GLO Hotel Airport

Location could not be better. Nice, cozy pod with bed linens, a thin pillow, a chair and a table. Good for a solo traveler for the value. Noise level was low. Very quiet. It was quite clean. However having a hard wood floors would be cleaner than the carpeted floors there. There’s no breakfast, only a self service food stand by the reception. The guests can use a restroom, no showers. Overall, the experience was good, much better than sleeping on a chair in the airport. But a small improvement - the air inside my pod was quite stuffy and warm. Even though the fan was working max volume all night. Not sure if anything can be done about that. Nice privacy screen!

The rest pod was as described – not a hotel room, but a clean and functional space for a few hours of rest. It was easy to find by following the signs. The sheet could have been better tucked around the mattress topper, but otherwise the pod was tidy. Ventilation was quite strong and the air felt very dry. Booking in 30-minute increments would be more practical – I ended up paying for an unused half hour and would have gladly stayed 30 minutes longer instead. Overall, a good experience, and I’ll use it again during longer layovers.

The stay was okay, covered the basic needs. No kettle, no microwave, and no fridge. Very small room. It hadn’t been vacuumed after the previous guest, there was trash and dust on the floor.

My room did not look anything like the room pictured on TA. It was small, cubicle-like - more like something you'd expect in Japan. I was there for a few hours during a night- stay so it did not matter; if I reserved for multiple nights I'd be unhappy. The breakfast is in the nearby Clarion hotel, not bad. Importantly, it opens at 4 AM.

Intro This is a quick review of Glo Hotel Airport, which, after a change of ownership, is now known as Comfort Hotel Xpress. It's a mixed review based on our experiences both when it operated under the Glo name and under its current management. There are five hotels at Helsinki Airport, but this one stands out as the only hotel located directly inside the terminal building, just a few minutes’ walk from the security check. The hotel is located on the basement level of the airport. Some say it can be tricky to find, but we reached it easily by following the signs. It’s situated near the arrivals exit and elevator ride away from numerous restaurants, convenient for grabbing a late-night snack before heading to your room for some well-earned rest ahead of an early morning flight. Unlike some of the other airport hotels, it doesn’t offer an extensive range of services such as a full buffet breakfast. If that’s important to you, I’d recommend their sister property, Comfort Hotel Airport, or the Clarion Hotel nearby. Still, the airport itself is full of restaurants serving various types of breakfasts, so you won’t be short of options. Lobby / Reception area The lobby and reception area are modern and cozy, with a good selection of sofas and armchairs for relaxing. There are even some board games available to pass the time before a flight, and the hotel’s website mentions a small mini-golf setup as well. It’s not a large space, but then again, neither is the hotel. There’s also a small snack corner called Comfort Deli, with a grab-and-go fridge stocked with drinks, sandwiches, and other light bites. It’s a handy option if you want something quick and don’t feel like heading upstairs to the airport restaurants. Next to it is a coffee machine, and if you join the hotel’s loyalty program, you can enjoy complimentary coffee, even at the basic membership level. With these options, you can easily put together a light breakfast for yourself to enjoy in the lobby or in your room. Standard Room - 402 On three of our four stays, we chose Standard Room 402 (once we tried a Superior), which has hardly changed over the years despite the change in ownership. The overall look remains the same, right down to the painting above the bed, and it still features the same reliable 42-inch Philips TV with streaming capabilities. That said, some amenities have disappeared since the Glo days. Most noticeably, there’s no longer a kettle with coffee and tea sachets, and, much to my wife’s disappointment, slippers are no longer provided. The stuffed toy lynx, once a signature Glo Hotels touch, is gone too, though that was expected. The main reason we always request this particular room is its motorized bed, something I’ve never seen in another hotel. To be honest, we rarely use adjustable functions, but the bed itself is soft and perfectly adequate for a good night’s sleep. As the hotel is located on the basement level, the rooms do not have windows. This might bother some guests, but for us, it wasn’t an issue at all. The bathroom is fairly modern, though a bit small and without a rain shower. Still, it looks nice and is more than functional especially when I think back to some of the much older bathrooms I’ve seen in Radisson hotels, like in Riga. Conclusion This hotel is perfect for a one-night stay at the airport, especially if you have a connection or an early morning flight. I wouldn’t recommend it for longer stays, but for its main purpose, it’s more than adequate. The check-in area and security control are just steps away, which is the main reason we’ve chosen this hotel most of the times we’ve stayed at the airport, even though we live in Helsinki. For us, it’s all about maximizing sleep before an early flight, and this hotel makes that possible. You simply can’t get closer to the security check than this in Helsinki Airport. That alone makes it an excellent choice. For travelers who want a buffet breakfast, other nearby hotels like Clarion may be better options. But if your priority is maximizing rest before an early flight, this is the most convenient choice. Yes, the change of ownership has meant the loss of a few room amenities, but otherwise, the rooms remain modern, functional, and equipped with a comfortable bed. Another advantage is that restaurants are just one elevator ride away, so dinner is always within easy reach after dropping your bags. All in all, this is a great option for early birds with a 7 AM or earlier flights. The convenience of staying right inside the terminal gives you those precious extra minutes of sleep, and sometimes, that’s the most valuable amenity of all.