View from the Room: Scandic Gothenburg Central
Situated on the outskirts of the city, we found ourselves surrounded by construction sites as well as several newly constructed buildings. The train and bus station is just across the road, but it's about a ten-minute walk, especially when including waiting at pedestrian crossings.
I’m okay with this since I have a keen interest in construction logistics (even though I often dislike the final results), and I am somewhat obsessed with cranes. However, I know that none of this will be here the next time we visit, especially if we wait another eleven years.
We reached our room and made the unfortunate mistake of forgetting to check if our room had our usual hotel request of a bathtub. Down we went again to find that this monster of a hotel, with all its 451 rooms, was fully occupied. We were to check in the morning to see if we could change - no offer of them coming to inform us.
This is our third stay at a Scandic hotel because we loved the first two, but this lack of service has put me off. We spend hours searching for hotels with bathtubs because I believe a hotel should be at least as comfortable as my home; otherwise, it doesn't feel like a holiday.
Scandics usually offer a fantastic breakfast included, plenty of lounge areas, and decent restaurants. And the rooms are generally comfortable.
To add to our woes, our room was freezing. It’s about 21°C outside - perfect weather for some reason; the policy seems to be to have the air conditioning on full blast when guests arrive. It never warmed up. The following morning, in the second room (which we had to request again), we tried simply turning off the air conditioning and opening the curtains to maximise the sunlight. We could always open the window later if it got too warm.
So, onto the room.
The bed is fine, or rather two beds pushed together with separate duvets, as is the Nordic norm.
However, there is limited storage; no drawers, which is increasingly common (aaaggghhhh!), but get this, no wardrobe. Instead, there is a unit that you might normally find by the front door for coats. And there are, mercifully, some coat hooks near the entrance. There’s also a small cupboard that functions as a desk, as well as a slimline one where we managed to stow some belongings. Luckily, it was just three nights, so we basically lived out of our suitcase.
The bedside tables were tiny, with mine featuring a shelf. Every bit of storage was appreciated. Strangely, there was enough space for a small wardrobe that could have accommodated all our belongings.
Interestingly, they provided the oddity of a shoehorn.
Rather delightfully, there’s a small coffee table and two chairs placed by the window.
We were fortunate to request a kettle from reception when we changed rooms so we could boil water for our coffee filter bags.
In the lounge near the entrance, there is a tap for filling water bottles. We could also pick up a limited selection of refreshments, such as instant coffee and tea bags, available at reception. The freestanding TV is positioned opposite the bed, with no wall mount, as we have windows on two walls inviting in warming sunshine.
Bathroom
Bathtub
Two absorbent bath towels and matching hand towels
Bath mat
Bathtub with a hand shower
Full-sized toiletries: shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and hand soap
Towel rail beneath the sink
Limited storage around the sink
A hook
Two glasses
Features:
- Good lighting, including reading lights and several USB ports
- Luggage rack, but little else
- A shoehorn, which I’ve never used in my life
- Some decorative pots and vases occupy space
- Pictures of actual people that seem unnecessary
The breakfast was decent, and the lounge was excellent. We enjoyed pizza and beers there one night.
I think we will think again before booking a fourth Scandic. Or maybe they are just better in Norway.
August 2025.
