Radisson Collection Strand Hotel, Stockholm

Well, where do I start!….lets start on my 70th birthday, we had arrived in Stockholm on the cruise ship Viking Jupiter after 2 weeks of cruising around Scandinavia. Having booked a sea view superior room (for 3 nights ) we were upgraded to a junior suite WOW room 601…see photos. What a fabulous surprise. The hotel is very central and close to everything. Reception staff pleasant and extremely helpful. ( see later) Terrific rooftop bar overlooking the town…but be aware it’s very popular so arrive early should you wish to enjoy a few drinks. The main restaurant called Strand is also good. We enjoyed a fairly typical buffet breakfast and had dinner there one night …can recommend. Our suite was super spacious with everything you could want. We had two single beds placed nice and close to each other and very comfortable Here’s where the wheels fell off!…not with the hotel but with us. My wife became very sick and needed a doctor. The hotel put us on to one who arrived within the hour. She deteriorated during the day and we needed help to get here to hospital. The hotel arranged a taxi and the most suitable hospital My wife was discharged later that night so back to the hotel as we were due to fly home back to Australia the next morning. She deteriorated further and an emergency unfolded at 1.30 in the morning. John the night manager was terrific in trying to get an ambulance however we decided on a taxi as quicker. It was a little complicated as we had to also check out because the hotel was full. Anyhow they made looking after our bags etc etc and made things as easy as possible As it turns out my wife is ok and we came back to the hotel the following day to collect our bags. The reception staff helped me arrange accommodation at the other Radisson Blu waterfront for a few days where we are now. Flights missed, travel insurance activated and life goes on…..it’s a bit of a story however the hotel was terrific in our time of need….that will always get 5 stars from me.

After six nights at another hotel, I decided to spend a little more and move to the Radisson Collection Strand, expecting a more refined and luxurious stay in one of Stockholm’s best locations. Unfortunately, while the location was excellent and easily the strongest point of the hotel, the overall experience did not quite live up to expectations. We had two rooms, and both were quite small. The bathrooms also felt cramped, and the in-room amenities were rather limited for a hotel positioned at this level. We did not try the breakfast, so I cannot comment on that. On the positive side, the receptionists I interacted with were very professional, helpful and courteous, and they definitely made a good impression. Overall, the stay was perfectly acceptable, but there was nothing particularly memorable, special or luxurious about it. Considering the price and the Radisson Collection positioning, I expected a noticeably higher level of comfort, attention to detail and overall experience. Would I return? Probably not. The location is excellent, but the hotel itself was ultimately a disappointment and did not deliver the upscale experience I was hoping for.

I have been collecting some of my travel experiences at Radisson. However, I have to say I don’t know why. The membership club doesn't offer any extra benefits, and the way you treat your loyal customers is just a joke. 1) Check-in experience. If the first thing you want to emphasize is “your room is not ready,” you might want to rethink your customer service processes. 2) Don’t expect your customers to need to run down to reception for a possible room swap; that's your task to arrange 3) Reception was FULL of unhappy customers; everyone was disappointed with the “welcome” experience. I wonder what the motivation will be to gather any Radisson experiences in the future. Also, it doesn't make sense to choose the chain for business travel. I understand that there are limited options to consider when a hotel is fully booked. However, what doesn't cost you a penny is the service attitude and how you treat your customers. That could have saved a lot!

Nice hotel and the sea view was lovely. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant and the food was very good, as was the service.

Whole disappointment as a rewards member. Reception not helpful. Breakfast really not worth taking at the hotel.