At the northwest edge of the center of town, near the Opera House and Finlandia Hall, two tram stops (a 10-minute walk) from the main train station, and opposite Hesperia Park and Toolonlahti lake, this cosmopolitan address is more geared to business guests than to leisure guests and families. The frequent long lines waiting to be checked in or out by the matter-of-fact staff are primarily well-dressed businesspeople. The pricier rooms come with more individualized service.
A busy circular driveway sweeps in front of this nine-story crescent fronted by a water sculpture. The sleekly designed lobby has inlaid marble and granite, classy tan rugs, wrought-iron mirrors, rich wood trim, leather groupings with orchids in vases on coffee tables, and wireless high speed
Internet access. The restaurant and bar, Macu, where the breakfast buffet is served, features Mediterranean cuisine in a setting resembling a hip New York bistro. Lobby Bar provides international drinks and coffee, and the cozy Pub Fidel offers traditional delicacies.
The exclusive and pricey Forever Fitness Club & Day Spa, which fills an entire floor, offers an impressive gym, a golf simulator, an exquisite indoor pool, one of the largest hotel pools in town, a cold plunge, a tanning center and four saunas.
The second floor, Royal at Crowne Plaza, offers some of the most impressive meeting spaces anywhere. There are 
12 flexible meeting rooms that accommodate as few as 10, and the spacious Royal Hall can transform into Banquette Restaurant, seating 1,500. Winter Garden is an inner courtyard terrace where meetings can be held among trees and flowers, indoors. There is also a 24-hour business center with computers and printers. Parking is free outside or for a fee in a garage.
Done in different color schemes on each floor and modern dark-wood furniture, the standard guest rooms have air-conditioning, parquet floors, textured wallpapers, plush duvets, large desks with adjustable lamps, flat-screen TVs, data ports, free high-speed Internet access, minibars, irons and ironing boards, trouser presses, twin or queen beds, and safes. The crisp white tile and marble baths have hair dryers, robes and slippers, and plenty of vanity space. The executive-level rooms are larger and have wireless Internet connections, fresh flowers in the baths, robes and slippers, king-size beds, and access to a lounge with breakfast and a computer.
There are 85 rooms designated for smokers, two rooms are wheelchair accessible, and one floor is allergy-free. Room service works nonstop and pets are welcome. The airport bus stops just behind the hotel, making it a convenient choice. This chic address is one of the more happening business hotels in the city, but not as family-friendly as the Scandic Continental next door.
