Hampton by Hilton hotel opens
The Hampton by Hilton now open for business in Tallinn, on the corner of Tartu maantee and Jakobson streets, is the international chain’s first property in Estonia’s capital. Tallinn’s newest major hotel includes a homage to Estonia’s literary and historical heritage.
“The brand-new 184-room hotel is mainly aimed at business travellers and families, and is logistically convenient for arrivals by air, road and sea alike,“ said a representative for the property owner and hotel developer GVP Invest Estonia OÜ, Sigitas Daugnoras. “Seeing the end result, I am convinced it was the right investment and our guests will be sure to appreciate our efforts.“
Hotel director Toma Torseke said the new hotel makes a homage to Estonian culture and former President Lennart Meri. “The hotel’s location is historical – Meri spent his early childhood in a wooden house formerly in this location. It was also the home of Marie Under, who hosted gatherings of some of the leading lights of that era and the literary society Siuru,” said Torseke. That house was torn down back in 1980 to make way for the Eha Cinema ahead of the Tallinn events in the Moscow Olympics.
The hotel’s architect Tõnis Tarbe said the main task was to integrate the building into the existing environment and forge a connection to the history. “The hotel’s architecture and interior design in its entirety tip their hat to Estonian culture,” said Tarbe. “Take the concrete external facade, which draws on Estonian national imagery, and the sidewalk slabs are decorated by lines of verse by Under. The links to Estonian cultural heritage continue in the hotel’s interior.”
The interior architects Rytis Ćimkus and Agne Kirsliené drew their inspiration for their work from Siuru book covers and illustrations. Thanks to glass artist Guoda Kvietinskaitė they can be enjoyed in the hotel’s stained glass windows and elevators, where a lighting installation accents the colourful panels. Lithuanian artist Fausta Miežyte art deco-style work on the hotel rooms’ walls is also influenced by Siuru.
Most of the hotel is five storeys in height, with one part rising to six storeys. It has a restaurant serving American cuisine and a bar, two conference rooms for 60 and 10 people, respectively, and a gym. It is the only Hampton by Hilton hotel in any city to have a sauna.
The hotel built by Merko will be operated by Apex Alliance Hotel Management, whose portfolio includes 20 international branded hotels in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Italy and Switzerland. Among others, they manage four Hampton by Hiltons located in Tallinn, Riga, Krakow and Venice.
