Where is it?
The Radisson Blu Sky Hotel is located in downtown Tallinn. The location is quite good with walking distance to most places of interest, but on the other hand Tallinn is a small and very compact city.
The old town is just a few minutes walk away and there are plenty of shops, restaurants and cafes in the vicinity of the hotel. It takes 10-15 minutes to walk from the port to the hotel if arriving by ferry and it takes around 10 minutes by taxi to get to the hotel from the airport.
The hotel should not be confused with the Radisson Blu Olümpia Hotel, the second Radisson Blu hotel in the city which is three blocks away.
The arrival experience
I arrived in Tallinn by ferry from Helsinki. As the ferry terminal is right in the city centre I decided to walk to the hotel, saving a few euros instead of taking a taxi. I had printed a map and it took about 15 minutes to walk to the hotel. Possibly it would have been a bit quicker in daylight. I arrived at midnight and it was very dark.
Most people had already checked in, the reception area was empty and the check-in process was quick. The woman at the reception desk had a trainee tag and for some reason decided to sort out the payment for the room at check-in rather than just taking the credit card details and settle everything (including the payment of any extras) upon check-out. Other than that she was friendly and gave a quick introduction to the hotel and the facilities (and which were still open after midnight).
The room
I was given a room on the 22nd floor and it soon turned out I had been upgraded to a business class room thanks to my Radisson Rewards gold card. The 22nd floor was the second highest of the hotel and the highest floor with any guests rooms, so the upgrade was a fairly good one and most appreciated. The room had the same view as the sky bar located right above on the 24th floor.
The business class room was quite spacious measuring around 30 sqm, more than enough for a one-night stay with plenty of space.
The room seemed to have been recently renovated and modernised and was in fact quite stylish with a few interesting design details. The hotel itself has been around for some time, which you could notice for example in the corridor.
The business class room had a large king-sized bed, an armchair, a small table, a TV and a work desk. There was also a closet and an ironing board.
All business class rooms also have a few extra amenities such as bathrobes, slippers and a Nespresso machine. And of course there was also a minibar.
The bathroom was spacious and had the standard Radisson toiletries, a toilet and shower but no bathtub.
An interesting design detail was also the panel under the TV and the work desk. It actually had some built-in lighting effects and when switched on it showed a map of downtown Tallinn. Very effectful.
One of the best things about the room though was the view which was nothing but fantastic. The room, located on the 22nd floor, had the same amazing view as the sky bar right above and provided a completely unobstructed view of the old town, most of the city centre and even parts of the coastline and the Baltic sea.
The view was just as good in the morning as in the evening and was probably one of the best views you could get at the Radisson Blu Sky Hotel.
Food and drinks
The hotel has two bars and a restaurant. On the ground floor there is the lobby bar serving drinks and snacks and also the Seasons restaurant where the breakfast is served.
On the 24th floor there is the Lounge24 which is used both a restaurant and a bar with a great view of the city centre. During the summer months and when the weather permits there is an outdoor terrace with tables.
I made a quick visit to the sky bar to have a beer before going to bed. The bar was pleasant and the service friendly but there was nothing extraordinary in terms of design or experience and the outdoor terrace was unfortunately closed. And of course it turned out I had the same great view from my room.
Other facilities
The hotel offers a gym which is open 24 hours. There is also a spa offering various treatments, sauna and steam room. There are also two private saunas you can rent (at a charge) located on the ground floor. You can even order snacks and drinks to these saunas.
The hotel also has a conference section with with meeting rooms and event halls for up to 410 guests.
Service
The service was friendly, perhaps not exceptional, but everything was sorted out without any problems.
Also a big plus for the recognition I received as a gold card holder. Not just a top-floor room with a fantastic view but also some goodies in the room, including a bottle of Vana Tallinn, a traditional Estonian rum-based liqueur, some chocolates and even a bowl with some candies and cookies.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served in the Seasons restaurant on the ground floor. Being a Saturday morning the restaurant was packed with guests around 9 am, there were no tables available in the restaurant so they also used some of the tables at the lobby bar just outside, where I had a seat. This was not a bad thing though as the sofa was very comfortable.
The breakfast buffet had all the standard hot and cold breakfast dishes including scrambled eggs and bacon, different cereals, bread rolls, pastries and various cold cuts. Although there was nothing missing the selection was fairly standard. However what impressed was the selection of cereals.
Final impression
Good location a short distance from the old town, a surprisingly stylish business class room with a magnificent view of the city from the 22nd floor and nice recognition as a gold card holder. Not an exceptional hotel but nothing to complain about.
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