Radisson Blu Atlantic sits strategically on Stavanger’s main avenue, facing the man-made lake, and is a short walk away from the city center. It’s clearly designed for the business professional, with an expansive lobby and sitting areas where executives can plug in and e-mail to their heart’s delight. There’s a water and cookie station for those checking in. The room is standard European size (read, small) with a small T&B to match. They have the usual safe, nespresso machine, hot water pot, ref, large wall TV, and hair dryer. There are enough US TV shows. What was missing was a writing desk. Instead, they provide a small round table beside one of the bedside tables that had been converted into a cushioned seat. The upholstery of the table-seat matches the headboard so that’s a cool design. But I would guess that most guests would still have preferred a rectangular writing table with a regular chair rather than a small round table with a bench. Besides, the electric outlets on one side of the bench gets in the way. The bed itself is very comfortable, with decent pillows that my wife appreciated. The accent lighting is quite adequate, the thermostat is easy to control, and there are enough power outlets to satisfy even the most demanding with the added Radisson bonus of USB ports near the plugs. We appreciated the balcony, that had a great view of the small lake in front with its swans, seagulls and ducks and water fountain. The bathroom is quite small but is fully functional. The bath toiletries – shampoo, conditioner, body wash - are in the new style of wall mounted dispenser bottles, in this case, marked ‘Radisson’ and not some designer label. However, there was no body lotion and hand wash dispensers that are commonly provided in other hotels. I would also suggest a design modification since the bottles would often catch the rim holders when you press down. They have a wonderful spread for breakfast, plus an added a la carte menu, which we appreciated. Coffee containers are already at the tables which is convenient. There were a good number of waitresses in the morning who cleaned the tables, took the a la carte orders, refilled the coffee, etc. For dinner, Firelake is the hotel restaurant. Food is quite decent and pricing is fair. However, we noted the lack of staffing for the number of tables. We do have a bone to pick with the housekeeping service. When we checked in, the staff asked for a credit card to cover expenses. My travel agent, Firebird Tours, had already pre-paid but the staff kept claiming that it wasn’t. So I had to give a credit card then e-mailed my travel agent. Turned out Radisson was having a problem with their systems so they couldn’t immediately locate the pre-payment record. This seemed unacceptable for an experienced chain like Radisson’s. The other service beef was with housekeeping. We left the room at 9 am to do a fjord cruise. We returned at 4 pm to discover the housekeeper’s master keycard inserted in our
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