When I look for a hotel in any city, I want to sleep somewhere special. While some travelers just want a place to crash, I want the hotel to crash every other hotel experience I have had, to stand out as truly special.

On my whirlwind tour of Europe with airBerlin, I was never skeptical of my sleeps in Stockholm. Being a city known for style and sophistication, I knew this Scandinavian capital would pull out unique places to rest up at night, but still supply all of those amenities I need like free WiFi. If you are headed to Stockholm and looking for something special in your hotel choice, try out these sleeps.

Clarion Hotel Sign For Business and Style

One by one, the businessmen and women line up to check into the Clarion Hotel Sign Stockholm. They ride elevators named Rock, Pop and Jazz to floors designed by different designers. The Clarion Sign Stockholm is the largest hotel in the city with 558 rooms, located right next to the Central Station. It is the sort of place where you can see and be seen. The granite and glass building creates the first impression of sophistication, the work of Swedish architect Gert Wingardh. Step inside and the interior proves you should know about Scandinavian design beyond IKEA. World famous furniture from Egg, Wave and Lily are featured throughout the hotel, along with black and white photographs by well-known Scandinavian artists.

While this hotel made me feel a bit uncool, the rooms were comfortable and clean with everything you could possibly need. For business travelers, the free wireless Internet in all hotel rooms and public areas is key. After a night’s sleep, you can head down for your monster breakfast buffet in the morning. Don’t leave the hotel without using the lobby bathrooms. You will find black, scented toilet paper. The Clarion Hotel Sign really is that cool.

Hotel Hellsten For Boutique Character and Charm

“You can feel the history shaking,” hotel owner Per Hellsten says as just one of his many one-liners. Hotel Hellsten is certainly a different hotel choice in Stockholm. Located in a building from 1898, the hotel sits right in the heart of the city but on a quiet street. While many hotels describe themselves as an “experience”, Hotel Hellsten isn’t lying. Each of the hotel’s 78 rooms have their own unique style and color, adorned with both contemporary and antique furnishings from Europe, Asia and Africa. The owner is a bit of a collector, picking up pieces on his travels to add to the hotel’s unique appearance.

If you can flag down the owner Per for a story, the Hotel Hellsten experience becomes even more colorful. Travelers will find the necessary amenities such as free wireless access, telephones and perhaps even a porcelain stove for some extra charm. Be sure to grab a drink in the Hellsten Earth Bar. The colonial style bar boasts photographs from Per when he worked as an anthropologist and traveled throughout Africa and Asia.

Want to check into these unique sleeps in Stockholm? You can find both Hotel Hellsten and Clarion Hotel Sign on OneTravel.

Photo: Suzy Guese

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