Lapland Hotels has been in business ever since the 1960s. The company has grown from a local cafe into Lapland’s leading hospitality operator, with services ranging from ski resorts to luxury suites. In 2015, the company began writing a new chapter as they expanded their operations into southern Finland. It was time to bring the magic and mystique of Lapland to the bubbling city centers.
Recreating the land of the midnight sun
Genuine and authentic experiences are the secret behind Lapland Hotels’ success. By playing with elements like the northern lights, the mystical heritage, and the great wilderness of Lapland, the brand creates a unique story for each hotel. In Bulevardi, the experience begins with primal senses.
“In order to recreate the tranquility and harmony of Lapland, we realized that we had to tear down the experience all the way to the sensory level: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.”
Leena Turunen, area director of Lapland Hotels
“It really is the smallest details that make the outcomes outstanding. We made sure that every single aspect of the guest experience was in line with the brand – material choices, musical selection, food ingredients, staff uniforms… The list goes on. We even brought pine cones, rocks, and wooden sticks all the way from Lapland to Helsinki,” she continues.
To complete the atmosphere built for the senses, Lapland Hotels needed a lighting solution that adds to the experience. It’s the finishing touch, something that makes the whole experience feel magical and highlights the carefully planned interior design.
Beautiful, functional, accessible
Lapland Hotels is characterized by the play of light and shadow. The reindeer horns reflect the walls and chandeliers sprinkle light on the ceilings. Even the lampshades project constellations on the ceilings. But all of this needs to be dashing yet functional at the same time.
“All of the lights need to support all of the different use cases we have. Nowadays you have to be able to work in different corners of the room and use the same spaces for relaxing as well. The rooms must also be easy to place in a mode that’s suitable for cleaning and maintenance.” Leena Turunen explains.
In addition to the functionality, a modern guest experience also needs to be consistent and equal for all customers. In order to get this right, it’s once again all about an eye for details. “We have a lot of international guests coming in from different countries and cultures, so it was important for us to use icons instead of letters. We put a lot of effort into usability and comprehensibility of the room controls, and it has paid off well,” Leena concludes.
One-size-fits-nobody
Mount Kelvin was chosen to provide the guest room management system for the hotel, mainly because of the simple yet powerful control, and the perfect match for Lapland Hotels concept.
“Most GRMS’s are difficult. If the guest doesn’t know how to operate the room, they get frustrated really quickly – they pull the plugs of the lamps, bang the walls and call the reception. We didn’t want any of that happening on our premises.”
Leena Turunen, Lapland Hotels
Like all of our projects, the final solution and delivery were designed to match the actual needs of the project. In the hotel business, a one-size-fits-all solution is rarely a recipe for success.
Bjarne Nikkilä, the project manager of Lapland Hotels Bulevardi summarizes the benefits of the chosen approach: “We planned the project in collaboration with a team of professionals from Mount Kelvin, who made several concrete recommendations that added real value for our customers. Their delivery was seamless and professional. I believe they are the future of lighting control in the hospitality industry.”
Customer feedback proves the point
In the end, the average customer doesn’t notice all the fine details. The way to impress them is with a cohesive experience from the time they enter the lobby until they hand over their room. The ultimate verification of the Lapland experience comes from customer feedback.
Leena Turunen states the promise of their concept: “Our customer satisfaction has been proven to be the highest in Helsinki. That’s something we’re very proud of and aim to maintain over the years to come. There cannot be a single weak link in the experience for this to be true.”
Many times the hospitality tech is designed by engineers who forget that the end-users are not exactly like them. Our simple and intuitive room controls have been designed to have zero learning curve and the customer reviews support the claim.
The next collab is already on the way
Carefully hand-picked partners help the hotel to nail the authentic Lapland experience in the middle of the urban cityscape. The partnership is now continuing in Lapland Hotels Arena, which is set to open in 2021 and will also be fully equipped with our room controls.
“With traditional room control solutions you’re pretty much married to the feature set you initially select. A hotel project consists of endless details and making final decisions for years to come is extremely difficult. What made Mount Kelvin stand out from the competition was the flexibility and forward-facing nature.” Bjarne Nikkilä explains the reasoning behind the choice.
“Mount Kelvin helped us create an outstanding guest experience and they delivered the project on time and on budget, without any unnecessary fuss or hassle. They come highly recommended, whether it’s a new build or a simple hotel room renovation.”
Leena Turunen, Lapland Hotels
