We stayed here for one night as part of a Globus tour in June 2009. Because of renovations we had to enter through the back door of the hotel. They are currently renovating the lobby, so space is cramped on the first floor. There were two elevators, but we always took the stairs.

The hotel is famous for being an old prison. There is a small area of the hotel where you can see the old prison cells and read about the prisoners.

Our room was small with a queen bed and huge pillows. Our room was one that had been recently renovated. It had a modern decor. The bathroom was very small with only a standing shower. There was an iron and many hangers in the closet. There were about 15 channels on the TV with two in English. A key was required for the lights and power outlets. There was no hair dryer in the room and when I called the front desk, I was told that they did not have any to even loan out!

We ate dinner at the hotel compliments of the tour in the conference building adjacent to the hotel, which was odd, but there wasn't any room in the main hotel for all of us to eat.

There was a very small buffet dinner available for other guest in the main part of the hotel. There was also a very small buffet breakfast available for all guests in the morning.

There was a computer with free internet access in the lobby.

This hotel is about a 5-10 minute walk to the main area of the city.

Out of all the hotels I stayed at during my Globus tour of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the Clarion Collection Bilan hotel was the most colorful. The reason I say that is because it is located in a former prison. The former prison, according to literature in my room, held some of Sweden's most notorious criminals. The hotel has a small museum in the basement with a cell showing how it was when the building was a prison. Room doors in the hotel had prison like numbering on them. However, the prison look stopped at that point. The rooms themselves were roomy, very nicely furnished and very clean.

The lady working the reception desk was extremely helpful. Hotel staff were prompt in getting my suitcase to my room. The hotel has an internet terminal that guests can use for free to access the internet. Location wise, the hotel was only 5 minutes walking from a number of restaurants and shops in Karlstad.

The only problem I saw with the hotel was its small bar/restaurant. The group I was touring with was large (43 people) and that created problems trying to get around the small bar/dining room. Food wise, the breakfast buffet and buffet dinner we had at the hotel were both excellent.

The rooms are medium sized with good showers, good beds and dark curtains. The only problem was street noise in the morning with the windows open. The room rate included both a breakfast and dinner buffet. Both were quite good.
The hotel has free parking and is a short walk to downtown.