Review: Bank Hotel Stockholm (SLH & Hyatt)

Great review @Ben! Just wondering since I've yet to go to Stockholm but do you prefer Copehagen to Stockholm?

I Sweden most of the hotels are either with chain Nordic Choice hotels or Scandic hotels.

Next time you are going: try Hotel Riva or Hilton Slussen - not sure if they meet your definition of luxury but I liked both very well (stayed at Slussen when it was still the Scandic Slussen - but I don't think much has changed).
Also Söder(malm) is my favorite area of Stockholm (even though Östermalm seems to have better nightlife)

I was in Stockholm recently, too. I was at first booked at the Sheraton, but it’s a dump and I refused to stay there. Bank Hotel was fully booked and I ended up using the $200 Amex Platinum hotel credit for Hotel Diplomat, which is part of the Amex Hotel Collection. Carl at the reception delivered OUTSTANDING service. Really polished. We got a round of champagne on the house at the bar and we were upgraded to a high-floor room with stunning views of the harbor. The room was still rather small, but we absolutely loved our stay. The icing on the cake was that there’s a private spa you can book. There’s a sauna, steam room and shower and even a room for treatments with chairs to relax (I don’t think they have spa attendants there all the time, you’d have to book treatments in advance). Scandinavia usually isn’t exactly amazing in terms of hotels by international standards, so this was just amazing. The only thing I didn’t love was the breakfast: I ordered scrambled eggs with bacon and I got just that: A small portion of scrambled eggs (Scandinavians seem to love small portions…) with no seasoning whatsoever and a few strips of bacon on the side. Other than that, I can highly recommend it. And Carl was probably the nicest front desk agent I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

I prefer Stockholm as a prettier city than Copenhagen, but Stockholm is also sort of more sterile than Copenhagen with its edges.

Most of the times when I have been to the Hyatt-affiliated and other US brand-affiliated hotels in Sweden, the plurality to big majority of guests are Swedish and/or Scandinavian. Traditionally, summer is the primary exception to that. This summer, however, was sort of different than pre-pandemic summers; and in large part that was because of the pandemic coming broth smaller foreign crowds than usual and thus not changing the seasonal demographic profile of guests at the hotels as much as usual for the better Stockholm hotels. What’s typical for this property and the other hotels around the same stretch of town throughout most of the year: Scandinavian guests as the plurality or majority.

Even I have been getting more and more of my hotel welcome notes in Swedish at hotels across the country; and usually they know I’m not Swedish.

While WOH members are barely going to register in Sweden compared to Radisson, Scandic, Nordic Choice and Best Western numbers, there were surprisingly many Starwood and Hilton members in Sweden because of Swede’s foreign business and leisure travel. Hyatt isn’t there yet; but as of this past spring, five Swedish properties are now participating in the Hyatt program and only one of those five is SLH. But Hilton had a better position than Hyatt yet has despite the property numbers now being much greater with Hyatt in Sweden than Hilton.

@Lucky, do you know what "Smash the Piggy Bank" was on the breakfast menu? I can't be the only one who's curious...

Stayed here in June. Was very pleased but the rooftop bar can be noisy until late on the weekends. Location is exceptional.

Appears to me that this city looks ripe for hotel development on the luxury or mid-luxury scale. While the Food and Beverage outlets look interesting, the rooms and the rest, not so much. A hard pass at $450.00 a night for that room you showed, despite prices in Sweden. A redemption, ok, maybe.

Wow – I see absolutely nothing five-star about this place. Happy to hear that the staff was friendly, but you basically got a small 4-star hotel room, with shower only, an uncomfy bed and bad A/C, and that's it. Stockholm is expensive, but who in their right mind would pay 450 USD for this?

Next time you're in Stockholm, I would recommend you try the Hotel Rival owned ABBA's Benny Andersson. Scandi chic, glittery, and brimming with gay sensibilities. Also, the JumboStay (a 747 converted to a hostel) at Arlanda is a fun experience for one night.

My thoughts exactly. Seems like a nice hotel but not 5* and definitely not $450 a night place.

Nope, I'm curious too. It looks like that comes to about $40 USD. So a small piggy bank compared to the nightly rate.

For me, the Grand is the go-to hotel. Nothing dated about it, it went through a multi-year refurb which I think now is complete. I absolutely love the hotel, the Nordic spa and the restaurants in it. Usually book it through Amex FHR. No chain affiliation but I think it does give 700 SAS miles per night - at least used to until recently.

This is a second endorsement for the Grand Hotel. It use to be quite frumpy (decor) and grumpy (staff) but no more. The lobby is still unappealingly dowdy (I want to take a hammer to that tacky faux greek statue) but the Cadier Bar (!!) and both of Chef Dahlgren's restaurants are truly beautiful. I was last there in August and stayed in a newly refurbished junior suite. It was a riotous explosion of color and over-the-top (in a good way) design with a view of the waterfront.

Service is solidly good with many stellar individuals and, regrettably, a few holdovers from the grumpy days.

Unfortunately, the Grand seems to be popular with the cruise ship set. And the lovely Cadier Bar can get frustratingly crowded. Still, I enjoy the Grand. It's a breath of fresh air in Stockholm's rather stale & sterile hotel scene.

I would recommend the new Villa Dagmar now if you want this “scandi boutique, 4* dressed up as 5*” experience in Stockholm. The two leaders of the pack otherwise are still Ett Hem and Grand Hotel. Bank Hotel is very up and down. I have heard some dreadful reviews of the restaurant for lunch and dinner

Stockholm sorely needs a proper 5 star operation that isn’t Grand, even if it is a standard chain. There is a market here for it

Smash the piggy bank is Bonnie's signature dessert made of chocolate, ice-cream, fudge, meringue and some candy. It’s big enough for two persons. It comes with a small hammer to smash the chocolate shell with to get out the candy and ice cream inside. Kids loves it.
The building originally used to house a Bank, hence the Bank theme reflected in the nicely made pictures.

The Piggy Bank is an Instagram-friendly desser where you crush a chocolate Piggy Bank at the table. See https://www.google.se/search?q=the+piggy+bank+stockholm&client=safari&hl=sv-se&sxsrf=AOaemvJV_9WItP9x_foL7EvvtybYzDahEQ:1636190903885&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=2lNGunRQvqRXHM%252C1CepA0wfeUFJeM%252C_%253BOwEOtE3ch_P-mM%252CT3r_-kn0XcmlvM%252C_%253BLplnDRAc0m6K5M%252CksdcLupKle-wTM%252C_%253B5DALItafY5pbFM%252CihnyNdsoGsu4zM%252C_%253BCWXWZvVn7UzGKM%252CgbO1Muy3zv8XyM%252C_%253BXKEjTXhrlPGSdM%252Cg-ihBM69DTXgZM%252C_%253Bbwk8EIVXTsKZjM%252CNW4vajlj-DPaVM%252C_%253B3niofIspSVe1eM%252CC3m9FSjS0lVN6M%252C_%253Bz5ynrmFch22PAM%252C7folXBq4ct-hwM%252C_%253BoAQEJ92724CjGM%252CBG0TZBNfJpkjzM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTMVYCdpCdhRXUPED5vJb7O6W8qjg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjv-fCMtoP0AhWIjosKHW0qBWEQ9QF6BAgkEAE#imgrc=LplnDRAc0m6K5M for images.

Regarding the 450$ rate, this is steep even for Sweden. But this includes 25% tax, breakfast and no reason to tip so no hidden extras.

True, Stockholm is short of interesting points hotels, although I wouldn't go as far as calling Sheraton a dump. That said Stockholm has some solid 4/5* options. However, there is one hotel that really deserves to be mentioned. I would say Ett Hem (SLH) outperforms all other hotels in Sweden. In my experience Ett Hem in Stockholm and Nimb (also SLH) in Copenhagen are the only two true 5* boutique options by international standards in all of Scandinavia.

Hotels in Sweden are awful by international standards (I’ve lived in Stockholm all my life and I stay in a lot of hotels in Sweden and abroad). Truly awful. It’s a rare exception if you end up in a hotel deserving a rating of more than 3/5. I would probably recommend a suite at Hilton Slussen - similar to an average Hampton Inn (but with an executive suite) but still okay.

How can you make a Dirty Martini wrong? The IBA approved recipe is straightforward, Vodka, Vermouth, Olive Juice and then you stir it.

What about the Lydmar Hotel? We were debating between the Grand and Lydmar since they are next to each other but ended up going with Lydmar since it looks more stylish and has a boutique feel (50 rooms at Lydmar vs 300 at Grand). (I believe the Lydmar is actually owned by the Grand, and that guests of the Lydmar get to use the Grand’s spa.)

Right now, we’ve booked Ett Hem and Lydmar for our trip since those felt like the only true 5* hotels in stockholm with lower room counts (which we prefer). However, since the trip is still a ways out, we are open to making adjustments based on recommendations.

In Scandinavia, it's chocolate pig dessert.

In USA, it's animal cruelty, wealth inequality, racism (why no option for chocolate of color).
The menu is at risk of being a victim of cancel culture.

It appears to be a dessert offering:

https://m.facebook.com/bankhotelstockholm/photos/a.967158620102907/1117666355052132/

Did the staff and customers wear masks?

@ Johan -- Nope, they didn't. People in Stockholm really just don't use masks.

@ Mark -- Hah, that's a great question, and I don't have a good answer. I think that's why I always make the same mistake, as I assume that explaining that I just want vodka, olive juice, and a bit of vermouth, is straightforward enough. But somehow it never turns out that way. Usually it has a lemon twist in there, and some other stuff too.

@ John R -- I'll admit I'm not an expert on either city and haven't spent that much time in either place, but personally I think I generally prefer Stockholm, but prefer the dining scene in Copenhagen. The truth is that I love either city in summer, but the rest of the year not so much...

You are an idiot.

Well from the pic it looks like most of your martini was actually just olives! I'd consider that an appetizer, not a cocktail!

Having spent nearly 200 nights in US hotels during the past year I have really come to appreciate the standard of Scandinavian hotels. You're far more likely to have a bad stay at a US hotel, additionally when you factor in the rates which on average are three times higher. The breakfasts in Scandinavia are a million times better than the garbage served at many US hotels who still keep their restaurants shut under the guise of "covid". Paying 300 dollars only to get instant scrambled eggs in a microwave cup is just sad, and it happened to me at a DoubleTree in Los Angeles this summer.

With that being said I'm surprised you didn't stay at Story Hotel Riddargatan which recently joined Hyatt JdV earlier this year.

What does a Doubletree Hotel in the U.S. have to do with comparison? Scandinavian hotels may well be more consistent as to offerings, but, sorry, $450 a night in the U.S. will get you far more than a Doubletree you describe. Perhaps you should look more to FS, or some of the Hyatt properties like Thompson. Not only will you get a fantastic environment but a much nicer room. At the same. Further, in comparison to Germany, Austria etc...this hotel is complete junk for the price. I get Scandinavian prices, but I weigh value, and for the value I would prefer to zip in, grab a cheap Mercure style room, and get out of there. I'll save my value money for the properties and places that offer something complete.

When I was in Stockholm 2 years ago, there was NO Hyatt presence, so this seems to be a good addition to broaden the reach of the chain. Marriott had the most choices at the time (most were transfer-ins from SPG, the only Marriott-branded hotel was a far-away Courtyard) along with Radisson, but the problem is that many chain hotels were way outside the city center or a far-out island so not good for tourism. And even so, most of them were mid-range hotels and high-priced for what you get (at most uniqueness/boutiqueness rather than outright luxury).

I stayed at a Design Hotel (Nobis) using a 35K certificate and overall it was a nice upper-mid-range boutique hotel though room was very dark. Also would recommend the Boeing 747 hotel near ARN Airport- I stayed in one of the emptied out engine housings and even if it's not luxurious, it's just the experience that won the day.

Happy to report the bed is really not so bad and my AC is working well on these relatively hot days. However, despite being on a quiet side street during the day, music is booming well past midnight on all sides of the hotel from the terrace bar at the theater 2 blocks away. So unless you are a sound sleeper or stay up late, avoid.