Hotel Rival

, Stockholm, Sweden
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Hotel Rival

, Stockholm
4 star

Rooms: 99

Mariatorget 3 - Stockholm - 118 91 - Sweden Hotel Website | | +46 (0)8-545 789 00
581 Traveller

Reviews - Hotel Rival

9/10
Loved it!
Submitted by: anonymus in 12/05/06
  • Age Group: 31 - 40
  • From: Germany
  • Traveller type: Business Traveller
As a business traveller who is travelling a lot all over Europe I have to stay in many many hotels. I have to say this is my favourite! Great interior and design, great amenities (like flat screen TV and DVD player in every room, including a choice of music CDs!). Very nice staff. Good breakfast!
Only disadvantage: no air condition, so can be quite warm in summer time.
Check Rates and Availability for the Hotel Rival
10/10
Luxurious and friendly
Submitted by: Kurt R in 01/06/05
  • Age Group: 60 +
  • From: Sweden
  • Traveller type: Family Traveller
One of the best we ever stayed at.

Historical Traveller Reviews of Hotel Rival

t disappointed

from dancer62
Having read about this in all the magazines and travel reviews as being THE hotel to stay at in Stockholm, I booked it as a suprise 40th birthday present for my boyfriend.

We were there over the midsummer weekend - beware, the cafe is not open from the Friday to the Sunday! Nor are any shops on the Saturday of Midsummer, as it is a public holiday. But it's not really a problem.

We had a superior room - the room itself was a little small (222 - 160cm double bed, view into the inner courtyard), but who comes here to sit in the room? The 32" plasma TV has convinced us to buy a large flat screen TV for home....

The room was spotlessly clean with a huge bathroom with a separate tub and walk in shower. Other hotels - take note, this is what a bathroom should be like! Only small gripe is that the toilet paper was a bit thin and hard (Sorry, I'm an Andrex girl....)

The location is perfect - it's a 10 minute walk into town and a 5 minute walk to the Gondolen resturant (you MUST eat there, even if is a bit pricey, the view is breathtaking, food Michelin star standard). As others say, for the lazy, the tube is round the corner.

The staff were all young and hip, and spoke perfect English (as do most young Swedes because all TV programs are US/UK and subtitled, not dubbed). But best of all, they were really helpful. Nothing was too much trouble.

This place is a winner. Go there! Now!

FAULTLESS

from A TripAdvisor Member
The Rival is, quite simply, the best hotel in the world. The mangement and all the staff have a real passion ofr what they do and it shows.

Hip, euro-modern, spectacular

from A TripAdvisor Member
All hotels should aspire to the Rival's level.

The staff is effective and helpful, the systems (technology, process, etc.) are all first-rate. The layout of the hotel is great. It's all good.

And it's in a lovely area of town. Three subway stops outside of Central Station, it's not so far from the town center that you feel out of it. The area isn't much of a night-spot on its own, but the subway is 100 meters away, and voila, you're anywhere you want to be.

If you're going for business, and your business happens to be at the Stockholm International Fair, the surface train to Alvijso (sp?) is only 300 meters down the street, and from there it's one or two train stops to the Fair.

All in all, I'll go back.

It isn't cheap, but if your company is paying, it's only a small premium for lots of goodness, IMHO.

t be better!

from A TripAdvisor Member
I travel a lot! This place was perfect. I have also stayed at that SAS Strand Radisson and I didn't enjoy it. I will be back to Rival in the future. The only thing that I would have to complain about is that they were fixing a roof on the building next to us every morning and they would start working at 6am and woke us up every morning but that was just out of the hotels hands. It is a smart hotel - must use key to use elevator and turn electricity on in your room so that was a little interesting-first time I have had to do that. The room and bathroom were perfectly clean and fresh. The sheets and bedding were perfect and I wasn't even affaid to use the comforter on the bed like I would be in American hotel rooms as they don't get cleaned often. This looked like it gets profeesionally cleaned every day! There wasn't a pinch of dust and the bathroom was spotless. No moldy grout and I wasn't affraid to walk around barefoot in the room as it was so clean. Wood floors too-no carpet. We were in room 417 overlooking the courtyard inbetween buildings (not street side) and it was perfect. You could open the doors to let the light and weather in an watch as others in the building next to us enjoy their coffee on their decks. It is located in a very central location close to everything. We never had to pay more than 150 crowns to get anywhere by taxi and the subway is close too. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The lobby was stunning and I loved all the clean, slick, modern designs of the whole hotel. There is a DVD player in the rooms and you can rent movies at the front desk for 60 crowns. There is also a CD player in the rooms and of course Benny has stocked the rooms with Abba CDs to listen to while you stay there. The bath towels were larger than any hotel I have been in. There was an in room safe and mini bar. I would stay there again in a heartbeat and the price was very reasonable especially considering it is Stockholm. I paid more last time for the Radisson and the Rival was 10 times better. Of course the rooms in Stockholm are smaller than you would expect in an american hotel but given the fact the space is limited in Stockholm, it was fine. The space was all well utilized. Oh- great dark window coverning made the room black for excellent day sleeping too! A bonus!

Everything Former Guests Say Is True

from A TripAdvisor Member
We recently spent four nights at The Rival because we had read so many good things about it on this website. It turns out that everything that's been written about it is true! The Rival is a very special hotel in a most interesting part of Stockholm. My partner and I had a terrific superior double with a walk-out balcony overlooking Mariatorget. It was the perfect European experience: a beautiful small park at your feet, a large fountain in the middle of it, very little car traffic, and the hustle and bustle of a neighborhood as it goes about its daily life. The staff is wonderful: efficient, friendly, and helpful (not to mention good-looking but that's not a criteria, just an observation!) and the breakfast buffet is plentiful and delicious. Sodermalm, the island on which the hotel stands, is perfect for exploring with its many shops and restaurants and old wooden houses and it's a short walk (and even shorter Metro ride) to the rest of the city.

We'll always have very happy memories of lovely Stockholm because of this hotel. Thanks, Rival!

Flawless

from lafou
The deluxe room looking over Mariagoret Park was sleek, elegant, and comfortable. The staff was very helpful and friendly. It is only a couple of stops on the T-Bana from the Central Terminal. The area is far enough from the crowds, yet close enough to walk everywhere. The breakfast was great. I would go back to this hotel.

More of the same

from A TripAdvisor Member
I found this service helpful in selecting the Rival for my stay in Stockholm, so I thought I'd add my two cents, at the risk of making it more difficult to secure a room for my next trip. I spent three nights at the Rival while on business in town recently. I highly recommend the place. Rooms, though small are exceedingly well designed to make maximum use of the space. Beds were quite comfortable. Staff were enthusiastic and helpful. Though not as convenient as other hotels to central business districts, it was only a short cab ride away, and the neighborhood is much more interesting. At the price I paid the place was a steal. A wonderful find.

Fantastic modern hotel in a great location

from amw1000
I stayed here with my 4 month old baby daughter during a recent weekend 'girls shopping trip' to Stockholm with a friend. We stayed 2 nights. The hotel was perfectly located in a great area called Sodermalm which is full of cafes, restaurants and shops (Stockholm's answer to Grenwich village) - all on the doorstep of the Hotel. The hotel is also in good walking distance to all major sites in Stockholm and there's a subway station just 50 metres from the Hotel. We walked or used public transport (the subway) for the weekend - we took the Stockholm express (30 minutes) and then the subway, number 13 or 14 to the Hotel from the central station (1o minutes) and it took just 40 minutes with a stroller!. The rooms were excellent - modern and stylish. My daughter and I had a superior room which came with a baby's bed and reading corner and an incredible bathroom. My friend had a standard room which had less space but wasn't too small. It was also very clean, modern and with a great bathrom. We were both mesmerized by the flat screen TV that both of our rooms had and all the other modcons. The hotel staff were very helpful. The breakfasts were excellent - lots of fresh fruit and cererals, croissant and other pastries and bacon eggs and pancakes. The breastfast restaurant was really nice with a big balcony so that you can eat outside in the warmer months. The hotel has its own cafe which is a cafe in its own right i.e. used by the locals on the weekends and not just hotel guests. I recomend this hotel to all but especially those wanting to stay outside the main 'touristy areas' but still be in walking distance - it's a 5-10 minute walk to Gamle Stan.

Impossibly hip and friendly to boot

from mattkorey
This place was just smashing. The most modern and vibrant hotel I've ever stayed at. And the staff was just amazing nice and helpful and lovely. The rooms were decorated so chic and the plasma tv was great and the bed was the most comfortable hotel bed I've ever slept in. Couldn't possibly recommend it highly enough.

Excellent hotel

from rmtw
Stayed for three nights in February in superior room at back of hotel - could not have been quieter - only sound was chiming of church bells! Stylish bedroom decor and small but well thought out shower room. The staff could not have been more helpful or friendly. Bakery next door serves excellent pastries. Very attractive 'honesty' bar and lounge on top floor. The bed was very comfortable, albeit almost too warm with soft duvet and mattress duvet as well. Choice of pillows. Location is excellent for exploring city with easy walk to Gamla Stan and just 5 minutes from Slussen ferry to neighbouring islands where Modern Art Museum and Vasa museum are situated.

Top Local Tips for Stockholm

To/from Arlanda We used the train plus taxi to get from Arlanda Airport to the Hotel Rival and the Metro and Bus to return simply for a different perspective. All modes were equally effecient but metro/bus is as you would expect cheaper and took about 45 minutes more than train/taxi - the train is fast witha capital F. The metro stations have lifts to/from ground level so travelling with cases is no problem. Buy your metro tickets from the shop that every metro station seems to have in the foyer, this is cheaper than going to the actual ticket office which is usually about 10M away from the shop! The middle priced option if there is more than one of you travelling is to get a taxi from the airport and we noticed taxis advertisng fixed fares to/from the airports. Overall competition is pretty intense but if in a hurry and using the train still try to buy your ticket from the mutilingual ticket machines and have some 100kr notes ready to speed things up as it is cheaper thn a purchase on the train itself

amusement park and tower I recommend the amusement park at Djurgarden to see quaint rides with names in a different language. Also liked the Pippi Longstocking house nearby and the ride within it. The TV tower is a short bus ride past Djurgarden and provides a lovely restaurant with an aerial view of Stockholm and surrounding water - good spot for lunch.

Tour around the Archipelago Get on a boat tour around the Archipelago. There is more to Stockholm than the Old Town and shopping. Great views over big and small islands and lots of really fresh air.

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Other names for Hotel Rival

  • rival hotel stockholm
  • hotel rival
  • Address: Mariatorget 3 - Stockholm - 118 91 - Sweden
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