Spa Hotel Rauhalahti in Kuopio, eastern Finland, can host anything from a ten-person board meeting to a company event for up to 800 guests. The hotel stands on the shore of Lake Kallavesi and combines an auditorium, a set of smaller meeting rooms, three restaurants that double as event halls and a full spa, so a group can work, eat and unwind without leaving the site.
Seminars and company events
The hotel sells conference packages that bundle a meeting room, catering and the lakeside setting, and parking is free for participants. The auditorium suits plenary sessions and product launches, while the smaller rooms work for breakout groups and workshops. For a large kick-off or an annual staff party, Restaurant Estradi takes up to 800 people and is fitted with giant screens. Teams can add activities on site or nearby: hiking, cycling and skiing in season, lake excursions, spa time, gym and group fitness sessions, live music and dance evenings. A traditional Finnish evening at Jätkänkämppä, a 1950s-style lumberjack lodge about 600 meters from the hotel with a smoke sauna, is one way to close a seminar day.
Rooms and capacities
The Auditorium measures 173 square meters, has 186 seats and is equipped with an induction loop. Pihkova (80 square meters) seats 40 with flexible layouts and full audiovisual equipment. Minneapolis (60 square meters) seats 30 and can be divided for group work. Three boardroom-style rooms, Jönköping, Winnipeg and Gera, each take 8 to 12 people around one table. The Sauna Cabinet (36 square meters) seats 10 to 15 in a more relaxed setting, also with full audiovisual equipment.
The restaurants extend the range for receptions and dinners. Estradi covers 650 square meters for up to 800 guests. Sofia C (170 square meters) seats 60 and holds up to 200 people. Club R (190 square meters) seats 60 and takes up to 150 for meetings and cocktail receptions. Jätkänkämppä offers 232 square meters for up to 130 guests.
Accommodation
Participants stay on site in hotel rooms, apartments and studios close to the lake, which keeps multi-day conferences simple to run. The hotel does not publish a total room count, so large groups should check availability early in their planning.
Catering
All food is prepared in-house, from buffets to à la carte menus, burgers and traditional Finnish dishes. Conference packages include catering, and the restaurants can be reserved for group dinners and celebrations.
History and setting
Rauhalahti belongs to the Solaris Kylpylät spa group. The hotel sits in a green lakeside area with outdoor trails, and the spa offers warm pools, water activities, massages, treatments and private saunas, which many groups book between working sessions.
Getting there
The address is Katiskaniementie 8, 70700 Kuopio. Kuopio is served by a railway station on the main line from Helsinki and by Kuopio Airport, and the hotel has free parking for cars and coaches arriving by road.
