Back in the 1960’s a new type of hotels was born in Finland. They were nicknamed backwoods hotels, and were often located in rural and isolated areas in beautiful sceneries.
Their main customers were companies arranging conferences and Finnish holidaymakers, who wanted more luxury than camping sites had to offer. Many of the hotels had spa departments, and were also used for the rehabilitation of war veterans. Several of them were also the center of the local nightlife often attracting famous artists on gigs.
In the 2000’s these hotels ran into trouble. Times changed, and conferences were no longer weekends, when people would go drinking into remote locations. There were less and less war veterans, and Finnish tourists wanted something else than lakeside rest and recreation.
This hotel in question was opened in 1968, when it was an architectural marvel. In 2019 it was sold to a shady businessman, and when the covid pandemic hit in 2020, the hotel went bankrupt.
And here it is. I’ve removed the name of the hotel from the wall and from the top of the entrance.
The hotel was really futuristic for a 1960’s building.
This looks like the hotel manager’s office.
The staff parking lot was empty.
I started by doing a walkaround of the premises.
The hotel was located on a hill facing a lake.
All furniture seemed to still be inside. This looks like the hotel restaurant.
Sadly the doors were locked.
This wing contained the hotel rooms.
Most of the rooms even had a balcony.
I tried to take photographs from the rooms. I only managed to get reflections of pine trees and the lake behind them.
The rooms included beds, sofas and fridges, it seems.
The interiors were pretty old fashioned.
There were also desks, chairs and surprisingly modern TV:s.
The hotel wing seen from the other direction.
But there was more on the lot than just the hotel.