Business in Oslo

I checked in rather late, having started the day at the office. The receptionist was either in an unpleasant mood or she just didn't like me. Yep, no smile. Or maybe it was her sad-looking, worn uniform that had her down? And then I had to carry my own luggage to my room - a service one generally takes for granted, even at B&B's around the world. However, when checking out on the last morning I noticed that luggage could be left at reception to be taken up later - upon request.

I finally found my room and was met by a blast of cold air. Now I understand that they'd like to air the room from the last guest, but it was autumn and not very warm outside. It took a while for the heat to finally kick in.

The room was large enough for two, but, as usual ,only suitcase space for one. As it was the third floor, the view was limited indeed. It seems the tourists get the better views from the 10th floor and above. The curtains matched the bedding cover.

The room had the usual amenities: bed (extra bedding included); bathroom (towels, shower gel, shampoo, and shower cap available); open wardrobe (it had a mirror but the lighting was poor); TV (with alarm and room info options but limited channels); and desk (with modem internet access - didn't check the rates). There was also a pants presser, which took forever to warm up, but worked for a quick fix. There is a laundry/dry cleaning service - but this is Norway, so it's costly.

Breakfast was a buffet with mostly Scandinavian options - don't expect to be able to order your eggs sunny-side up. And remember that most business/conference people eat from about 7:30am to 8:30am. The same applies for showering - you lose water pressure and some of the heat between 6:30am and 7:30am.

Room service ... ah, yes. Don't go there. Rather walk down the road to the nearest BK! The first time I ordered, I got a burger, and when I ordered fish, it stank up the room. By the time the fish came, it was less than room temperature and the mashed potatoes were chewy. Plus, there's a 55 kroner fee to order. The second time my meal took a good 45 minutes to get there and was missing ingredients. I don't know if it was bad luck or bad service.

The hotel is quite near the royal family's castle. It takes about 10 to15 minutes to get to the train station. Alternatively, you can take the tram downtown. Otherwise, a 20-minute walk will lead you to the main shopping street in Oslo city.

For tourists, this is not the place to stay. You pay an arm and a leg and the hotel has only the bare-bone amenities to offer.

Ahh ... much better indeed! I only spent one night at the Plaza, but it sure beat all the nights spent at the Scandinavia!

Check in was a breeze - uniforms still sad looking but smiles were in abundance. The hotel is in a cul-de-sac, so there's a chance the place can be crowded with cars. But once you're inside there's a myriad of directions to take: to the restaurant on the second floor, reception, the lifts to head for the panoramic top floor bar ...

I got a room on the 26th floor which mostly had a view of downtown Oslo. Which wasn't too bad because I was there the night the Anastacia concert was being held at Oslo Spectrum - right across the way from the Plaza. Didn't hear anything from the concert hall though. *whew*

You need the room card key all the way in this hotel - even to get to the right floor, you need to insert the key first and then choose a floor in the lift. The decor was very modern minimalist with Asian inspired dark woodwork. With the standard: bed, desk, chairs, wardrobe, pants press, TV (with more channel options), dry cleaning service, room service (not much of a menu, though).

The bathroom was practical with some nice touches: towel rack with a warmer, adjustable floor heating. But figuring out how to turn on the showerhead was another mission of its own. When I did get it working, the pressure wasn't that great.

It was a rather chilly night, about +5 degrees Celsius, so I decided room service was in order. The club sandwich came a bit late, but it was warm and tasty! Not enough ketchup for the chips, though.

Breakfast was pretty standard, but they did have grilled tomatoes. I recently read that an expert at Twinings (yes, the tea ppl) voted this the Scandinavian hotel with the best breakfast! The restaurant was also host to a wine tasting event we attended. The five-course meal was served timeously and the dishes were tantalizing, well prepared and exquisite. The crockery was also very stylish and playful but not snobbish.

The top floor, which you don't need a key card to get to, houses a window enclosed bar area with an impressive view of Oslo and surrounds. Drinks are pricey but the view is (almost) worth it.

The hotel is well placed in terms of people arriving by train from the airport - if you maintain a westerly direction after getting off the airport express train and entering the station, you'll have a short walk to get to the hotel. Also there's many restaurants, shopping and other activities (concert hall) in walking distance. A bit pricey for tourists, but highly recommended.

So it was off to Oslo...again. I have actually been for leisure reasons just haven't gotten round to posting that trip yet. This time the usual suspect hotels were fully booked so I was lucky to get a room at all. There's an exhibition centre in a town called Lillestrøm and when they're busy, the hotels are busy.

Getting to the hotel was no problem at all, from the airport I took the airport express train to Skøyen station. If you sit on the left hand side of the train (on the disembarment side) you'll see 'Elkjøp' as the train stops--leave the station on that side. Cross the road towards the taxi stand and keep walking towards the buildings ahead (McDonalds on the left). You may also see the big 'Hotel' sign on the side of the building as you approach. If you walk past the Dolly Dimples pizza restaurant--you've walked too far! Turn back into the alley behind. The hotel is in a cul-de-sac.

The check-in process was a bit painful, but mainly because there was a customer who seemed to think talking about his lost luggage with the reception people would somehow make it arrive faster from London--which was not the case, as he was told repeatedly. I was checked-in by a Swede who seemed to have a grasp of Spanish and Arabic too.

My room didn't have much a view which was too be expected as the hotel is located in a business district, so I got to see the early birds in their offices the next morning. A single room has the basics: comfy bed (may need to ask for extra bed cover), desk, TV, Internet access, shower, minibar. Simple decor with wooden flooring. Heating system could've been better and there was no safe. Taking a shower means the whole floor gets wet, bit risky when shuffling about in the dark when nature calls. They also claim to be pioneers in having an eco-friendly room, most the room's contents can be recycled.

Location is everything here--train station's a few minutes walk away; taxi rank is also close by; lots of restaurants nearby and some shopping in walking distance. The coffee shop around the block (past Dolly's) has great cappucinnos! There are two gyms within walking distance that you can choose from--the hotel even has a day pass discount for both.