Best Western Gustaf Froding Hotel & Konferens

Paid 1600 for a standard double room. Expected good standard. This was more of a hostel. Very basic standard. The spa was very small. Restaurant had good food and I envoyes the meat balls. Far from center.

Good hotel for 1 night stay, but not up to Best Western standards. The room was very basic and in serious need of refurbishment. Breakfast area was quite dark and windows looked dirty. Tables are sticky. The breakfast was average, lacking croissants and pastries.

Overall everything was really nice! You basically have everything you need, breakfast was great, we also tried the hotell restaurant, food there was good as well, only reason why i gave 4 stars and not 5, is that the floor of the room was sticky and the toilet seat was a bit hard to sit on, but other than that, this was a great hotell to stay at!

Every staff I met was supwer helpful and friendly. Excellent breakfast, great amount and variety. Kettle and tea/coffee in the room (did not use as there was a real coffee machine by the reception) Spa and jacuzzi were great. We missed the swimming pool as it was outdoor and not heated. However, that did not stop us from taking a quick dip ;-) We enjoyed our stay !

Just one night in the hotel, during a bus tour. It is what you expect from a chain hotel. We had a big room, heating was working everything spotless clean. Breakfast very good with a lot of options. A little bit far from town. If we were on a longer stay, we would walk to town, maybe next time...

Stayed for work overall really good hotel and very friendly staff and great service and food was really gym and Sana and other Facilities great place and will definitely be coming back to stay thanks you

Decent facilities with a location right near one of the main highways. Specially liked the poolside dining. stayed the night with family on way to the west coast. The breakfast was good considering this is the same you get all across Europe. There were loud music playing well into the night but that was kind of ok

I did look for an inexpensive room for this stay but was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful hotel, the service minded and very friendly staff and the helpfulness I received! The room was quite basic but the standard was quite good and the room was nice and quiet! I slept like a baby in the comfortable bed and had a wonderful breakfast in the morning with much to choose from. Both checking in and out went smoothly and without any problems. I am coming back- that's for sure!

Nothing to complain about. It wouldn't hurt with some modernisation overall but for a nights rest it's more than okay. Room was very clean and neat. Breakfast left a bit of room for improvement but overall we are very happy with our stay. Thanks!

People work in the hotel are all nice!!!!! Especially Jimmy, their manager, when I found that I lost my purse in the room the other day, he and his great colleagues helped me find a kind couple to deliver to my next destination!!!! All of them are so kind and the luckiest thing happened to me in Northern Europe!!!! Love them and a lot thanks to them.

Situated on an elevated site on the north side of the E18 and several kms from centrum Karlstad this is a slightly old style but pleasant hotel. We had a twin room that featured good storage space, comfortable bed, decent shower and nice LG TV. A good breakfast was included. There was a little bit of road noise from the E18

The hotel would benfit from a renovation, but it's clean and ok. Our double room, no. 102, was spacious enough for two people. Dinner was ok. The breakfast selection is a bit spartan. The restaurant could need some lighter colours - is quite sad that way. The hotel's located 4 km outside the town centre of Karlstad. There are several bus lines nearby (about 10-15 mins. to centre, €4). Free parking. Nice staff. Close to Klarälvsbanan. They have have a pool. Don't think they have A/C. Unless you want to avoid the town centre, and free parking and pool is important to you, I would recommend a more central location - for example Good morning Karlstad city in the town centre. (We've been to Karlstad around 50 times, and just wanted to try something new.)

Hotel staff is great with good amenities such as pools etc...Food prices in general here are decent and quite ok. There is some noise from traffic however the windows are very thick so little to no noise gets in. The rooms are spotless too. But, the hotel is in need of major refurbishment on the inside as it's very old. Except that it's a good hotel overall.

Gustaf Froding has two things working against it, that no one can help: Exterior and location. It was probably built in the 1960s, and it looks like it from the outside: Shoe boxes on top of each other. And it's just over 3 kms from downtown Karlstad, over walking distance for most of us. But once you are inside the sliding doors, they do everything just right. So leave your car in their parking and travel by taxi to and from downtown. It will be worth it. It's not a Grand Hotel, it can't be, but it's a hotel that doesn't give up trying, and it maintains a grand old style. The foyer is grand with groups of easy chairs and tables. The reception desk is manned 24/7, by three people in the daytime. Not by a sign that says the receptionist will be with you shortly. The rooms are ... roomy. 200+ sq. ft at a guess for our double room. Even with plenty of luggage, we didn't feel cramped. A large desk, if you need to work with your computer. The wifi was solid enough during our stay. The restaurant and the bar are not great but they are good. Not least the breakfast buffet. Not much amiss there. But on top of it all, the staff. They all seemed like one happy family. Even the house maids, when we met them on our way to or from breakfast, always met us with a huge smile and a Good morning! In the foyer there is a pool table in good condition. I thin that adds class to a hotel foyer.

Great stop off hotel with an outside pool. I recommend a balcony room. Staff very friendly. Limited selection but good food in restaurant. Hotel is a little dated but on a nice sunny day sitting by the pool with a cold beer very nice. Parking outside fantastic many places.

For the price of the room I expected a decent room with comfortable bed and good breakfast. The room was worn to an extent that one does not expect this standard in 2019. The bathroom is long overdue an upgrade and there is mold between the tiles. The beds are narrow and not very comfortable. Breakfast had a small selection and several choices were emty. The bacon was chewy and tasted fat more than bacon.

That was an old hotel. It needs for totally renovate from the ground to the top. Even it was too expensive to pay 2000 Sek for just one night. It smelt as a second hand butik cause all the furniture seems to be bought from a second hand! This hotel is located a way from the city ... you should have a car to reach it.

Being late, you get the leftovers. Wasn't even close to what I needed and it was for sure, not worth the price for one night. For better and for worse. The best part of it was the gym and the spa. The room was old but clean. Looked more like a family room. View over the pool, which I actually tried. Runny Ing from the sauna to that cold pool was refreshing. The food... well I had dinner, I asked Magnus the waiter, about what was good, went for the club sandwich. I guess Niklas the chef, didn't had his best night. Dry, burned bread and the chicken was less, one half had definitely most bread. The second waiter “carina” if I recall right, gave me as a ”plåster på såret” a pecan cookie, nice touch;) The breakfast was definitely better. The service was great!

We stayed 3 days/2 nights and didn't get much good sleep due to the very warm weather. The hotel had put a fan in our room but the fan didn't have any effect and made lots of noises. It was impossible to sleep with the windows open because of the noise from the swimming pool outside and from the pool bar which was open until midnight. The pool was ok, but the pool area was old and dirty. I'm not very impressed. We looked forward to using the relax area but the steam sauna wasn't working during our stay and the dry sauna was lukewarm too. We asked if they could turn the dry sauna on but it stayed lukewarm so we couldn't use it either. The only thing that worked was the jacuzzi. The staff was nice though. Quite expensive with taxi to the city for meals and drinks. Mostly families with children using the hotel swimming pool. Not very suitable for couples who want to have some relaxing days together. Perhaps better as a stop over for only one night when passing through as a place to rest.

This hotel has everything you expect from this kind of hotel. Nothing fancy but it's functional with all the basics. Friendly staff. Pretty good breakfast selection. A gym. The location is a little off if you don't have a car.

Room was okay but below average. Clean but sort of cheap feel. There was an outdoor pool but it wasn't possible to go out and have a look. Guess it was only for the spa. Breakfast included. Restaurant looks average. Breakfast and service was good.

Hotel in itself was quite average, perfect for a one night stay-over in Karlstad. Food was okay. Burgers not too interesting, but the meal of the day was okay. Breakfast was rather extensive, however, not too interesting.

While heading further north, we stopped and stayed at this hotel for one night. Check-in was great, room was clean and had complimentary tea and coffee. Beds were medium firm and comfortable, but one of them smelled a bit. Bathroom was clean, but a bit worn down. Breakfast was nice and contained everything we could possibly want.

Stayed here in August 2017 and have some mixed feelings on the place... The down side for me was the traffic noise from the nearby motorway. This was particularly problematic due to the fact that the rooms don't have air conditioning - so the choice was either to get baked in a hot, stuffy room or leave the window open and be bothered by the constant hum of traffic. The noise, coupled with what I found to be uncomfortable beds led to me suffer a serious lack of sleep after my five night stay. The up side was that room itself was of a good standard and well cleaned, the guest areas of the hotel were quite nice and well maintained. The outdoor pool was a bit cold but the indoor spa facilities were very good (hot tub, steam room and sauna) and the ice bucket shower was a cool idea. The pool table was also a big hit with kids. We were on a breakfast and dinner package and the food throughout the week was always well prepared and had enough variety to keep everyone happy. We'd found a very good package deal on the hotel's website so it was actually good value for money. Keep in mind that the location is outside the city centre - but most guests seem to be passing by between Norway and Stockholm (lots of bus tours stop here). Probably wouldn't pick this hotel again if I were to visit Karlstad in the future.

When we walked into our room, we immediately smelled "wet dog." We learned later that dogs had been in the room and there had been an attempt to clean the room. The closet was extremely small and hard to access. Tiny bathroom, too. Breakfast was excellent. If a hotel is going to allow pets, there should be no-pet rooms just like no-smoking rooms.

Everything went smoothly with this stay: free parking space, clean and simple room, high speed Wi-Fi , Emilia restaurant and good breakfast. Kind service in reception. Reasonable price.We did not have time to go to swimming pool this time.

Economic choice if you're looking for a stop over between Stockholm and Oslo. Hotel is situated just outside of Karlstad, close to the high way. Rooms are basic. Triple room available. Make sure you book a room with a shower instead of the slippery bathtub shower we got. Facilities offered are an outdoor pool (cold!!), restaurant, sauna & gym (I passed), pool table, mini (tiny) golf and kids corner with some toys. Breakfast (basic) is included. Wifi's quite poor. Free high way views and coffee and tea during your stay.

Location is bad, quite far outside Karlstad. You need a car to get to it. Visited by Chinese charter groups whom all seem to be coughing. The best thing is the wonderful restaurant staff. Such good humour and good service. Great meals. Both breakfast and evening summer buffé. A great variation to choose from. Fast Internet service in room. I was alone but got a twin room. It woud be so much better with one larger bed. Swimming pool if you like to swim.

Convenient and affordable place to stay on the way to or from Stockholm: easy to get in and out, easy to park, gas station nearby. Nothing special, nothing bad. Weird paintings on the walls. No convenient smoking places.

Spent one night here on our way to North Cape, in a 3-person room. The hotel is roomy, clean and nice to stay at. Good parking possibilities, and easy to find via GPS. Good food. The breakfast is although a bit dissappointing.

Travelled around Sweden a lot and this place is one of the least "value for money" you can find. Tired and worn hotel, and the service is not good at all. You can do much better in Karlstad. Prices here must be GREATLY reduced before I will find it worthwhile to stay here again.

We stayed a night here on our way from Oslo to Stockholm. After a long trip on the road, we thought we would spend a little bit more for this place and it's facilities for a break. Turns out it was a bit of a mistake as we did not really enjoy our stay. The rooms we got were facing the highway and there was also some construction going on right in front of the hotel, which made it really noisy when we opened the windows whether in the day or at night to sleep. A number of staff were relatively unfriendly and one particular reception staff was quite hostile and had rather curt manners. A couple of other staff were okay, so we can't fault all. Facilities were otherwise good, we had a relaxing time in the jacuzzi and sauna before getting back on the road. Nevertheless, the rude staff we encountered left a very poor overall impression. Don't think we would pick this place again if we ever come by this way again.

A really affordable hotel with a lot to offer. I booked a economy room which was nice and clean with everything you need. A steal for 70 EUR per night. The spa is a bit small but the pool and surrounding area is great in the sun. The breakfast was above average with something for everyone including crispy bacon! I suppose the kids would love the place.

Good Parking, Free WIFI. Did not use the Pool, Sauna and Fitness. The receptionist could not understand my Danish, so I switched to English. She kept talking Swedish. Fine clean room. The restaurant was a bit cold near the windows. Excellent breakfast. Would probably be back.

When you look for the Hotel in that area you look for peace and quiet night sleep and I didn't have it. They have some show with "FERNANDO" until late in the night just outside my window and nobody informed us about it going to happen. The dinner have to be in Downtown because the event they didn't offer a dinner. When we comeback from the dinner the Hotel reception,restaurant everywhere is full of people drinking and high noise, the smell was something between Old sweaty with cigarettes and alcohol ,just crazy and unbelievable. The decorations in the rooms and open areas in the Hotel is old fashion need some renovation and update The bathroom it's not comfortable at all no offer for a decent shower cream or soap; can be much cleaner as well, very disappointed. For the price I have payed. Never again. Best western can be very ashamed about this Hotel use their brand #hotelhell

The hotel is good but needs up-dating. It's worn in places but clean overall. The pillows and the bed were too soft - like sleeping on a trampoline.The room was too hot and you can only open the window a few centimetres - that's if you want the noise from the road and people outside by the pool. The pool had many leaves in it and didn't look inviting at all. Wi-Fi is OK but variable. Breakfast is good with plenty of choice. It's overpriced for what you get. It's too far into town to walk so you have to drive.

This is not a proffersional operated establishment and so far off on the correctness map as it can possibly be. Staff is extremely arrogant and unfriendly, so unprofessional as one possibel can be in a hotel. Stay far away. Will not recomend and never go back.

Use to take my kids to this hotell to play in the swimming pool and have a ice-cream. But now that ends after ive learned that this Hotell are accepting racist partie-sympathizer to sing for the Christmas show later on in December.

I was on a business trip to Karlstad and booked a single room. The room was very outdated with worn furniture. It looked like it could be at least 30 years old and smelled bad. The personal were quite arrogant and unfriendly. The clerk never bothered to greet me Welcome to the hotel and when I checked out I never got any questions of how I liked my stay. The breakfast was ok, but that's all.

Staff was hostile and threatened my 4yr old daughter to be thrown out bcuz she was playing in the lobby during check-in very shady location. Dirty rooms. Service was non-existing. I wouldnt recommend this to anyone other than psychpats.

When you arrive to this hotel they ask you about your political view. If you are a left wing then you get access. The director even take notice of articles from newspapers if you are an artist that dont match their political vision.

The famous Swedish singer Peter Jezewski was booked to sing at the hotel in several events. He had in media announced that he support the Sweden Democrats. Now the hotel has canceled the booking for him. This is horribel in a democratic era that people can't think free. So beware, you can be thrown out just because of your religion, politic standing or whatever they feel that day.

We asked our last hotel to make reservations for us at Best Western Karlstad. Upon arrival the receptionist smiled and said "I have upgraded your room! Since you probably are pretty tired after riding your motorbike all day I'll let you have our suite with a bubble bath!" The suite was fantastic and we also very much enjoyed the dinner: Canjun meal served with live jazz music. Gumbo, Jambalaya and an extremely good pecan chocolate cake. Perfect - thank you!

This hotel definitelly does not deserve 4 stars - maximum 2 stars. Furniture is primitive and worn - see pictures - it rembembers 70's. I could smell a cigarettes smoke in the room. It was very warm in the room allthough outdoor temeprature was only 18deg.C. When I opened windows to ventilate the room I was exposed to extreme noise from the highway. Food OK but just below the average. This hotel room price above 80 Euro per night is far too high comparing to so low standard. It had free WiFi but practically I was not able to connect due too low capacity.

I & my wife staying here just for one night before we go to Oslo. The location here is far from the city and no shops and convenience store around, therefore, it looks not so convenience especially you wanna do some shopping. The room is not big but clean and tidy, the room rate is a bit high and not so competitive.

I guess I was staying in one of the economy rooms at the very end of the corridor. These rooms had green doors, unlike the others at the front of the corridor. So that probably explains why the room was not new and modern as commented by some on this website. The room had several broken lamps and was therefore very dark, which I disliked. Breakfast was passable. Bread was not fresh.

We stopped here after a long, tiring trip from southern Norway. Had lunch in the dining room as we waited for our room (it was 1:30 in the afternoon). The special of the day was teriyaki salmon. It was excellent both in taste and in price. The room was fun to be in. It had some things that I had never seen in a hotel any where in the world: the area around the bed was framed with Swedish words that were from the poet, Gustaf Froding (who grew up in this area of Sweden). His image is also on a throw pillow on an easy chair along with a group of wall hangings. There was no refrigerator in the room (120). Bathroom was clean and typically Swedish with the shower and no bathtub. My husband and I got a glass of wine from the bar early in the evening. The bar tender was very attentive. There are snacks available in the lobby along with some souvenirs.

Everything was OK, but the room standard was quite old and didn't feel like it was worth 4 stars that are claimed. Most modern 3 star hotels have rooms that feel more fresh. But nothing specific to complain about.

Let me say that I have stayed at numerous hotels across the world but this is my first visit to Sweden so I cannot say how this compares to other hotels in Sweden. I stayed at the hotel in late September to visit family. The hotel is easy to find and has plenty of free parking a lot of the other hotels in Karlstad don't have. It seems the Swedish are a nation of car haters with all the speed cameras. The rooms are adequate but no better. Furniture in the rooms was missing any draws and looks a little old and worn. The beds in the room were just two single beds even though I did ask for a double. What is it with Europe haven't they heard of double beds. There was coffee making facilities in the rooms but no tea. The bathroom is basic and had the cheapest toilet seat I have ever seen in any hotel. The shower was nice and strong though. No bath. It was functional but nothing more. We did have breakfast which is a buffet and is reasonably good if a little biased to German and Swedish tastes. The restaurant and reception does seem quite low and badly lit even in the day. I also used the bar in the evening where the service was extremely slow. There is a sauna, indoor spa bath and steam room. The sauna wasn't working on either of my two visits and the spa bath had a sign on that it there was fault. It was working although the bubbles did not function. The steam room worked fine. The is an outdoor swimming pool but by September they has switched the heating off for it. Why they thought an outdoor swimming pool in Sweden was a good idea I cannot imagine! Staff where efficient and friendly as were all the staff and spoke excellent English. There was free coffee in reception. Wifi was free and worked well. There is a petrol status nearby for snacks etc. Overall I would stay here again but only because I couldn't find anything better at the price.

Basic, but modern, fresh and clean rooms, that seemed to be recently redecorated. Comfortable bed, and fairly quiet surroundings, but quite far from the town centre. There was no safe or fridge/minibar in the room, but there was a kettle. Breakfast buffet (enclosed) was nice with plenty of choices, but I couldn´t find any organic choices. Free Wi-Fi.There´s a small gym and a swimming pool. Very nice food in the restaurant, tried the buffet one night, and a la carte the other night. The hotel was good value for money.

I like the idea of a theme-hotel and I wish the rooms had been inspired by Froding's poetry. However, it seems that the rooms (or, at least, the one I stayed in) are still in a process of revamping: there is a mix of old (furniture) and new (the rest). There is a lake nearby, with a nice view, if you are willing to go for a walk. There is also an outdoor swimming-pool. Free tea and coffee for the hotel's guests. The breakfast was pretty good. We also had dinner (pre-arranged) and the food was great. On the whole, I think that this is a good hotel which could be much better.

basic hote, no air conditioning, luckily the room windows can be opened, perhaps a bit weird looking that like 7floor building has big rooms all the windows open :) but i could park my bike right beside the hotel, under my window, so that's the most important thing, when on motorcycle trips :) breakfast... i think there was one :) same as elsewhere... Good beds.. well after norwegian little cottages this was heaven ;) thanks to the staff who guided me to place where i could wash my motorcycle, NICE!

This was not a great hotel and not worth the money. The hotel is older and not updated as was mentioned. If it wasn't for the guarantee policy, I would have cancelled when we arrived. The room was nothing special, and the breakfast was not up to the standards I experienced in other hotels in Sweden including another Best Western in Gothenburg which was excellent and everything about it was nice and a good value for the money.