Hilton Reykjavik Nordica – Hotel Review

During my trip to chase the northern lights in the spring of 2024, I stayed at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica while I was in Iceland. In fact, I stayed there twice, before and after I went on the 7 day round-Iceland tour.

In the first instance, we had planned a day in Reykjavik to recuperate from the 18-hour flight into Iceland. The same arrangement was done for the journey out of Iceland – to cater for contingencies. Interestingly, the hotel “upgraded” us to a seaview room during our 2nd stay, so I would be doing a consolidated review of both stays at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica.

Here is summary of our stay at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica:

Room Number: 733 / 642
Room: Twin Single / Twin Single (Seaview)
Bathroom: Shower in Bathtub / Vanity Counter space sufficient / Toilet without bidet.
Room Amenities: Toiletries (only shower gel and shampoo+conditioner) / Hair dryer / Power socket (near desk x2, bedside x2) / Bottled Water (given at reception) / Heater (Central; but there got stuffy somehow. We left the window ajar during the night to ventilate the room)
View: (Room 733) Overlooking the back of the hotel, towards the parking lot and shopping strip. / (Room 642) Overlooking the main road, towards the sports complex and the sea
Safety: Card access to guest room levels and rooms.
Staff: Courteous, yet gives off an unapproachable vibe.
Neighbourhood: Fringe of city centre, with the USA embassy and a sports complex within the neighbourhood. Quiet.
Getting around: Bus stop right outside the hotel. Travelling time was about 20 minutes to the city centre via with multiple bus lines.
Breakfast: Standard European buffet spread, with an extensive variety of food options. E.g. there were at least 4 types of eggs (sunny side up, baked eggs with ham, baked eggs with capsicum and onions, scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs).

Managing Expectations of Iceland Hotels

At first, I thought there was no point in reviewing hotels outside of Asia, since they would hardly be comparable to the Asian standards. However, I thought a review would help fellow Singaporeans manage their expectations when it comes to accommodation in Iceland.

For example, one would be mistaken that a chain like Hilton would have the same offerings throughout the world. However, despite being one of the more expensive hotels in Reykjavik, it was still “budget” in the Asian context. 

The usual comforts like bathrobes and slippers weren’t provided, but that was expected for non Asian hotels. However, Hilton even did away with cups in the bathroom. We had to use the coffee cups as substitutes, and juggle their use as toothbrush stands and coffee drinking. Doable, yes. Unbecoming for a 5 star hotel chain, also yes.

With that in mind, I wouldn’t fault the hotel for conforming to Western standards of service. Instead, I would just highlight outstanding instances.

Room Comparison in Hilton Reykjavik Nordica

The Twin Single rooms we got came with comfortable beds and bedding. Our upgraded room was slightly larger. Since the first room already had sufficient space for us to lay out our suitcases, the marginal increase of space was hardly noticeable until we started to actively compare the difference.

Our upgraded room offered the sea view, which was actually a few km away. However, there were only low rise buildings between us and the coast, so we could still make out the sea on the horizon.

That was not to say the non-sea view room was bad. It faced the back of the hotel, which was a shopping strip. But the stores consisted mainly of supermarkets, small shops and medical services – not those rowdy nightclubs. They were also low rise, so we needn’t be bothered about inquisitive shoppers peering into our room.

Unlike many hotels in Iceland that we had stayed at, Hilton had a heater that we could easily control. However, without central ventilation, we had to open the windows to get some fresh air.

This sorta exposed the downside of the upgraded room. As there was literally no obstacles between the room and the sea, the fetch was VERY strong. And this was the polar wind that blew across the Atlantic Ocean, mind you. Depending on the extent that we opened the window, the wind created whistles to howls – throughout the night. Therefore, I preferred the non sea view room instead. We could enjoy a well ventilated room in peace. The upgraded room would make a better choice in summer, when there’s no need to open the windows.

Bathroom

Space in Hilton Reykjavik Nordica was generous. Whether for manoeuvering around the bathroom or space to place toiletries, I found the hotel to be exceeding expectations.

Hilton used a shower and bathtub combo with a screen door. Personally, I hated shower curtains, so this installation was a great idea.

The shower gel and shampoo/conditioner was provided via reusable bottles. They were fixed to the walls and one would squeeze them out like the ketchup bottle. While functional, keep in mind we weren’t staying in a budget hotel.

Amenities

There were gyms and spas (like hot pools) available in the hotel. The former offered standard gym offerings. We weren’t able to review the spa, as it was closed by the time we checked in.

Ironically, during our first stay, we had checked out the spa about half an hour before their closing time. Apparently, Icelanders knock off work half an hour before knock off time. And this was verified repeatedly throughout the week as we toured the rest of Iceland.

There was a kiosk of sorts at the hotel lobby selling finger food and other knick knacks. Of course, their prices were jacked up, but if one needed to grab a sandwich or a yogurt at the odd hour, this would be a great choice.

However, the hotel’s restaurant offered proper meals. Our package included breakfasts, which was ideal as on both stays, we had to leave the hotel early to catch the bus. Opened at 7am, we were only joined by a few other tourists who had similar itinerary.

Food option wise, the variety exceeded expectations. It offered everything from cold cuts to hot food, albeit the standard European “continental” fare. As I found out, Icelanders were very good at pastries, and so did the croissant and danish pastry at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica. There was also like 5 egg items, prepared in various ways, with half that I had never seen before!

Safety and Security

Depending on how you view it, Hilton is safe as one needs the room key in order to access the guest floors. The neighbourhood was also quiet. On the other hand, the US embassy was across the road. Of course, I only realised this fact when I looked at the Google Maps.

Staff Service

Like all service staff in Iceland, the Hilton staff wasn’t all warm and friendly in their interactions with us. However, they weren’t as curt as those we encountered in the airport and at some tourist spots. That wasn’t a deal breaker, but again, we were supposed to be staying in a 5 star hotel.

Hilton was also falling in service standards in other ways, which was apparent during our 2nd stay.

First, we discovered that there was only 1 piece of tissue left. The staff had literally not bothered to check the remaining stock. While the shower gel in the bathroom was brand new, it was unopened. I had to figure out how to free it from the wall mount in order to crack the seal open – something which a customer shouldn’t have to do. We shrugged it off. However, for the purpose of this review, I felt this must still be brought up.

At the reception, the staff was “meeting expectations” when it came to providing the service, but there was the lack of service touch. Admittedly, only Asian hotels would offer guests who checks in 2 hours earlier the option of getting their room free of charge. However, for those that didn’t, they did still made me feel like I was their valued guest.

In Hilton Reykjavik Nordica, after a lengthy check in process, they just informed us that we could try returning at 3pm to see if our room was ready. We had to ask the staff if we could leave our bags at the counter while we waited (Asian hotel staff would have offered without asking).

Parting Words

Overall, the experience in Hilton Reykjavik Nordica was mixed. Compared to the other lodgings that we stayed during our Iceland diamond ring road tour, Hilton was a luxury.

The space was generous, bed comfortable, and the heater was working as it should. There was also no lack of horizonal space to place personal effects and I didn’t have to leave my jackets on the floor due to a lack of hangers.

That being said, Hilton is a 5-star hotel chain. Comparing it to the lodgings would be like comparing iPhones to calculators. This is where it fell short – of their own standards.

From cold customer service to inattentive housekeeping, Hilton Reykjavik Nordica was missing the soft touch. For a hotel, it was basically its bread and butter. The cheaper, but less luxurious hotels in Reykjavik might be worth more than Hilton Reykjavik Nordica when one is in the city.

I’d be more than happy to hear about reviews of other Reykjavik hotels.

Till then, stay wanderlust!

All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos.

Hilton Reykjavik Nordica
Suðurlandsbraut 2, 108 Reykjavík, Iceland
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/kefhfhi-hilton-reykjavik-nordica/
+3544445000