The Radisson Blu is not the only airport hotel in Oslo, but it’s certainly the closest one – within short walking distance of the terminal building.

If you’re arriving on an international service, make a right turn as you exit customs and then keep walking until you have passed the railway station and the escalators leading to the platforms. Then take the first exit on your left. If you’re arriving on a domestic service, simply walk straight ahead as you come down the escalators from arrival.

The hotel is then more or less the first thing you see on the opposite side of the road.

The hotel has been here ever since the airport opened 25 years ago. However, the rooms have since been modernized and updated.

Check-in takes a while because the staff have obviously received orders to give arriving guests the hard sell for them to join the Radisson Blu members club. I agree, more out of a lack of will to resist than any real interest in joining the club. That, and the fact that you get a 10% discount on your first stay.

The rooms are spacious and comfortable. I also like that the floor is hardwood instead of carpet, mainly because I forgot to bring any slippers and I prefer not to have to think too much about all the stuff there might be crawling about in the carpet. So this is nice.

The room has a comfortable lounge chair.

And a desk with good light and several types of electric sockets. At the bedside there are also USB ports.

There’s also a Nespresso machine with real Nespresso capsules as well as a water boiler and tea bags. There’s also a minibar.

The bathroom is where the hotel is showing its age, mainly because there’s still a bath tub instead of a walk in shower. Other than that though, the bathroom is nicely appointed and very clean.

Now about the view… Of course, being an airplane geek, I specifically went for a room with an airport view, which you can select on the website when you make the reservation. Just as a piece of advice, if you’re after an airport view, do not book a tower view room – because the tower is located between the two runways – so the view is away from the runways.

My room faces towards the domestic pier. Traffic at Oslo is dominated by narrow bodies, mainly of the Airbus and Boeing families, with an occasional turboprop thrown in for good measure. I’m lucky during my stay, because arrivals are from the south, meaning that I can see aircraft on the approach and right up until the touch down point from my window.

The hotel has its own restaurant, which stays open quite late. If you’re after a less expensive option, there are plenty of restaurants at arrivals level in the terminal. There’s a Wagamama, but mostly it’s fast food.

I chose the Radisson Blu mainly out of convenience. Oslo city is only 19 minutes from the airport by train. But given that my flight to Zürich would be leaving at 06h45 the next morning, I didn’t want to have to make the schlepp from the city early in the morning. I liked the hotel and would certainly not mind staying there again.