The business arm at Helsinki University’s Student Union has acquired the oldest running hotel in the city and is now looking for a luxury operator to take the helm of the new property.
Next year, two grand buildings in the Finnish capital will merge to create a new hotel owned by HYY Group, to create a new 180-220 bedroom property.
The hotel Seurahuone, which opened in 1833, will be joined together with parts of New Student House, an existing student accommodation block that original opened as a hotel in 1910.
Both buildings were designed by Finnish architect Armas Lindgren.
The project ties in with HYY Group’s long-term strategy to make Helsinki more international.
The Group is no on the hunt for a ‘five-star’ hotel operator to take over the management of the new property, in a location where no other five-star properties currently operate.
Finland also is experiencing a boom in tourism. The hospitality industry now accounts for over 2.5% of the GDP in Finland, bringing 14 billion EUR to the economy.
Furthermore, foreign visitor numbers more than doubled between 2000-2017; at 8.3 million a year, delivering 4.4 billion EUR annually.
