The night before I headed to Lillehammer for the Tennis Davis Cup tie Norway vs. India, I had a night at Oslo Airport (OSL, Gardermoen). I opted for the Radisson RED Oslo Airport due to the easy connection from the airport and as it was my first stay at a Radisson Red Hotel. Here is my review of the stay in September 2022.
Radisson Red Oslo Airport – Location
The Radisson hotel is located Southwest of Oslo Airport (OSL) terminal. Apart from the restaurant and other facilities provided by the hotel itself, the key place for shopping and dining is, of course, the airport itself. The Flytorget high speed rail to Oslo City is a 20 minutes trip. The airport is also driving a major bus station.
From the international arrivals terminal, there is a covered walkway to the Radisson Red Oslo Airport. The walking distance with heavy luggage was a little bit more than five minutes. There are sufficient signs to the hotel, so that you just cannot miss the right route.
Radisson Red Oslo Airport – Atmosphere
The Radisson Red Oslo Airport is quite impressive. The key reason for that is that it drives a large conference facility right at the airport, which leads to a really large size of the building. Furthermore, the hotel feels very modernly designed, which underlines the impressive architecture of the hotel.
Radisson Red Oslo Airport – Room
I had reserved a standard King Room, at a refundable rate including breakfast. The price for one night in September 2022, Tuesday to Wednesday, was 1884.60 NOK, roughly 180 EUR. Like the whole hotel, the room was very modern and had a nice style. I personally don’t like the dominance of the color black in a hotel room, as it absorbs too much light. The room did have a nice size and a good work desk, which I absolutely liked. You had all amenities in the room which one expects from a better airport hotel.
The bathroom followed the general design of the room. Like the whole room, the bathroom was spotlessly clean. There were some really nice amenities and sufficient space for your toiletries.
Room Door Issues
Norwegian laws seem to suggest or to even demand that room doors don’t close immediately. This means that the door stays open for another 90 seconds, unless you close it explicitly by tapping the key card. This is a somehow sensible rule, especially in case of fire or emergency, so that you can quickly grab your stuff or assist a person in the hotel room. In normal day usage, this is very confusing as a foreigner, who is not used to it.
The hotel did not inform me about that at check-in, which I feel is absolutely mandatory. Furthermore, when I called the reception desk and claiming that the door is (potentially) defect, the receptionist did not know about this functionality as well. He stated to check the room personally, but then called back two minutes later and explained the behavior to me. I had the same thing at one of the stays I had in Lillehammer, at the Clarion Collection Hotel Hammer.
Radisson Red Oslo Airport – Breakfast
The restaurant area of the hotel is really fancy. The breakfast provided was really good, with a nice variety of dishes at the buffet as well as some meals to order. I ordered a Norwegian waffle with sour cream and fruit, which was a nice addition to the food provided.
Radisson Red Oslo Airport – Service
The check-in experience was below average. Despite there was free staff at the desk, it took me more than five minutes to check-in. The situation at check-out was similar, with five people behind the desk chatting to each other, but only one caring about customers. Apart from the door issue explained above, I was also very angry about that the hotel sent me to the direct route to the airport train station, which – in contrast to going via the airport – requires to walk stairs. I did not only have to large suitcases, but also a bandaged hand so that I obviously was not fully able to lift too many heavy things. To me, this illustrated a certain attitude towards the customer. Apart from these points, the staff was really kind.
The WiFi reception in the hotel was very good, so that I could work in the morning and prepare my tennis coverage. The hotel is also driving a gym in the conference section. Some signs on the route from my room to the fitness room were missing, unfortunately. I also could not take any better snaps as there were people practicing Inside. the gym looked really nice, though.
Radisson Red Oslo Airport – My View
The Radisson Red Oslo Airport is definitely an impressive place. The connections to the airport and the airport train station are very good and convenient. I liked the room and the breakfast was great. Unfortunately, I was not too happy with the reception desk and their service attitude – which finally just cannot prevent a Top Pick! rating.
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