Scandic Avenue will be the largest congress hotel in central Helsinki. In addition to 350 hotel rooms, there are plans for 2,000 sqm of meeting space as well as a restaurant and bar. Housed in a historic printers’ building from the 1920s and within walking distance of subway and train connections, Scandic Avenue will be a long-awaited addition to the city’s hotel scene. The building is owned by the Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company and today it is being used as office space.

"Central Helsinki has been lacking a larger conference hotel for some time. When Scandic Avenue opens, we’ll be able to welcome guests and at the same time create an exciting new event venue in the middle of the city," says Aki Käyhkö, Managing Director, Scandic Hotels Finland.

Construction will start during 2020 and the hotel is expected to be completed during the third quarter 2022.

"This historic building at Annankatu 18 was originally built as the Tilgmann printing house and has since then served as an office building. Finding alternative uses and securing a long lifecycle for our property is important to us as a responsible investor. This is why it feels great that we’re now able to welcome Scandic and repurpose the building as an attractive hotel," says Ilkka Tomperi, Head of Real Estate, Varma.

With a growing number of international guests and good flight connections to the east, Helsinki is an important market. Today, Scandic is the leading hotel company in the area and in addition to the hotels that Scandic operates under the Scandic brand, the company also has seven IHG and three Hilton hotels in its portfolio. In addition to Scandic Avenue, Scandic plans to open two more attractive hotels in the area that together will offer 670 rooms: Scandic Pasila, which will open next spring and Railway Station, a hotel that will open during 2021.