The newly re-branded Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa opened today following a €25 million refurbishment, completely upgrading the former Scandic hotel, which lies in the outskirts of the city centre on the coast.

Following the refurbishment, the five star hotel now offers wireless internet connection in each of the 238 air conditioned guest rooms. In addition to this, the hotel’s 17 conference rooms, the largest of which can cater for up to 550 guests, have been upgraded to include video conferencing facilities and wireless broadband connections.
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The former night club “Red Room” has been converted in to a ‘Hilton Meetings’ centre with 4 rooms and an additional 4 rooms located in the former Ballroom, and the hotels two refurbished restaurants offering views over the sea, whilst focusing on seafood as a speciality.
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A LivingWell Express gymnasium and upgraded sauna and swimming pool with access to a private beach add to the facilities the hotel now has to offer.
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Following the refurbishment the hotel will employ 70 staff including the creation of 8 new jobs.
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Jouni Kaivola, General Manager at the hotel, said: “We are delighted to open the second Hilton in Helsinki. This is a fantastic 5 star International hotel, which will attract people to the area and be a great boost to tourism.”

Plus, Hilton International today announced the signing of a lease agreement with Apex Inmobiliaria (Iberdrola Group) to operate a new five star hotel in Barcelona’s Diagonal Mar area, next to The Forum 2004 building.
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The 23 storey, 434 guest room hotel, scheduled to open in 2005 will include conference and banqueting suites offering 1,500 sq. metres of floor space, two restaurants and an open air swimming pool. In addition to this a fitness centre and executive lounge will add to the facilities the hotel has to offer.
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Theo Kreutzer, Vice President Western Europe & Mediterranean, Hilton International, declared :Ê “Hilton believes in the potential strength of the Barcelona market in the years to come, especially the newly developed “Forum” area Diagonal Mar, with a unique infrastructure for Congresses and leisure in Europe”.
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The Managing Director of Apex Inmobiliaria, Emilio Sánchez, said after the signing of the agreement: “After a long selection process, we have chosen Hilton as the operator of this flagship property we are developing in Barcelona. We are extremely pleased that an operator of international stature like Hilton has put its trust in our hotel in Diagonal Mar, which is a very important project for Apex Inmobiliaria”.
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