Hotel Maria

The Hotel Maria
Former namesUusimaa Battalion Barracks
General information
TypeGrand hotel
LocationKruununhaka, Helsinki, Finland
AddressMariankatu 23
Coordinates60°10′26″N 24°57′25″E / 60.173761°N 24.956906°E / 60.173761; 24.956906
Completed1885 (1885)
OpenedFirst opening 15 December 2023 and Grand Opening 2 July 2024[2][3]
OwnerM&L Group[1]
Technical details
Floor count6
Design and construction
Architect(s)Evert Lagerspetz
Other information
Number of rooms117[4]
Website
Official Site

The Hotel Maria is a hotel in Kruununhaka, Helsinki, Finland along Mariankatu. It has 117 rooms, including 38 suites. The hotel has a spa and two restaurants.The hotel is operated by Hilton Worldwide, and it belongs to Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts. Hotel Maria is the first Waldorf Astoria hotel in the Nordic countries.[2][5][6][7][8]

History

Mariankatu 23, along with Liisankatu 8A/G and Maneesikatu 7, forms the historic Karhu (Bear) block in the Kruununhaka district of Helsinki.[9]

The current Hotel Maria building complex was originally completed in stages between 1885 and 1930.[3] Its oldest part was designed by Evert Lagerspetz, and it was originally built as the officers' barracks of the Uusimaa Battalion.[3][9] The building was expanded to the Liisankatu side in the 1930s, designed by Armas Siitonen.[9][3] Later, the former officers' barracks housed the Finnish Agricultural Board, and the Seed Inspection Department and the Department of Agricultural Chemistry were located in the side buildings.[9]

The sculptor Karl Magnus von Wright, a member of the von Wright noble family, designed the facade, a boat-themed coat of arms in the center of the attic, and the plaster ornaments.[10]

The name of Hotel Maria is linked to Emperor Alexander III of Russia and Empress Maria Feodorovna, who visited the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1885. Alexander III was also the Grand Duke of Finland, while Maria held the title of Grand Duchess. During their visit, Alexander III inspected a new building complex that had been constructed for the army. He praised the Senate of Finland for its conscientiousness and punctuality. The imperial couple also visited the Officers' Club, located at Liisankatu 8, nowadays the Maria Spa.[11] Additionally, Mariankatu street is named after Empress Maria.[10]

The hotel complex is located on Liisankatu as well, a street named after Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna, the spouse of Emperor Alexander I of Russia.[12][13]

The Hotel Maria

The hotel project began when Samla Capital, owned by Samppa Lajunen, purchased a city block located on Mariankatu, Liisankatu, and Maneesikatu in 2020.[14]

Construction of the hotel started in January 2023. The developer was the Finnish construction company Fira, and the architect was the Finnish architectural firm Avarc. Jaakko Puro Oy and Puroplan Oy were responsible for the hotel’s layout and interior design, as well as for concept planning together with Samla Capital’s Jana Sasko and Samppa Lajunen. The construction progressed in stages between 2023 and 2024. The hotel investment amounted to approximately €116 million, with financing coming from both Finland and London.[15][16][17]

The hotel project drew inspiration from the Nordic countries, Paris, and London.[18]

Lajunen’s vision was to offer the best hotel experience in the Nordic countries, aiming for ultra-luxury. The Hotel Maria was built as an international-standard luxury hotel. It stands out in Helsinki’s hotel market with its large rooms, a high number of suites (40), and bathrooms equipped with saunas, steam rooms, and bathtubs. Many rooms feature ceilings up to four meters high. In addition, the hotel includes spa and wellness facilities, two restaurants, two bars, a mirror hall, meeting rooms, a shop, and a chapel.[15]

The hotel opened its doors on December 15, 2023. It received recognition as part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Legend Collection. The project was fully completed in July 2024, with official opening celebrations held on July 2, 2024. The Hotel Maria was recognised in Forbes’ listing of the world’s best hotel openings of late 2024.[19][20]

The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, reserved the entire hotel during his state visit to Finland in September 2024.[21]

The Flow Festival’s headliner, pop star Charli XCX, stayed at Hotel Maria in August 2025.[8]

Ownership

The financing of the hotel project was originally challenging. Investors were found in Finland, but not sufficiently to start the project. The financing of the hotel project proved difficult. Eventually, investors were found in London. The funds used for the construction of the hotel amounted to about 166 million euros. The hotel was operated by SC Hotels Operations. The hotel opened in December 2023, but the entire hotel was fully opened in the summer of 2024. The hotel was supposed to generate profit from the opening day, but this is an impossible task among luxury hotels. Helsingin Sanomat first reported in September 2024 that the hotel was facing financial difficulties, meaning the hotel was making a loss and capital buffers were low. The hotel's largest lender informed investors on January 30, 2025, that it should be put up for sale. This would have meant that investors would have lost all their funds. Lajunen opposed the sale of the hotel because he defended the investors' interests. In July 2025, Lajunen announced that the hotel had been sold to the Singapore-based M&L Hospitality Group. The hotel came under Hilton's Waldorf Astoria brand in July 2025.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wacker, Henrik (10 July 2025). "Lajusen luksushotelliin sijoittaneet menettivät kaiken". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b "The Hotel Maria tuo Helsinkiin kansainvälisen tason hotellielämyksen" (in Finnish). STT. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Takala, Sami (15 December 2023). "Uhkarohkea unelma". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  4. ^ Harmaala, Minna (16 December 2023). "=Kalpeneeko Kämp? Helsinkiin avautui ainutlaatuiseksi mainostettu "ultraluksushotelli" – tällainen se on". Helsingin Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Samla Hotels" (in Finnish). Samla Capital. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  6. ^ Isotalo, Mikko (8 February 2025). "Samppa Lajunen rakensi miljoonabisneksen – nyt paljastui karu totuus". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  7. ^ Harmaala, Minna (2023-12-15). "Kalpeneeko Kämp? Helsinkiin avautui ainutlaatuiseksi mainostettu "ultraluksushotelli" – tällainen se on". Helsingin Uutiset.
  8. ^ a b "Megatähden majoitus Helsingissä paljastui – Hotelli pahoissa talousvaikeuksissa". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  9. ^ a b c d Ollila, Kaija; Toppari, Kirsti (1975). "Karhu ja Poro". Puhvelista Punatulkkuun: Helsingin vanhoja kortteleita (in Finnish). Sanoma Oy. pp. 36–37. ISBN 951-9134-69-7.
  10. ^ a b Mariankatu 23 - Liisankatu 8A & G - Maneesikatu 7 (Senaatti, 2016) Rakennushistoriaselvitys. Arkkitehtitoimisto Schulman Oy. Jyväskylä.
  11. ^ "Helsinki's Most Luxurious Hotel Spa - The Hotel Maria". www.hotelmaria.fi. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  12. ^ "Samla Capital uudistaa lähes kokonaisen korttelin Helsingin Kruununhaassa | Samla Capital Oy". www.sttinfo.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  13. ^ "Helsingin Kruununhaka". Kotus (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  14. ^ "Samppa Lajusen luksushotelli Maria tähtää huipulle". www.vitriini.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  15. ^ a b jonasmeling (2023-01-11). "Fira modernisoi luksushotellin Kruununhakaan – The Hotel Maria avaa ovensa vuonna 2023". Fira (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  16. ^ "The Hotel Maria | Avarc Architects". avarc.fi. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  17. ^ "The Hotel Maria". Puroplan (in Finnish). 2024-02-13. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  18. ^ "Samppa Lajusen luksushotelli Maria tähtää huipulle". www.vitriini.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  19. ^ "The Hotel Maria tuo Helsinkiin kansainvälisen tason hotellielämyksen | The Hotel Maria". www.sttinfo.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  20. ^ "The Hotel Maria is now complete - The Hotel Maria News". www.hotelmaria.fi. 2024-07-05. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  21. ^ Vanhala, Akseli; Holopainen, Simo (2024-09-08). "IS:n tiedot: Näin hulppeasti Qatarin emiiri yöpyi Helsingissä". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  22. ^ Kankare, Veera (2025-07-04). "Samppa Lajunen vahvistaa: Hotel Maria on myyty". Tärkeimmät talousuutiset | Kauppalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  23. ^ "TE: Samppa Lajunen ulos ökyhotellinsa yhtiön hallituksesta". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  24. ^ "Sijoittaminen | Samppa Lajusen Kruununhaan luksushotelli vaikeuksissa – Hotelli vakuuttaa, että rahoitus on "varmistettu"". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  25. ^ STT, Mikko Isotalo (2025-02-08). "Samppa Lajunen rakensi miljoonabisneksen – nyt paljastui karu totuus". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  26. ^ "HS: Samppa Lajusen ökyhotellin sijoittajat menettivät rahansa". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  27. ^ "Yritykset | Hotelli Maria aiheutti Samppa Lajusen yhtiölle suuret tappiot". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  28. ^ Kankare, Veera (2025-07-04). "Samppa Lajunen vahvistaa: Hotel Maria on myyty". Tärkeimmät talousuutiset | Kauppalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
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