As noted in previous reviews, this is primarily a business hotel, very well located in the center of Oulu. My stay was very pleasant. The decor was colorful and had more character than an average business hotel. Standard room was not very large, but well furnished and clean. The temperature control and message mailbox were an interactive feature on the television which worked quite well. Bathroom was modern with a marble countertop. Front desk personnel were friendly and efficient. And, yes, the breakfast buffet was excellent! I would definitely stay here or at another Sokos property again.

An unbeatable location right in the centre of downtown Oulu, just seconds from all the bars and shops. Street parking is impossible so the underground hotel carparking next door was very convenient. The hotel itself is a modern business traveller-type one with a few tourist coach parties, the rooms are a little dark but certainly comfortable and like the bathrooms warrant 4 star status. The service on the other hand doesn't, reception staff were fine but we were booked into a room in the late afternoon which had not been cleaned. It was apparently due to a computer error but we weren't the only ones. Reception were very apologetic and gave us some free drink tokens to spend in the Fransmann restaurant or Amarillo bar/restaurant next door, which was nice. Not a hotel to dream about but it seems OK.

Very recommended great Oulu hotel! This hotel is very centrally located in the city centre, walking distance to VR Rail Station (around 10-mins walk). Plenty of shops, restaurants, deptm.stores, market square etc. within easy walking distance. Rooms were of a good 3-4 star standard and very modern, recently renovated I guess. The breakfast buffet was excellent and had all too many options to choose.. you could easily spend an hour here. The only problem were the loud, drunk crowd of late teens in the lobby after midnight which might feel a little unsafe for older travellers. Only 1 desk clerk was working at night.

I have spent many nights at this hotel (1-3 each month) as well as in other hotels of Oulu, and I must say that it's absolutely the best hotel in town. It's new, rooms are modern, clean and quiet (but standard rooms are not very large), beds are good, bathrooms large and equipped with floor heating, breakfast is good (even fresh croissants!), free interent in the reception lounge , two nice restaurants, and VERY good location right in the centre of town at the beginning of the pedestrian street. Staff is very friendly. Believe me, Arina is simply the best place to stay in Oulu!

The Arina is a wonderful, newly remodeled hotel located in the heart of Oulu. In fact, it is on a corner of the pedestrian street right in the town center. The location is convienient to anywhere you would want to go and is just about a 10 minute (or less) walk from the rail station. We booked a superior room which was lovely, spotlessly clean and had everything you could want for your stay. The decor is beautiful woods and modern ultrasuede furniture, comfortable beds and modern furnishings. The bath had heated floors, marble counters, a large glass sided tub/shower and there were huge mirrors with lots of good lighting. The open concept closets came with an abundance of good spaces and lots of heavy wooden hangers. The trouser press and iron (hidden in a sleek built-in) was really a nice touch. The breakfast buffet has just about anything that you could imagine and the food was exceptionally good. We ate in Amarillo's (their Tex-Mex reataurant) one afternoon and the food was as good as I've had anywhere. Yes, the Finns can make a great rare, steak fajita! It is also quite a night gathering place and gets filled with a huge crowd especially on weekends. The hotel has another more upscale restaurant, Fransmanni, but we never got the opportunity to dine there. This restaurant is where breakfast was served and had wonderful little private areas for drinks. The hotel looks out onto city streets and Amarillo's gets very busy but we never heard any outside or inside noise...and we had an entire wall of windows in our room! The double curtains were a welcome sight considering we were there when the sun was rising early and setting late. The staff was very helpful (and English speaking if needed) and there are saunas that can be used daily or reserved for special hours. When we saw the location of some of the other more notable hotels I have to say the Arina is still a terrific choice. We would absolutely recommend the Arina to anyone and would most definately stay there again on another trip.