While I spent parts of 3 different days in Oslo, I only had a hotel stay of 1 night. There are plenty of options for where to stay in Oslo and once again the Nordic Choice brand offers the best quality and value. I opted to stay in Comfort Hotel Karl Johan as opposed to other hotels in the Ascend or Clarion Collection. While those hotels look incredible, the location and value combination for Comfort Hotel Karl Johan was hard to beat.

The reviews of Comfort Hotel Karl Johan is a part of the larger Nordic Expedition. For more on this trip, follow these links:

Intro

Flight: Delta Comfort+, CHS-JFK

JFK Lounges

Flight: Norse Airways Economy, JFK-OSL

Flight: Norwegian Economy, OSL-BGO

The Magic of Bergen, Norway

Christmas Markets

Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret, Bergen, Norway

Flight: SAS Economy, BGO-SVG

Flight: SAS Economy, SVG-OSL

2 Days in Oslo, Norway

Oslo Restaurants

Hotel: Comfort Karl Johan, Oslo, Norway (This Article)

Flight: SAS Economy, OSL-TOS

Terrific Tromsø, Norway

A Whale of a Meal, Tromsø, Norway Restaurants

Seeing the Northern Lights

Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel Aurora, Tromsø, Norway

Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel With, Tromsø, Norway

Flight: SAS Economy, TOS-OSL

Flight: Norse Atlantic Airways Economy: OSL-JFK

December in New York

Lounges at LGA

Flight: Delta Economy, LGA-CHS

Conclusion

Intro:

Oslo is a beautiful city and like the rest of Norway, has many amenities. However, one of the few drawbacks is that everything is very expensive here! As I purchased Choice Points rather than transferring them from Capital One or AmEx, I looked for a less expensive option with points than some of the standout hotels. The result? Comfort Hotel Karl Johan, a fun and quirky city hotel.

Review:

The hotel is in Sentrum, Oslo’s downtown district. A short walk from most areas of town, the location was convenient for my time in the capital city!

Booking:

For those of us based in the US, it may be strange to hear Choice Hotels be synonymous with luxury. Choice Hotels in the US feature mainly mid-tier and lower-tier hotels. However, Nordic Choice Hotels are some of the nicest hotels in Scandinavia.

I purchased 44,200 Choice Points for $350.20 and transferred 15,800 points from Capital One for a total of 60,000 points.

Comfort Hotel Karl Johan is a Comfort Hotel, a group of Choice Hotels, and I used 12,000 points for a 1-night stay. In essence, this cost $95.08.

Price: 12,000 Choice Points

Rewards: N/A, booked with points

Value:

As mentioned above, I purchased Choice Points for the hotel stays in Norway. This hotel offered rooms at 12,000 points per night. As the room would have cost $235 by booking through Choice, this was an easy way to get 1.96 cents per point in value.

10/10, Excellent. Hotels in Scandinavia are extremely expensive and using Choice points allowed for terrific value.

View:

The view was nothing to write home about for this hotel. The window provided light but looked out at a neighboring restaurant. That being said, buildings in Oslo are more attractive than their counterparts in a bigger city such as New York or Chicago. 

7/10, Good.

Service:

The service was perfectly fine. I only stayed one night and didn’t need any assistance. The agent at both check-in and check-out was friendly. Without much else to review, I can’t fully grade this aspect.

N/A.

Location:

My normal disclaimer applies here: location is inherently subjective. Comfort Hotel Karl Johan is located downtown, about a 7 minute walk from the Central Station and near much of the restaurants, nightlife, and attractions. 

If you want a quiet and tranquil hotel, this might not be the choice (pun intended 😉 ) for you— though I did not hear much noise at night. There is a lively bar in the lobby and a club next door but the walls are well insulated. 

9/10, Great. This hotel is closer to food and drink spots than the Theatre, Palace, Museums, and other attractions. That being said, those places are only a 10-15 walk. Not quite a 10/10, but close. 

Bathroom:

This bathroom had an interesting setup: there was no difference between the flooring of the shower and the rest of the bathroom. This was done to discourage people from taking a bath and wasting water (if you can take a bath without a tub that’s either impressive or disgusting, I’m not sure which!)

The water pressure was good in the shower. I appreciated the adjustable hand-held faucet. Being 6’2”, I generally dislike detachable faucet heads. With the ability to adjust the spigot, I was actually able to wash my hair!

The toilet appeared to be wheelchair-accessible. Having been spoiled by the heated floors at Hotel Havnekontoret in Bergen, I was certainly awake when my bare feet hit the cold floor in the morning! 

9/10, Great. Had I not recently stayed in Hotel Havnekontoret, I would have rated this a 10. Who knew heated floors were such a differentiator?

Furnishings:

The bedding setup was interesting. While I was given a Queen bed, there were two duvet covers. I was travelling alone but if I were with a friend and forced to share the bed (as with Canal Loft Hotel), this would be appreciated. If I were with a significant other, I’m not sure if this would be welcome or not. 

Sheets are apparently not a thing in Norway, which I don’t mind. It was certainly nice to come back from a long day in the cold and have a warm duvet to lay under! There was also a leather chair for comfortably reclining. 

10/10, Excellent. Everything was very comfortable, but the separate duvet coverings may give couples some pause (or upgrade to an 11/10, you never know!).

Electronics:

The wifi is free and has no password. I had no meetings but checking maps and searching the internet was fast and effortless. 

There is a decent sized TV; though again, if I’m on vacation, I’m not watching TV so I did not see what the offerings were. 🙂

9/10, Great. I take one point away from having no password in the wifi but was pleased with the speed of the internet.

Housekeeping:

I only stayed for 1 night, thus had no need for housekeeping. That being said, the room was immaculate, cleaner than I think I’ve ever seen a hotel room.

N/A

Food and Drink:

There was a free breakfast included, though I did not attend and cannot attest to the quality. There is a restaurant and bar located in the same building but neither are complimentary and I did not sample the for nor the drinks. 

N/A, did not sample.

Overall:

9/10, Great. While I have certainly stayed in nicer hotels, I specifically chose this one to save 4,000 Choice points. I’m sure the Ascend Collection Hotels in Oslo are 10/10’s but this hotel was perfect for my needs and provided a terrific value.