Settling into Oslo - Norway - page 83

W. Våge created this warm, inviting residential-style property by renovating a
downtown property and turning it into a bastion of comfort. The location is in
the Old Town of Oslo, within easy walking distance of Karl Johans Gate and
most of the major attractions. The bedrooms have style, taste, and comfort, yet
are also intimate and unpretentious. If you want to go upmarket, you can ask
for one of the junior suites or deluxe suites, among the best in the capital. The
furnishings, fabrics, and art were selected from all over the world. Bathrooms are
deluxe, with tubs big enough to be shared by a loving couple. TVs are installed
to be viewed from the tub. In the better suites, the bathrooms have separate
showers and Jacuzzis. Guests can frequent the chic lobby bar for drinks or din-
ner, or gather the following morning in the lounge for a breakfast buffet.
Skippergaten 7, N-0152 Oslo. & 800/528-1234 or 22-47-77-00. Fax [phone]. www.hotelbastion.no. 99
units. Mon-Thurs 1,005NOK ($143) double, 2,000NOK ($284) suite; Fri-Sun 895NOK ($127) double,
1,850NOK ($263) suite. AE, DC, MC, V. T-banen: Jernbanetorget. Amenities: Breakfast lounge; lobby bar; fit-
ness center; room service (3-10pm); laundry service; nonsmoking rooms. In room: A/C, TV, dataport, minibar,
iron/ironing board, beverage maker, trouser press.
Hotel Bristol Loaded with character, this 1920s-era hotel com-
petes aggressively and gracefully with two other historic properties, the Grand
and the Continental. Of the three, the Bristol consistently emerges as the
hippest and the most accessible. To show that it believes in keeping up with the
times, it has recently added a security wing with bulletproof windows. Set in the
commercial core of Oslo, 1 block north of Karl Johans Gate, the Bristol is warm,
rich with tradition, and comfortable. It also isn't as formal as either the Grand
or the Continental, attracting the media, arts, and showbiz communities, with
a sense of playfulness and fun that's unmatched by either of its rivals.
In 2001 the hotel almost doubled its room count, thanks to the annexation
and conversion of an office building next door. Bedrooms here are comfortable
and dignified, but not as plush or as intensely “decorated” as the rooms in either
of its grander competitors. Each accommodation comes with a tiled or marble
bathroom with a tub/shower combination. Lavish public areas still evoke the
Moorish-inspired Art Deco heyday in which they were built. There's enormous
life and energy in this hotel—thanks to active restaurants, such as the Bristol
Grill (p. 85), piano bars, and a sense of elegant yet unpretentious conviviality.
Kristian IV's Gate 7, N-0164 Oslo 1. & 22-82-60-00. Fax [phone]. www.bristol.no. 252 units. Mon-Fri
2,030NOK ($288) double; Sat-Sun 1,195NOK ($170) double, 4,000NOK-8,000NOK ($568-$1,136) suite. Rates
include breakfast buffet. AE, DC, MC, V. Tram: 10, 11, 17, or 18. Amenities: 2 restaurants; 2 bars; live pianist
in the lobby; nightclub/dance bar; small-scale exercise room and fitness center; spa; limited room service; laun-
dry service/dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms. In room: A/C, TV, dataport, minibar, hair dryer, trouser press.
Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel With an exterior sheathed in blue-tinted glass,
and a needle-nosed summit that soars high above everything else in Oslo, this is
the tallest building in Norway, and the largest hotel in northern Europe. When
it was built by the Resa hotel chain in 1980, the hotel provoked screams of out-
rage from traditionalists, some of whom resented the transformation of the Oslo
skyline into something that evoked a lesser version of sky-scraping New York or
Chicago. Today, after a wrenching shake-up in ownership and many changes to
its marketing approach, the hotel is a conservative and somewhat anonymous
member of the Radisson SAS chain. The hotel struggles to permeate its vast,
impersonal interior with a sense of intimacy and individuality. Many of its
clients come as part of corporate conventions or, to a lesser degree, as part of
organized tours of Scandinavia. Regardless, guests do a lot of high-velocity ele-
vator riding, and stay in hermetically sealed heated or air-conditioned rooms

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