Susan L.
Yelp
We stayed here for the past four nights, and we also stayed here 1 1/2 weeks ago for one night. Considering that Oslo is incredibly expensive (although our hotel room in Bergen cost even *more*), this location right inside the train station is terrific. The hotel just opened last year and the architecture is fascinating; they did a great job converting what was most of the former train station into a hotel. All of the room interiors are modern and the rooms were spotless. Toiletries aren't provided (not even regular soap), but there are soap dispensers by the sink and in the shower. Also, the towels were very rough. There is a hairdryer, however.
I'd read lots of reviews on Trip Advisor, and several of them mentioned the noise in rooms facing the street and overlooking the main square. One person mentioned that room 229 was quiet, so we requested that room and stayed there on the one night last week. However, we didn't like that room; it had a sleeping loft with very steep stairs that were difficult to climb, and I kept hitting my head on the bottom corner of the t.v. that was hanging on that wall. Further - and this is typical of Europe - the room had no a/c, plus the sleeping loft had no window and it was therefore excessively hot.
Upon our return, the person at the reception desk recommended room 356 and that's where we stayed for 4 nights. That room is GREAT! It has the requisite quiet and it also has **a/c** (hooray)! Note that there's no control on the a/c, but I'm extremely heat-intolerant and the room was actually too warm for me at times. (The window also opens, if you feel a huge need for warm air [something I can't relate to; ha ha]). Note that this room is a *very* long distance from the lobby. Not only does it require taking two elevators that aren't adjacent to each other (which was confusing initially), but there's also a lot of walking involved.
All of the reception staff - and we met several of them - were TERRIFIC! Also; I had to send them a few e-mails (both prior to our arrival & in-between our stays here) and the responses were always superb; incredibly prompt and thorough.
The (free) breakfast buffet was *really* good! I've been somewhat obsessed with gjetost (Norwegian goat cheese) since 1982, and I was in "heaven" from being able to eat it every morning here. The coffee was good and it's also available at all times in the lobby, in addition to tea (however, we ended up only having coffee at breakfast). The staff at the breakfast buffet were all very pleasant.
WiFi is free, and the code is available at the reception desk. There's even a fitness room and it's located right above the lobby.