The staff kindly let me have a peek at the setup, which featured shakshuka, frittata, falafel, eggs, bacon, sausage, porridge, and pancakes (with allergens noted).

Pastries included white chocolate poppyseed cake, brownies, and croissants.

Similar to the St. George Bakery buffet, the spread also included cheeses, meats, and salad items.

Candies sat alongside fresh strawberries, cut melon, and whole fruit.

Service

As a Gold Elite member, I was underwhelmed that I wasn’t proactively upgraded, but the front desk agent was otherwise happy to discuss ferries and when area attractions were open.

My friend and I were impressed with Nelly at the spa, who was very approachable and comfortable to tour the spa facilities with.

Finally, even though we had set our “do not disturb” indicator on our door, I was pleased to see that our room was serviced with water in our absence.

Final Thoughts

The best use of a free night certificate is one that doesn’t go to waste. I was more than happy to find a great redemption at Hotel St. George, Helsinki, a Member of Design Hotels.

The central location was walkable to area attractions and transportation, and my friend and I loved relaxing in the spa. Though the standard award room was small, its storage spaces were thoughtfully designed, and we appreciated the spacious bathroom with heated floors.