The fate of Helsinki’s most expensive luxury hotel has been determined

A world-famous brand is opening a luxury hotel on the premises of a Helsinki hotel that has suffered from financial difficulties.

Hilton and M&L Group are opening the Nordic region’s first Waldorf Astoria hotel in Helsinki, Hilton announces.

The Waldorf Astoria Helsinki hotel will open later this year.

Hilton today announced that it has signed a management agreement with M&L Group to rebrand The Hotel Maria in Helsinki as the Waldorf Astoria Helsinki Hotel. This will be the first Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand hotel in Finland and the first in the Nordic region.

The Hotel Marian has previously been reported to have suffered financial difficulties. The Hotel Maria has also become the first Finnish hotel to be included in the Forbes Travel Guide 2025 list of the world’s most prestigious hotels, as we reported earlier in Iltalehti.

The hotel has 116 rooms and is located in the historic Kruununhaka area in a building designed by architect Evert Lagerspetz in 1885.

The opening of Waldorf Astoria Helsinki will be preceded by a short transition period, during which the hotel will remain in operation.

“We are delighted to bring the Waldorf Astoria brand to Finland together with M&L Group. Tourism demand in the Finnish capital has grown in recent years, and we look forward to serving an even wider range of guests as we open our fourth property in the city,” said Patrick Fitzgibbon, Hilton’s chief development officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in a statement.

The hotel offers luxury to travelers, including a high-class restaurant, bar, gym, and Nordic wellness spa with a Finnish sauna.

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts is Hilton’s global luxury brand, which will open new hotels in London, Sydney, Hanoi, Jakarta, Tangier, Kuala Lumpur and Jaipur during 2026 and beyond.

Iltalehti reported in June that, according to Samppa Lajunen, The Hotel Maria’s business started off weaker than expected. Lajunen’s real estate investment company Samla Capital is writing down the holdings and investments of the funds it manages that are related to The Hotel Maria, the company said in a press release at the time.