Clarion Collection Hotel Karlaplan - Stockholm, Sweden     

The Karlaplan had a good location. The directions to get the hotel were a little confusing, but once located is near enough to the metro station and a pretty area of town. The hotel itself was very clean with friendly staff. However there were some things missing, such as they do not exchange foreign monies at the hotel. The room was nice but extremely small. The beds just fit the width of the room and it was necessary to climb over the other person in order to get up. The bathroom was very clean and neat. Also, small, but considering the size of the room, not bad. The room was probably designed to be a single, but it worked. The other downfall was that the curtain was not a light block type. In the summer months where there are only a couple hours of darkness this was a little difficult. It would have been nice to sleep a little longer without daylight creeping in (sunrise was near 3:30 a.m.).

Basically the hotel confirmation informed us we were staying at "Clarion Hotel Stockholm, Ringvaegen 98." Having walked all the way to this address we were then told we were at the wrong hotel, despite the confirmation which clearly stated otherwise. We were actually supposed to be at this hotel - Clarion Karlaplan - which was on the other side of the city in the Skeppargatan area. It was an extremely unsettling experience being told this. I accept that mistakes can be made, despite the fact the it wasn't our mistake. However what really angered me was the lack of an apology and the fact that the Clarion hotel company could not have provided some sort of a complimentary taxi from one hotel to another, given that they are part of the same hotel chain. This would have been basic courtesy. As I say it is a very unsettling experience being in a strange city, being told you’re miles away from where you should be, and then being sent back out into a blizzard (which is basically what the weather was like on February 15th in Stockholm.) All I know is that my friend and I ended up suffering because of someone else’s mistake, be it the hotel's or the booking website's. As for the hotel itself, I thought the Calrion Karlaplan was a substandard hotel in mediocre location. I'm aghast that someone would even consider this a four-star. The room was extremely small and spartan. The building was very old and gloomy. The only saving grace was a decent bathroom with a heated floor and a nearby underground. Otherwise stay away!