Hotel Maria
| The Hotel Maria | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Former names | Uusimaa Battalion Barracks |
| General information | |
| Type | Grand hotel |
| Location | Kruununhaka, Helsinki, Finland |
| Address | Mariankatu 23 |
| Coordinates | 60°10′26″N 24°57′25″E / 60.173761°N 24.956906°E |
| Construction started | 15 December 2023 (as hotel)[2][3] |
| Completed | 1885 |
| Owner | M&L Group[1] |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Evert Lagerspetz |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 117[4] |
| Website | |
| Official Site | |
The Hotel Maria is a hotel in Kruununhaka, Helsinki, Finland along Mariankatu.[4] It has 117 rooms,[4] including 38 suites. The hotel has a spa and two restaurants.[2][4][5][6]
History
[edit]Mariankatu 23, along with Liisankatu 8A/G and Maneesikatu 7, forms the historic Karhu block in the Kruununhaka district of Helsinki.[7]
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][7] The building was expanded to the Liisankatu side in the 1930s, designed by Armas Siitonen.[7][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.[7]
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.[8]
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. Additionally, Mariankatu street is named after Empress Maria.[8]
The hotel complex is located on Liisankatu as well, a street named after Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna, the spouse of Emperor Alexander I of Russia.[9][10]
The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, reserved the entire hotel during his state visit to Finland in September 2024.[11]
Ownership
[edit]When the hotel business began in 2023, the hotel was previously owned by the Samla Hotels fund, managed by Samla Capital. In July 2025, the heavily indebted fund announced that it would sell the hotel to Singaporean M&L Group. After the deal, the hotel is scheduled to become a Hilton's Waldorf Astoria hotel. The purchase price of the hotel was not enough to cover the fund's debts, so investors in the Samla Hotels fund lost all the money they had invested in the hotel project.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Wacker, Henrik (10 July 2025). "Lajusen luksushotelliin sijoittaneet menettivät kaiken". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ a b "The Hotel Maria tuo Helsinkiin kansainvälisen tason hotellielämyksen" (in Finnish). STT. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d Takala, Sami (15 December 2023). "Uhkarohkea unelma". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d Harmaala, Minna (16 December 2023). "=Kalpeneeko Kämp? Helsinkiin avautui ainutlaatuiseksi mainostettu "ultraluksushotelli" – tällainen se on". Helsingin Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Samla Hotels" (in Finnish). Samla Capital. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Isotalo, Mikko (8 February 2025). "Samppa Lajunen rakensi miljoonabisneksen – nyt paljastui karu totuus". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Mariankatu 23 - Liisankatu 8A & G - Maneesikatu 7 (Senaatti, 2016) Rakennushistoriaselvitys. Arkkitehtitoimisto Schulman Oy. Jyväskylä.
- ^ "Samla Capital uudistaa lähes kokonaisen korttelin Helsingin Kruununhaassa | Samla Capital Oy". www.sttinfo.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ "Helsingin Kruununhaka". Kotus (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ Vanhala, Akseli; Holopainen, Simo (2024-09-08). "IS:n tiedot: Näin hulppeasti Qatarin emiiri yöpyi Helsingissä". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-01.
External links
[edit]- Hotel Maria – Official website (in English)
- The Hotel Maria – My Helsinki (in English)
- Five blissful European hotel spas – Financial Times
- The New Hotel Maria Is Putting Helsinki On The Nordic Luxury Map – Forbes
- Finland Is Expanding Its Luxury Appeal – The New York Times
  | This article about a Finnish hotel or resort is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |