Sokos Hotels introduces a new type of hotel to Finland – The first Heymo to open in Espoo Keilaniemi in the spring of 2022
19 November, 2021
Sokos Hotels will introduce a new type of flexible service hotel category to the Finnish hospitality industry. The new type of hotel, which has been named Heymo, adapts flexibly to the preferences of each traveler, and the hotel guest only pays for what they need at any given time. The first Heymo will open its doors in Keilaniemi in the spring of 2022.
2022 will mark the year of recovery for the hospitality industry, after a pandemic that lasted for almost two years, says Harri Ojanperä, Senior Vice President, SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management. In the upheaval of tourism, the hospitality industry in Finland is not expected to return to its previous state, which is why Sokos Hotels is launching a completely new hotel category alongside its traditional hotels, where hotel guests only pay for what they need at any given time.
– A growing number of travelers, especially millennials and the Z generation, travel to gain new, unique experiences. Heymo provides a high-quality basic service, that the guest is free to complement according to their own needs, by purchasing services either in or outside the hotel. We are not possessive of our guests, but rather encourage them to explore the vibrant city. Heymo has been created to act as a base for experiencing the city, Ojanperä explains.
The pilot of the Sokos Hotels chain's new hotel type, Heymo 1, will open its doors in Keilaniemi, Espoo in April. It will serve as a test platform for the Heymo hotel type: the hotel type is to be further developed in close cooperation with customers. The goal is for Heymo to expand to Finland's major cities within the coming years.
Heymo's specialties include all day breakfast and spacious rooms for groups
With its new flexible service category, Sokos Hotels returns to its core business – a good night's sleep. The rooms at Heymo are equipped with high-quality beds, bed linen and towels. All other choices are left to each guest.
– The most ecological product is that which no-one buys or produces. An overflow of products can be avoided by using only what is needed, says Jukka Kaartinen, Development Manager, SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management.
According to Kaartinen, customers' preferences were acknowledged, and Sokos Hotels' extensive customer data thoroughly examined in the Heymo design phase. Heymo brings a lot of new things to the Finnish hospitality industry: All day breakfast is available from a special breakfast locker. Checking in and out of the hotel is done with the help of automats, enabling transactions without long queues, and possible at any given time. Instead of receptionists, Heymo has fixers, and personal service is available around the clock, if needed. Room options also include more spacious rooms for groups of up to seven people, which the party can book for themselves. In addition, a room named Lucky cannot be booked at all, but will instead be offered in a daily draw.
More information about Heymo: www.sokoshotels.fi/en/heymo
More information:
Harri Ojanperä, Senior Vice President, SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management, tel. +358 10 76 82871 / +358 500 421 175 or e-mail harri.ojanpera@sok.fi.
Jukka Kaartinen, Development Manager, SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management, tel. +358 10 76 82764 or e-mail jukka.kaartinen@sok.fi.