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Review: the impressive Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

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This is our review of the Radisson Collection hotel in Tallinn.

After spending just one night in Helsinki (far too short!) on our Finnair press trip, we headed to Tallinn. Finnair and Visit Estonia put us up in the recently refurbished Radisson Collection Hotel in Tallinn, which opened this spring.

Radisson Collection is the luxury lifestyle brand from Radisson. There are no brand standards so each hotel is unique. In this case, the hotel was formerly a Radisson Blu before undergoing an extensive €25 million refurbishment.

The hotel website is here.

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Where is the Radisson Collection?

Situated in a tall modern building, the Radisson Collection is just on the outskirts of Tallinn Old Town, on Rävala boulevard, about 10 minutes walk from Viru gate.

Tallinn is a tiny city so it’s about 15 minutes drive from the airport, or about 25 minutes on the 4 tram.

Inside the Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Whilst the exterior of the building looks pretty generic it has been impressively refurbished. The interiors are a night and day transformation, with petal chandeliers:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Several reception desks flank the right hand wall whilst the bar and restaurant are to the left, with a semi-see-through decoration:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

A bank of three or four lifts are at the rear.

Rooms at the Radisson Collection hotel in Tallinn

I was given a room on the 14th floor, which is towards the top of the building. There are 287 rooms in total, so it’s not a massive hotel but it’s not exactly boutique either.

The refurbishment program included all the rooms so they are brand new and feature a fairly neutral but smart design:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Black wood wardrobes make up the left hand side, with ironing board, robes, a safe and all the other bits you would expect to find. At the end is the mini bar with kettle and Lavazza coffee machine:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

The bathroom is on the right, and I was surprised to see the shower over the bath tub. I thought it was mainly the British who were obsessed with bath tubs but clearly Estonia has a penchant for a good soak too!

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

(It’s not real marble, by the way, as you would expect from a hotel at this price point.)

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Toiletries were Radisson Collection’s own brand:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Size-wise, the room is pretty average – space for a desk and armchair, plus areas to put luggage and get around the bed:

Speaking of beds, for some reason I was given two single beds.

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

The artwork above the beds, of a bird’s eye view of autumnal trees adds a splash of colour.

There was a good sized desk as well:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Plus an armchair and coffee table:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

I had a good view across town, too:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Whilst I liked the design of the room, I did have one problem: dreaded AC controlitis. I could not, for the life of me, seem to work out how to use the Siemens control panel which meant my room remained at a toasty 23 degrees. Despite pressing all the buttons I was none the wiser, and if I had stayed another night I would have asked the hotel staff to show me how.

Hard to believe that some companies still can’t design intuitive room temperature controls but there we are ….

Spa and gym

For a city hotel, the Radisson Collection also features an impressive and popular spa. This features a steam room, sauna, sanarium, hot tub (‘Japanese Bath’) and a small pool. It was very busy when I went so here is a PR photo:

Radisson Collection Tallinn spa

My only complaint is that it was school holidays during our stay and the spa and pool were packed with kids. It would have been nice to have some adult and family sessions at the spa to give the rest of us a more relaxing experience.

The gym was a good size.

Breakfast at the Radisson Collection hotel

The following morning I stumbled out of bed from a not-great night’s sleep to be greeted by an impressive breakfast spread. It is served in the stylish main restaurant on the ground floor called MEKK.

There was plenty to choose from at the buffet, although I wasn’t particularly hungry. You could choose from an extensive range of hot items:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Cold cuts including cheeses and meats:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

A whole range of fish, including smoked salmon and marinated herring familiar to anyone who’s been to Sweden:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Plus the usual range of pastries, breads, yoghurts, cereals etc etc. There was even some Prosecco available:

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

In addition to the buffet you can also order of a small a la carte menu. I opted for the poached eggs on avocado toast with a side of smoked salmon which was delicious, albeit the eggs weren’t as runny as I like them.

Review: Radisson Collection hotel, Tallinn

Conclusion

If you’re staying in Tallinn (and I highly recommend it – whilst small it is a beautiful little city with so much to offer) then the Radisson Collection Tallin hotel is a good place to stay. Although it’s not in the old town, it does offer modern amenities and brand-new rooms just ten minutes walk away.

I didn’t expect much from this hotel – and I’m not hugely familiar with Radisson Collection – but I was genuinely impressed. A surprisingly good spa, impressive breakfast and (I am told!) a very trendy rooftop bar make it worth a visit.

Rooms are available from €116 per night. Remember that if you have an American Express Platinum card you can claim free ‘Premium’ level status in Radisson Rewards which will give you some extra benefits.

You can find out more on the hotel website here.


How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Radisson Rewards does not have a dedicated UK credit card. However, you can earn Radisson Rewards points by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

These cards earn Membership Rewards points:

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:3 into Radisson Rewards points which is a very attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 3 Radisson Rewards points.

Even better, holders of The Platinum Card receive free Radisson Rewards Premium status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here. You can apply here.

Got a small business?

You can get free top-tier Radisson Rewards VIP status with the new Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card for small business. Clck here to apply.

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Comments (17)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • meta says:

    In terms of design, it looks almost exactly like other Radisson Collection hotels I stayed. Nothing unique here despite marketing language…

  • Greenpen says:

    It is not just air conditioning that can be impenetrable! I recently stayed four nights in a W and never worked out how the lights worked. Best I got was all full on or all completely off. The illusionary micro-control of the various lights never materialised whatever button I pushed.

    Give me switches anytime!

    • Tariq says:

      Same at the Westin London City. I found the lighting controls infuriating.

    • dougzz99 says:

      Many hotel controls are poorly designed when you consider people often only stay a night or two. Don’t get me started on the number of stupid taps you encounter in USA.

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    Looks great. Shame they’ve annoyed the HfP reader cohort enough recently that we’re probaably all on a Radisson boycott 😀

    • Rand says:

      Exactly. Spent the remainder of my Radisson points a few days ago (now worth peanuts after the devaluation) and promised myself to never stay at any Radisson hotel again.

    • MKB says:

      +1

      Unless it’s the only decent hotel in Tallinn, this hotel, along with all other Radissons outside North America, is very much on my boycott list. Really surprised that HfP is pushing a Radisson property after the recent debacle: picks at an open sore.

      • Rob says:

        Oddly, if you had a zero Radisson balance the changes are working OK.

        My wife has started doing twice-monthly stays at Radisson Hamburg Airport, and giving up (most of her) points in return for ‘Discount Booster’ is giving an extra 10% off. That’s real cash in the bank. The handful of points she still gets on top of ‘Discount Booster’ get €1.50 off her next stay.

        You build zero long-term loyalty this way but for occasional stays, if you have Radisson status via Amex Plat and so can activate ‘Discount Booster’ you can get good deals.

  • His Holyness says:

    You’d have to be tiny to have a “soak” in that bath.
    Could be a worthwhile alternative to the Hilton due to its incessant cost cutting probably due to inflation, it’s 24.1% in Estonia #Brexit.

    • Mike says:

      Er, 24% inflation in Estonia is because of BREXIT. Don’t think so….

  • Alan says:

    Agree Tallinn is a lovely place well worth visiting. Given the gutting of Radisson Rewards I’d probably go for the Hilton instead, which has a nice lounge and treats Diamonds well.

  • MrHandBaggageOnly says:

    I can confirm that the rooftop bar certainly was good (we visited in 2019) and although not staying at the hotel, visited the bar for ‘a quick drink’ and ended up staying much longer. Good views and great service.

    A fun city I’d be happy to visit again.

  • Alastair says:

    My wife is currently working in Tallinn until the end of the year (we live in Helsinki) – and this is just another note to say that the city is absolutely worth a visit. I don’t think I’ve found such density of great food and drink in such an easily walkable location anywhere else. The architecture of the city is magnificent and it’s got such a great atmosphere whilst being a relaxing place.

  • ADR says:

    Agree on all positive comments about Tallinn, it is definitely worth a visit. Very close to the Radisson is the Hotel Swissôtel Tallinn. A really smart and welcoming hotel with a great rooftop bar. It’s a shame BA dropped direct flights, the lounge at TLL was definitely worth a visit. Anyway, if you get the chance, go to Estonia.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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