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I really do not remember how I came to choose the Radisson Blu for my 2 night stay in Malmö. Location? Price? A brand I like?
Certainly the first two possibilities turned out well. The cost for 2 nights was SEK 1,760 (£141 or €166) including breakfast, and I was upgraded to a junior suite! The city centre location, close to the railway station, was ideal.
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The brand…
In the 1990s when I travelled a lot for work, it was always one of my favourites. In those days it was SAS, and part of the airline. Then it was Radisson SAS, and now Radisson Blu.
I remember stays in several of the SAS hotels in Copenhagen, plus the Royal Viking in Stockholm and one in Oslo.
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Their London one was my first choice there, and an oasis of style in a city full of 3rd rate, overpriced hotels. The Brussels SAS was excellent too, but it had plenty competition. The Amsterdam SAS was a real favourite.
However, it was in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia where they really came into their own for me. I was reminded of this by a set of articles in the in-house magazine in my room in Malmö.
They invested in privatised state hotels very soon after the Communist walls came down.
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The Astorija in Vilnius was one of their first. Having stayed there in 1993 when it was state run, I knew how much had to be changed – pretty much everything.
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They now own the Lietuva in Vilnius too, which I have never stayed in. However my firm represented the government in its privatisation so it will always be special for me.
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In Rīga, the Daugava was their first. I stayed there several times. The location just across the river from the city centre was ideal. The walk across the bridge was the perfect way to leave a day’s work behind.
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I see they now own the Latvija too – the former Intourist high rise.
Their first hotel in Tallinn was one of my stopovers. I do not remember its name. It was a boozy trip. Thanks, Aivar.
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I see they now own the Olümpia too – another former Intourist tower block, built for the Moscow Olympics. The yachting events were held in Tallinn. My stay in the Olümpia was much more sedate. I had 7 meetings in one day, so I had no time or energy left for getting into mischief.
Well guys, thanks for bringing back some memories as well as helping to create new ones.
(As a wee footnote, and declaration of interest, I worked in hotels quite a bit when I was a student and eventually reached the dizzy heights of being manager of a small beach motel in Westhampton Beach, Long Island. It has made me a very critical hotel guest! If I praise someplace, it is well earned. )
ⓒ iain taylor, 2020
🏴🇪🇺🇸🇪🇩🇰🇱🇹🇧🇪🇪🇪🇳🇴🇱🇻