Finland’s next Clarion hotel planned for Lahti

The Norwegian hotel group Strawberry and the construction company NCC have entered into an operating agreement for a planned tower hotel in Paavola, Lahti. The hotel is planned on a plot owned by the Lahti-based company Luhta-Kiinteistöt Oy. According to the agreement, a high‑quality Clarion Hotel will be built in Lahti. At present, Clarion Hotels in Finland can only be found in Helsinki and at Helsinki–Vantaa Airport.

A 16‑storey hotel has been zoned for block 42 in Paavola, at the corner of Kauppakatu and Kulmakatu. The total floor area is 12,600 square metres. Plans include 205 rooms and two restaurants with space for around 500 guests. The hotel will also feature conference facilities covering about 1,000 square metres and an event space for 300 people.

The new hotel will help address Lahti’s long-standing shortage of hotel capacity. It will increase the number of hotel rooms in the city centre from the current 712 to more than 900 and strengthen the range of high‑quality accommodation available. The aim is for the new Clarion Hotel to open before the Nordic World Ski Championships take place in Lahti in 2029.

– This new international‑standard hotel will provide both domestic and international guests with a long‑awaited accommodation option. We expect the number of overnight stays in Lahti to grow significantly, driven by major international events, the expanding university campus and conference travel, says Niko Kyynäräinen, Mayor of Lahti.

– The timing, just ahead of the World Championships, is exceptionally good. It will strengthen Lahti’s appeal and improve our capacity to host even larger events in the future, Kyynäräinen adds.

NCC is responsible for developing and constructing the project as Luhta-Kiinteistöt’s development partner. The next step in the planning phase is securing a financing agreement.