The owners of the Omenahotelli on Helsinki's Lönnrotinkatu are ready to knock down the interior walls of the adjoining office block just as soon as the Helsinki Environment Centre gives its blessing to the vacant premises' being converted into a hotel.
The wait has gone on for a year already.
The intention is to more than double the number of rooms in this mid-range hotel by turning the office block into an annex and by creating a connecting corridor between the two buildings.
Omena Hotels describes itself as "a no-frills hotel chain, which offers high-class accommodation at a significantly lower rate than the general price level", and the company believes that now is the right moment to expand.
"Construction is relatively inexpensive at present and there are a lot of building workers in the unemployment register", says Omena Hotels CEO Tarja Kivilahti.
Within the hotel chain, the effects of the recession have been felt in a positive sense, in that nowadays a good many business travellers are choosing to overnight in less expensive "do-it-yourself" hotels.
The chain has also had a lot of school class-outing customers and people from organisations attending meetings in the capital.
As with other hotels, occupancy-rates in the Omena establishments (there are two in Helsinki and five others around the country) have declined from the previous year, but according to Kivilahti they are now above the norm for the hotel trade in general.
The chain does not make public official figures on occupancy.
The no-frills Omena chain has also gained a new competitor as the recession bites into the travel industry.
"The traditional chains are moving into the same market as we are working in by bringing down their own room-rates", says the CEO.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 10.8.2009
