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.