Review: Amerikalinjen Hotel, Oslo, Norway

This is our review of the Amerikalinjen Hotel located in Oslo, Norway - just two minutes from the Oslo’s Central Station (Sentralstasjon). In this part of the world, and likewise for the rest of the Nordics, the prevalence of major international hotel chains is strangely limited such as Hilton, IHG, or Marriott. Instead, there are regional hotel groups which dominate the market. The Amerikalinjen no different and can be considered a luxury boutique hotel operating as part of the Nordic Choice Hotels group. The group comprises of chain hotels such as Comfort Hotel, which I reviewed at Copenhagen Airport, Clarion Hotels as well as ‘independent’ hotels such as Amerikalinjen.

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Getting to Amerikalinjen

Most tourists will be arriving in Oslo by air. From Oslo-Gardermoen Airport, the quickest way to the Sentralstasjon is Flytoget airport express train which costs NOK 210 one way for an adult taking 19 minutes and operating from 05h30 to 23h50. Interestingly, the local train L12 or R11 operated by VY Norwegian Railways takes 27 minutes and costs just NOK 114. Driving or taking a taxi takes almost 40 minutes and will make a significantly bigger hole in your wallet - take the train instead.

Initial impressions

The property is an imposing salmon pink facade structure on the square outside Sentralstasjon regardless of whether you arrive during day or night.

The reception can be found on the left-hand side of the entrance in a shared space with the Pier 42 bar. Staff were friendly and helpful in getting us checked in despite us arriving at close to midnight. This space is stunning and features a large bar, combination of soft seating area and a lot of natural lighting during daytime hours. The space effectively combines a combination of modern Nordic style and the heritage of the building. Similarly, nods to the seafaring history of the building can be found throughout the building including the compass on the floor of the lifts.

A historic building

Amerikalinjen, meaning America Line, is a truly historic building having hosted the headquarters of the famous Norwegian America Line ships for goods and people to be transported across the Atlantic from Europe. The building opened in 1919 just a couple hundred metres from the port hosting administrative and ticket offices, luggage drop off and more. It acted as the perfect location as passengers travelling on the ship would come from small villages all over Norway to Sentralstasjon and direct to the Amerikalinjen HQ. The hotel was refurbished to modern standards and then opened to the public in 2019 in time for the hundredth anniversary of the building. Parts of the building have been restored to their former glory including the reading rooms which are styled in the same way they would’ve been during the Amerikalinjen’s operations. These restored areas represent a quirky place to relax or work remotely from.

Rooms

During our two-night visit, we stayed in the Superior Room (Number 313) which is the second of three standard room types as well as two suite types. Unlike the similarly aged-building at the Hotel SKT Annæ in Copenhagen, the Amerikalinjen have bright and wide hallways which feel open - which is quite difficult to do in a building of this age.

The rooms are large for the Nordics but maintain all the modern features you will expect from a hotel of this age. There is a comfortable King bed flanked on two sides by side tables, reading lights and power outlets, including USB and USB-C ports. We both slept comfortably in the room with no complaints with the mattress or bedding quality. The mirror surrounding the bed is a little strange in style, due to the discolouration and spots by design, but adds to a sense of space in the room.

Opposite the bed is a large desk which has enough space for a laptop but I wouldn’t necessarily advise sitting here for too long with the featured chair. A reading lamp and telephone (for internal calls) can also be found here. Above this, a large 55 inch Samsung television can be found; while I didn’t use this extensively during our stay, it features a custom interface with Amerikalinjen branding as well as compatible with the casting feature on mobile apps. The blue chair to the right is fashionable and stylish but also a little bit pointless in my view - its aesthetically pleasing but doesn’t serve much use in the room. In my view, investing in a superior desk chair would have been a better move for the hotel.

The selection of signature lighting chosen for this room is beautiful - modern and classic at the same time.

A selection of historic prints, artwork and photos can be found on the wall highlighting the history of the building. Alongside this a control panel for the room including air conditioning can be found as well as music volume for the bluetooth-connected speakers in the bathroom.

The wardrobe can be found next the room entrance. In an understated dark grey, there is plenty of room to store clothes for a week stay as well as pull out minibar and safe. The hotel provides good quality ‘single use’ slippers, which can certainly be used more than once, as well as dressing gowns. The wardrobe is completed with a kettle and Nespresso machine - perfect for them early morning pick me up coffee and tea.

Opposite the wardrobe is the illuminated bathroom which channels the style of opaque windows in an impressive style. This style continues into the bathroom itself with a sectioned off shower with Sprekenhus amenities - an Oslo-based brand…made in the US! Despite this, all the featured amenities were high quality and did not irritate my skin. Other amenities included environmentally friendly on-brand pink toothbrushes, razors, and cotton. While the shower was what you would expect and with no problems regarding pressure or temperature, the tap in the washbasin proved inadequate. While certainly nothing wrong with the design, it just didn’t get hot enough particularly when it came to a slightly painful shaving experience.

Fitness and sauna

Unlike its eastern neighbour Finland, Oslo does not have a glut of saunas. In recent years, their prevalence has increase according to local Oslofolk with Amerikalinjen following this trend with a sauna in the basement. Like the rest of the hotel, the finishes are excellent and everything here is of high quality from the beds to lay on through to the sauna itself - providing a great place to relax in after a day in the Norwegian cold. This whole area was deserted during our visit, albeit on a Saturday night at 23h00, but I could imagine this being busier during morning peak hours. Showers which mimic the cold Nordic sea can be used to finish off the sauna experience in traditional style.

Alongside the sauna is an excellent fitness facility fitted out with state-of-the-art Technogym equipment for both weights and cardio. This standard of gym at a hotel is rare and will satisfy even the most fanatical gym-goers in my view - although due to the short stop in the city, I didn’t get time to try it out myself.

Lockers and towels are provided in this area as well as water refreshment - completely necessary after a long workout or time in the sauna.

Breakfast at Atlas Brasserie and Café

Located on the ground floor but to the right of the entrance is Atlas - the home of breakfast at the Amerikalinjen. This is one of the most in-demand breakfast and brunch spots in Oslo, so the hotel advises reserving your table before your visit - and looking at how full it was, I will agree that you do the same.

Breakfast was included in our room rate and consisted of a American/Nordic hybrid style. The main course consisted of a bacon, egg, cold meat and cheese plate alongside granola, yoghurt and fresh fruits. It was tasty as well as a being a generous portion but not overly so.

Coffee, including espresso-based options, as well as fruit juice is included in the price. I found the cappuccino was lacking flavour and strength but that may have been since most customers requested drip coffee instead.

The main breakfast course is followed by the more American course of sugar coated in sugar - or pancakes, pastries and syrup. These were moreish but I can’t help but think that most people visiting didn’t eat it causing food waste. I could imagine many people wanting to have either the main above or the pastries bowl below.

Although this is not part of the standard offering, I will commend the excellent reception and kitchen staff who prepared a takeaway bag of pastries, fruit juice, and granola for our Sunday breakfast. We had an early flight to Helsinki on Finnair which meant we needed to take the Flytoget prior to breakfast starting. The team gave us a generous serving of breakfast goodies which set us up for the day - and was certainly needed considering the poor food showing at the OSL Lounge.

Conclusion

If you couldn’t tell from this review, I liked the Amerikalinjen. It is in an excellent location, although no central hotel is that far, and it offers a premium experience many readers of this website will appreciate. The intricate details maintaining the heritage of this property are noteworthy and set it apart from the dearth of boring chain properties you find elsewhere in the world. While you may not earn points from a stay here like you may do in the chains, in my view the experience offered by this hotel - from the large rooms through to the tasty breakfast, excellent gym and sauna as well as friendly staff overcome this tenfold. If you are visiting Oslo, be sure to put this on your list even just to visit and look around.