Review: we revisit Hôtel Reisen, Stockholm (Hyatt’s Unbound Collection)

This is an updated review of Hotel Reisen, Stockholm, which is part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt.

The Unbound Collection is Hyatt’s equivalent of Hilton’s Curio or Marriott’s Autograph, allowing high quality independent hotels to join the Hyatt ‘system’ as long as they agree to fully participate in the World of Hyatt programme.

Rhys reviewed this hotel in July 2022 – click here – but as I happened to stay with my son and my mother for a three-day break over Easter I thought I’d give it an update. We paid cash for our stay and the hotel didn’t know that I planned to review it again.

One key difference with this review is that we used World of Hyatt points to upgrade our standard rooms to suites. This is excellent value for points, even if you need to buy them first.

The picture above is a PR shot taken from the water (the hotel is the yellow central building) which gives you a good idea of the views you get from the rooms at the front.

We arrived at the airport and took a normal taxi to the hotel which cost us circa £65 for a 40 minute drive. Here’s a map:

We booked two standard rooms for cash, but used 9,000 World of Hyatt points per night to upgrade each during the booking process to Corner Suites with Sea View. With my Hyatt Globalist status I then got a further upgrade on arrival to the Chapman Suite with Sea View for one of the rooms, which is the top suite in the hotel.

The location of the hotel couldn’t be more convenient being in Gamla stan, directly on the waterfront of Stockholm’s historic town centre. Many sights and shops can be reached on foot from here but there is also a bus stop at the front of the hotel. Public and hop on-hop off sightseeing buses stop here.

The hotel building has a long history dating back to 1617. Over the centuries it has been a semi-legal coffee house, pub and a well-known hang-out for some prominent poets. The vast Royal Palace (worth a visit) is virtually your next door neighbor. Its location means it is an easy stroll through the narrow streets of the old town with its multiple cafes, restaurants and independent shops, and is especially lovely in the evening.

The entrance to the hotel is on the right hand side, and you go up a few steps into the bright lobby. The reception staff were very friendly.

To the left of the lobby is some more seating and Bar Reiss, the ideal place to have a coffee during the day to watch the world go by.

Behind the lobby is another cosy seating area to just relax with sofas on one side .…

…. and armchairs on the other.

We had two different types of suite. Take a look at the review Rhys did in 2022 if you want to see what a standard King Bed with Sauna (yes, some rooms come with a sauna!) is like.

Corner Suite with Sea View

This is the room category we originally upgraded into using 9,000 World of Hyatt points per night. There are also smaller suites available for upgrades at 6,000 points per night. You will see the options for upgrading into a suite or club room if you are logged in at hyatt.com, have chosen the ‘points’ booking option and if the hotel chooses to offer this for your dates.

The room was on the sixth floor on the left corner (see second picture down, above). You enter to a connecting room between the bedroom and the living room. It has a desk / vanity table with a mirror.

The windows in this area give you a view to the building next door which is fairly close.

To the left is the bedroom with a large bed, wardrobe, TV and armchair with coffee table. The headboard added a splash of colour to the room.

The window to the left gives you a great unobstracted view of the seafront overlooking Stockholm strӧm and the large Sodermalm island.

To the other side of the entrance the room offers a sitting room, coffee station and minibar.

From here you go to the bathroom with a very sleek design and large shower.

It also comes with a small but deep bathtub. Products are from UK-made luxury brand Votary.

The Chapman Suite with Sea View

I was told that this is the best suite of the hotel. The name Chapman comes from the British built sailing ship launched in 1888 which is moored on the opposite embankment of Hotel Reisen. It can be seen from the windows and is now a youth hostel.

You cannot upgrade into this suite with points – I got an additional one category upgrade due to my Globalist status.

You enter through a narrow corridor and unusually are greeted by a large bathtub placed behind a transparent drape.

Next to a window it offers views over the roof of the neighbouring building towards Stockholm strӧm.

The room itself is very large with the bed and living area combining to give a very homely feel.

The arrangement of the furniture is slightly different to the pictures on the website but much better in my view. The sofa even has a blanket to snuggle up in when watching TV or just chatting.

Fresh flowers, water, art and a large Chanel coffee table book made us feel very welcome.

However, the star of the show is the view from this suite. As a very attentive touch both the Chapman Suite and the Corner Suite had binoculars by the window for guests.

This is the view towards the centre with the National Museum on the right. On the pier below sightseeing boats and ferries to the other islands can be booked.

Restaurant Reiss

On our first night we had dinner here. The restaurant serves classic Swedish cuisine with a modern twist. The menu is not very extensive with five starters and seven mains but the quality was excellent.

For starter I chose Gubbröra, a very classic Swedish starter which is a mix of pickled herring with other ingredients on dark rye bread. It tasted delicious.

For main we all had the obvious choice in Sweden (at least on the first night) – Kӧttbullar (Swedish meatballs). Rhys showed a picture of it in his review. It is an upmarket version of the Ikea meatballs we all know and love. If you don’t fancy your meatballs here we went to Gästabud the next evening, a small traditional eatery literally around the corner which we also loved.

For desert I had Reiss Kaffeemousse which tasted as good as it looked.

Breakfast

Breaktfast is offered in Restaurant Reiss and is a buffet, with only the hot drinks served to you. As the tables are limited compared to the size of the hotel I can imagine that having no a la carte options to slow down service is also a more practicable solution for the hotel.

The buffet doesn’t leave anything to be desired however and it includes, as one would expect, a wide selection of cracker bread besides all the usual offerings.

There are various hot dishes to choose from with very friendly staff.

What makes this buffet special are the various herring dips and hard boiled eggs, one topped with seaweed caviar and the other topped with prawns in a sauce. My idea of heaven, but perhaps not to every taste I admit.

Bar Brahe

This is a bar with a distinct nightclub feel which offers live music once a week. When we were visiting it was closed for a private function one night but the music sounded good!

Tjaern – Spa and Gym

For the spa and the gym guests have to go down to the old vaults of the hotel. I thought it is quite atmospheric and here you can feel the 400 year history of the hotel.

The gym is small with only one room but is functional and good for a work-out. There is a relaxation area with a couple of loungers and seating.

A limited range of treatments, hair styling and personal training can be booked.

The Nordic sauna is bigger than usual and fits probably around 10 people. Rhys’ room last time had its own little sauna which looked quite luxurious.

I loved the Scandinavian design of the spa:

The large pool is kept at a refreshing 15 degrees celsius and its size allows for a few strokes after the sauna.

Conclusion

I have stayed in many five star hotels which had no sense of place. You don’t get that here. Everything from the sauna to the interior design, the waterfront views and the food gives you a real feeling of Sweden – with a few exceptions like the English bathroom products! As a tourist I cannot imagine a better place to start to explore the city.

Our rooms on the sixth floor were perfect. The Chapman Suite felt very comfortable with its gorgeous views. Whilst I was upgraded into it, it’s arguably not a terrible deal for cash (given Stockholm rates) at around £800 per night.

A standard room starts at £275 per night in June. A suite upgrade is 6,000 World of Hyatt points per night for a Nordic Suite (with sauna!) or a Stockholm Suite, or 9,000 points per night for a Corner Suite. There is no guarantee that the hotel will offer these upgrades on any particular night – it is not obliged by Hyatt to do so.

As a World of Hyatt redemption, a standard room redemption costs between 12,000 and 18,000 points per night depending on the time of year. Remember the hotel must offer redemption rooms as long as ‘standard’ rooms are still available for cash.

You can buy Hyatt points here – but if you don’t need them immediately, you may want to wait for the next ‘buy points’ bonus which can be worth 25%-30% extra.

The hotel website is here, and if you are looking for a second opinion Rhys’s 2022 review is here.

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