Booking a Hotel for Finncon

Finncon 2011 has announced their hotel deals (only in Finnish, at least at the moment).

All the hotels (except for Caribia, which is the closest to the convention) are located in or very near the center of Turku, about a 20 minutes’ walk (or under a 10 minutes' bus ride) from the university campus area where the convention is held. The official con hotel (where the GoHs will be staying, unless I’m mistaken) is the Hamburger Börs, smack down in the city center (Note: see Mirka’s comment below—the official con hotel is still being negotiated).

Update: The reservation code for at least the Hamburger Börs (possibly for others as well) doesn’t work for internet reservations—to book with the special Finncon price, send the hotel e-mail or call them.

• Hamburger Börs (reservation code BFIN110715): 90 €/double room, 75 €/single
• City Börs (reservation code BFIN110715): 76 €/double, 61 €/single
  same hotel as Hamburger Börs, cheaper rooms across the street, services at the main hotel
• Seurahuone (reservation code BFIN110715): 72 €/double, 57 €/single
• Holiday Club Caribia (reservation code FCAC 2011): 143 €/double, 119 €/single
  spa hotel about 900 m from the con site; some Animecon programming at the hotel)
• Radisson Blu Marina Palace (Reservation code FCAC): 125 €/double, 105 €/single, 157 €/double with extra bed
• Scandic Plaza (reservation code FCAC150711): 99 €/double, 90 €/single, 135 €/3 persons’ room

The special Finncon prices are valid until June 14 (or until the room quota runs out). All prices include breakfast. Most Hamburger Börs and all City Börs, Seurahuone, Marina, and Plaza rooms have free wi-fi. Caribia rooms have free broadband (wi-fi not specified).

If you’re looking for something more special, there are a couple of other options I can recommend. (Free wi-fi included in the room price with all of these as well.)

• Centro Hotel is a boutique hotel that is famous for its excellent breakfast. Double room during the summer is 96 €/night
• Omena Hotel is the most inexpensive alternative outside of hostels. The self service hotel has no staff present, but the hotels are clean and modern. Rooms go for 68 €/night at the moment (the prices go up as the event draws nearer), but each room has beds for four persons. Omena prices don’t include breakfast.
• Park Hotel is a very charming small art nouveau hotel built in 1902 as a private villa. Each room in the hotel is individual. Double rooms go from 125 to 145 €/night, but if you want something special, this is a good choice.

Turku is full of events this summer, so it is probably a good idea to reserve your rooms soon!