The New Hotel Maria Is Putting Helsinki On The Nordic Luxury Map

16.01.2024 - 18:09 / forbes.com

It was the sauna in my suite that seduced me.

Helsinki’s brand-new Hotel Maria leans into its luxury. With an announced aim to raise the bar for northern hospitality, it has all the five-star hallmarks: High-quality materials like natural woods and hand-forged metal, works by local artists, an abundance of space, a gourmet restaurant and a sumptuous spa. It also leans into its Finnish-ness.

That sauna—which, to be sure, is an amenity in the top suites rather than all of the 117 rooms—is just one example of that pride in heritage and sense of place. While it’s undoubtedly the warmest spot in a guest suite, the modern gas-powered fireplaces in some rooms and public spaces do their work too.

Finns don’t have a famously cute word like hygge for coziness, but they still do comfort well. And it’s part of the legacy that three-time Olympic gold medalist-turned-luxury real estate developer Sampaa Lajunen had in mind when he invested in the hotel, which became a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts from the get-go. (His sport was Nordic combined, comprising cross-country skiing and ski jumping.) But he has an eye on the present and future as well as the past.

“The Hotel Maria’s commitment to being the premier hotel experience in the Nordics and Helsinki's first true five-star destination reflects the evolution of luxury in the Nordics,” he said in one of those statements that get sent around to travel writers. “Our journey parallels that of our namesake, Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, a renowned and beloved royal figure who sought peace of mind in Finland during challenging times and served as a great unifier beyond borders.”

His statement is a delicate reference to Finland’s history with Russia at a time when diplomacy was sometimes encouraged through marriage but didn’t always stave off wars. In any case, the Danish-born Russian duchess “found respite in Helsinki,” commercial director Heli Mende told me over dinner in the hotel’s signature Lilja restaurant. The duchess liked the city’s “open-hearted, warm, educated and cosmopolitan nature.”

That became part of the inspiration for the hotel, which Mende called a place for “modern-day Marias—cosmopolitan, well-traveled women.” To be sure, the hotel’s overall aesthetic has an understated femininity, not Barbie pink but the subtle shades of white and beige that are more becoming to Nordic aristocracy. The artist behind most of the paintings is Pia Feinik, who is known for works inspired by the region’s starkly beautiful nature.

The hotel occupies four architecturally significant buildings constructed between 1885 and 1930 in the historic Kruununhaka district, with the main entrance on Mariankatu, or “Maria Street” in Finnish. Over the years, they served as an