Waldorf Astoria Helsinki to launch as The Hotel Maria rebrands

We don’t normally give over full articles to a hotel rebranding, but as we did a full review of The Hotel Maria in Helsinki a few weeks ago it seems worth covering.

The Hotel Maria opened in December 2023 and was promoted as the first true luxury hotel in Finland.

So, what happened?

Conny was hugely positive about her stay, concluding her review with:

“The Hotel Maria is beautifully designed with Nordic understatement yet of highest quality and comfort and with excellent service. I saw several room categories and although no room mirrored the other they all shared design features and the same feel of luxury.

I honestly couldn’t find fault anywhere and would happily come here again. As most HfP readers will know, it is rare that a ‘luxury’ hotel actually ticks all of your boxes but the team here have done a great job.”

We first met with The Hotel Maria team in late 2024, via an introduction from Preferred Hotels of which it was part. Whilst feedback on the property was universally positive, it was struggling with volumes due to a reduction in wealthy Russian and Asian tourists. The location was also a little less convenient for tourists than Hotel Kämp, its main competitor and which is currently undergoing its own refurbishment and expansion.

The rates it was charging were ludicrous, in a good way – when we published our review in May, a weekend stay in July would have cost €280 per night.

You could basically book one of the best hotels in Europe for less than you would pay for a Holiday Inn Express in London on the same night.

When will The Hotel Maria join Waldorf Astoria?

The announcement is a little vague.

Hilton is taking over management of the hotel, which is likely to see the top team replaced with people from other Waldorf Astoria or Conrad properties. This is likely to see some of the ‘Finnish-ness’ removed from the property – I doubt Waldorf Astoria ‘brand standards’ stretch to reindeer or Karelian pie & egg spread for breakfast.

All we know about timing is that:

“the 116-room property will be rebranded later this year as Waldorf Astoria Helsinki. This will follow a short transitional period during which the hotel will remain operational.”

The hotel is actually owned by a Singaporean real estate company, M&L Group, which already operates seven Hilton properties.

The good news, of course, is that The Hotel Maria will soon be available for Hilton Honors redemptions, Hilton Honors status benefits will apply and it will also be bookable via platforms such as ‘Hilton for Luxury’ for extra perks.

Rates are unlikely to remain at €280 for peak summer weekends, but in reality this was always unsustainable given the quality of the hotel. Rebranding is probably seen as a way of ensuring the survival of the hotel, and it’s a coup for Hilton to get it.

Our May review of The Hotel Maria is here if you want to find out more.