Teemu Kilpiä Wants to Make Viru a Meeting Place for All of Tallinn
Text Susanna Poikela Photos Tom Röllich, Original Sokos Hotel Viru
Having moved from retail into hotel management, Kilpiä believes in bold experimentation, long opening hours and good value for money.
When Teemu Kilpiä took up his new role as General Manager of Original Sokos Hotel Viru, he brought with him nearly 20 years of experience within the S Group. Even so, moving into the hotel industry does not feel like a leap into the unknown, although it has been quite some time since his previous experience in hospitality.
“When I was younger, I spent three months at Viru Hotel as part of my practical training, and after that worked for a few months at Holiday Club in Finland. That was about twenty years ago,” Kilpiä says.
In 2006, at the age of 26, Kilpiä moved to Latvia to help open a Prisma store. He later became Development Manager for Prisma Estonia. In between, he managed the Prisma store in Savonlinna, Finland, before returning to Estonia in 2014 as Prisma’s Commercial Director.
Now, his working days have shifted from the retail sector to one of Finland’s best-known and most legendary hotels in Estonia: Sokos Hotel Viru.
Bolder ideas and a lower threshold for walking in
According to Kilpiä, the goal is to develop Viru into a meeting place that appeals not only to hotel guests but also to local Tallinn residents. Rather than simply optimising what already exists, he wants the hotel to experiment boldly with new ideas. From the retail world, he brings with him a focus on long opening hours, good value for money and high customer volumes.
“We want to get more people through the doors. Instead of just concentrating on optimising everything, we want to boldly try new things and see what works,” Kilpiä explains.
This approach is already visible in the pub, which is now open seven days a week. Its offering has been improved and prices adjusted to be more customer-friendly. Amarillo has also expanded its after-work offers and events. The aim is for Amarillo to become the city’s shared living room: a place where people enjoy sports and entertainment alongside good food and drinks.
“We’ll know we’ve succeeded when the Amarillo terrace is filled with a good mix of Finns, Estonians, and tourists from elsewhere.”
The former Amigo nightclub is now rented out for private events, but Kilpiä also sees new possibilities for the space.
“In the future, it could take on a new and more appealing role. For example, it could become a concert venue for 700 to 800 people. Young people are price-conscious. They go where other people are and where they get good value for their money. We need to compete on that front,” Kilpiä says.
History should remain visible
For many Finns, Viru Hotel is much more than just a place to stay. It is part of Tallinn’s history and one of the city’s landmarks. Kilpiä wants the hotel’s long history to become even more visible in the future.
“You really have to search hard to find history like this. We have a 54-year old hotel, and that should be celebrated. At the same time, the hotel also has to keep up with the times.”
Viru has 516 rooms, restaurant services ranging from Amarillo to the lobby bar and rooftop bar, as well as facilities for events and private functions. According to Kilpiä, the hotel’s three key pillars are accommodation, restaurants and venue hire.
Kilpiä’s tips for Viru Hotel guests
The first place Kilpiä would send visitors is the 23rd floor of Viru Hotel. The rooftop bar offers views across the sea and the city of Tallinn, while the same floor is also home to the KGB Museum, where visitors can learn about the hotel’s history through guided tours.
Downstairs, guests will find the renovated whisky bar, whose selection now includes dozens of new products. Amarillo has also installed new screens both indoors and on the terrace, making it an ideal place to watch major sporting and entertainment events.
Elsewhere in Tallinn, Kilpiä recommends visiting Pirita Beach, Kadriorg Park and the Kumu Art Museum. In the Noblessner area, he highlights Iglupark with its saunas and swimming opportunities, while families should also consider the Seaplane Harbour Museum and the PROTO Invention Factory.
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