A new ultra-luxury hotel is coming to the Nordics

While there are more than 40 hotels under the luxury Hilton (HGV) brand Waldorf Astoria around the world, only four of them are located in Europe — the Trianon Palace in Versailles, the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, the Rome Cavalieri, and the Waldorf Astoria Berlin.

Despite the country's collaboration with Russia and enabling of the war against Ukraine, a Waldorf Astoria property in the capital city of Minsk is currently also displayed as “coming soon” on the Hilton website (the initial opening date of what will operate under the name of Grand Hotel Minsk was slated for March 2025).

At the start of July, Hilton also unveiled plans to take over management of the existing Hotel Maria in Helsinki. The rebranding would bring the Waldorf Astoria portfolio to its sixth European property and its first in the Nordics — the latter classification is commonly used for Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, while Scandinavia traditionally refers to only the last three.

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‘The Finnish capital has seen growing travel demand,' Hilton says

“We're delighted to be collaborating with M&L Group to introduce the Waldorf Astoria brand to Finland,” Hilton Senior VP of Development for Europe, Middle East, and Africa Patrick Fitzgibbon said in a statement. “[…] The Finnish capital has seen growing travel demand in recent years, and we look forward to serving an even wider range of traveler needs as we open our fourth property in the city.”

The current Hotel Maria has 117 rooms and 38 suites and is located in Helsinki's historic Kruununhaka district. The historic building was designed in 1885 by Finnish architect Evert Lagerspetz and is near popular Helsinki sites such as the 19th-century Old Market Hall and the Esplanadi city park.

In its announcement, Hilton said it will lean into the hotel's current use of natural light and wooden accents to accentuate the Nordic style.

The hotel currently features a Nordic wellness spa with a traditional Finnish sauna that can reach temperatures of up to to 120°C (250°F), a fitness studio, and several bars and restaurants.

The hotel will remain operational during the period of transition to the Waldorf Astoria brand, although an exact timeline has not yet been revealed.

Finland has seen growing demand among international travelers.

Image source: Finavia

Finland interest marks ‘competing opportunity' for luxury hotels

Statistics from the Finnish government show that the country's international tourism market is expected to reach a record $3.51 billion in revenue by the end of 2025, while the 1.47 million visitors who stayed in Helsinki and other parts of Finland for more than one night in April 2025 is an increase of 14% from 2024.

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To promote Finland as a destination, Helsinki Airport (HEL) has recently installed a display sauna on one of its side runways to draw attention to Finnish culture and the popular pastime with which the country has long been associated.

“The rise in demand for high-end leisure and business travel in Finland presents a compelling opportunity for us,” Jocelyn Kum, executive director of M&L Group, said in a statement.