Choice Hotels Choice Privileges Clarion Collection Copenhagen CPH Malmo Nordic Choice Hotels Sweden

Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance Malmo, Sweden is nice Copenhagen hotel substitute

by Ric Garrido
April 1, 2019
6 Comments
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Hotel Temperance bar lounge

Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance Malmo, Sweden is one of my favorite hotels to stay and quite a deal when transiting through Copenhagen Airport compared to the typical high price of hotels in Copenhagen. The hotel is 8,000 Choice Privileges points per night. Being part of Nordic Choice Hotels Clarion Collection also means a complimentary evening buffet and breakfast are included. Having been two years since my last stay, I was delighted to reacquaint myself with the property. I really enjoy this hotel when staying on a transit overnight through Copenhagen Airport when I don’t have the energy to take advantage of the pleasures big city Copenhagen has to offer.

a building with many windows — Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance Malmo

Low cost economy tickets from San Francisco have routed me through Copenhagen Airport many times over the past five years. Copenhagen is generally a fun city I truly enjoy visiting, but hotels there are some of the most expensive in Europe. $200 per night is not uncommon for a city hotel. Finding any hotel or Airbnb lodging under $150 per night can be challenging during summer season.

All my stays in Copenhagen have been reward nights paid with loyalty points, aside from one $170 paid night with breakfast at the Bella Sky AC by Marriott Copenhagen in January 2018 when I earned a free hotel night I redeemed in late June 2018 for the Marriott Sopot Resort & Spa in Poland.

Most hotel loyalty programs are high priced for reward stays in Copenhagen.

Choice Privileges has two Copenhagen city hotels, Skt. Petri, Ascend Collection and Comfort Inn Vesterbro, both at 20,000 points. Clarion Copenhagen Airport is also 20,000 points and used to be the Hilton CPH. Quality Hotel Airport Dan is 16,000 points, but also the lowest rated of the four hotels.

Malmo, Sweden

Malmo, Sweden is generally far less expensive for lodging than Copenhagen and easily accessible from Copenhagen Airport.

Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance in Malmo, Sweden is my go to hotel for 8,000 Choice Privileges points when traveling solo to Copenhagen, especially when arriving jet-lagged from California and planning to leave the next day for my primary destination city in Europe.

Even paid rates at Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance Malmo are frequently under $100 per night.

Comfort Inn Malmo is right outside the train station and another reasonable option for 10,000 Choice Privileges points. I have not stayed there.

Getting to Malmo, Sweden from Copenhagen Airport

Copenhagen Airport to Copenhagen city is a 38 DKK/$5.72 USD one way ticket price by train or metro and takes 15 to 20 minutes.

The train from Copenhagen Airport to Malmo is 91 DKK/$13.68 USD one way and takes 22 minutes. An interesting exchange rate difference makes the ticket from Malmo to Copenhagen Airport for 120 SEK only $12.91 USD.

Train ticket automated kiosks are located inside CPH Terminal 3 about 100 meters past the airport arrivals exit door. I purchased my ticket from a kiosk (assistants are there to help tourists, if needed). Ticket kiosks have a button for English language directions.

Track 1 doors, next to the wall of ticket kiosks, lead to a moving walkway down one level to the trains. The train to Malmo for my trip was the Göteborg train.

Boarded train at 13:42. The journey took 24 minutes to reach Malmo Central Station, including a passport inspection in Sweden at Hyllie Station once over the Öresund Bridge connecting Denmark to Sweden.

a train station with a roof — Copenhagen Airport train station (Clarion CPH Airport seen through roof)

a train with blue seats — CPH to Malmo train

a view of the ocean from a train — Øresund (Danish) or Öresund (Swedish) Bridge on train (a windfarm seen in strait)

a table and chairs in a train — Train to Malmo, Sweden

a body of water with buildings and a clock tower — Canal outside Malmo Central Station

The hotel is about 10 minutes walk from Central Station.

a group of people walking in front of a building — Lilla Torg, Malmo is popular square for dining and drinks

Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance is in a 1902 building that was constructed as a hotel with a temperance (i.e., absence of alcohol) dining restaurant. That tradition has gone by the wayside in the modern hotel with a bar, but at Swedish prices for alcohol (69 SEK/$7.42 for a small bottle of beer), I tend to be a temperance adherent when in Sweden.

a long hallway with a counter and plants — Hotel Temperance reception desk

Past the reception desk is the bar lounge area. My room 327 was through the bar to the elevator for floor 3 in the back part of the 5-floor hotel.

The open atrium aspect of the hotel design provides daylight into the bar lounge. I have stayed on three different floors on three different sides of Hotel Temperance. Fortunately I have never been assigned an atrium facing room. I dislike rooms facing interior lobby areas and usually request a change of room if that happens to be where I am placed in a hotel.

a building with a roof and windows — Atrium skylight ceiling above 5th floor

a room with chairs and a table — Hotel Temperance hallway mini lounge

The stairway at Hotel Temperance is impressive and the route I tend to prefer to the elevators when staying here.

a staircase with a black railing — Hotel Temperance stairway

Hotel Temperance Room 327

a number on a wall — Hotel Temperance Room 327

a bed with pillows and a heart on it — Hotel Temperance 327 bed

Like most Swedish hotels I have stayed, there is a minimalist design with efficient use of space. Typically, I find everything I need in the room.

a desk and chair in a room — Hotel Temperance desk and wall mural room 327

a room with a television on the wall — Hotel Temperance 327 TV and chair

The room was compact and perfect for a single person. Each time I have stayed at Hotel Temperance the room has seemed uniquely different from each other.

Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance Malmo, Sweden food alone worth 8,000 points (Sep 6, 2015).

Looking back to my original hotel review, I see the bar lounge has been remodeled. My 5th floor room in 2015 looked kind of spartan.

a cabinet in a room — Hotel Temperance room 327

a shelf with glasses on it — Hotel Temperance iron in cabinet and closet

a mini fridge with bottles and drinks inside — Hotel Temperance Room 327 minibar

a wooden cabinet next to a toilet — Hotel Temperance 327 ironing board next to closet

One of the highlights for me in Room 327 was a full size balcony door that opened.

a window with a balcony and a brick building — Hotel Temperance Room 327 balcony door

Residential apartments nearby across the courtyard meant I could look into other people’s places and they could look into Room 327. For some reason that does not bother me the way an atrium facing room displeases me.

a group of buildings with a brick wall — Hotel Temperance room 327 view

a courtyard with a tree and a brick building — Hotel Temperance room 327 courtyard view

Room 327 Bathroom

The bathroom was small and basic and probably would not have been suitable if staying with my wife for any length of time. Turns out I did not take any bathroom photos and only a short video. And my video does not answer my wife’s question of where the hairdryer was located in the room. Her favorite question in hotel rooms is “Where is the hairdryer?”

Food at Hotel Temperance

The highlight of Hotel Temperance is the complimentary dining. There is a reason I titled my hotel review in 2015 the food alone is worth 8,000 Choice Privileges points.

I grabbed 75 minutes of sleep after having been awake more than 24 hours traveling from Monterey, California to Sweden and headed to the dining room around 6pm for a bite to eat.

a blackboard with white writing on it — Hotel Temperance dinner menu: chili with beef and salads

a bowl of food — Hotel Temperance chili beef stew dinner

a bowl of salad with tongs — Hotel Temperance salad

a bowl of food with tomatoes and beans — Hotel Temperance salad

bread and bread on a wooden board — Hotel Temperance dinner bread

Scandinavians eat some heavy grain breads and crackers that always fill me up.

a stack of crackers next to a basket of bread — Swedish style crackers

These breads and crackers are great when I have been hiking around a city all day or plan to hike.

Coffee, tea and water were available for dinner. Many of the diners ordered beer or wine, and the dining room was packed on a Saturday evening.

a menu board with white writing on it — Hotel Temperance Wine list

a menu of a beer and cider — Hotel Temperance beer menu

While the menu stated chili and tortilla, I only saw tortilla chips.

a plate of food with a spoon — Hotel Temperance dinner salads

At breakfast the following morning I photographed the dining room when it was empty.

a room with tables and chairs — Hotel Temperance dining room

a room with a table and couches — Hotel Temperance Dining Room

Hotel Temperance Breakfast

The buffet set-up is located in the adjacent room to the dining room.

a kitchen with a counter top and a variety of bowls of food — Hotel Temperance breakfast buffet

Scrambled eggs, pancakes, beans, bacon and sausages were in hot trays.

a group of beverage dispensers — Hotel Temperance breakfast buffet juices

a buffet table with different food items — Hotel Temperance breakfast buffet meats and cheeses

a table with jars of food — Hotel Temperance breakfast buffet cereal and toppings

a counter with bowls of food on it — Hotel Temperance breakfast buffet yogurts

a waffle iron on a table — Hotel Temperance breakfast buffet waffles

Clarion Collection Hotels in the Nordic Choice Hotels chain I have stayed at in Norway and Sweden are an amazing value for Choice Privileges reward stays with no need to buy food at restaurants. Clarion Collection reward stays is how I managed three weeks traveling in Norway in 2014 and 2015 spending only $20 or so on food when the country was the most expensive tourist destination in the world. The exchange rate in 2019 is far more favorable to the USD. I find buying groceries in Sweden is no more expensive these days than the USA for my limited travel needs and diet. I simply don’t drink much alcohol while there.

Hotel Temperance Bar Lounge

a bar with black cabinets and shelves in front of a brick building — Hotel Temperance bar

a room with a couch and a table — Hotel Temperance bar lounge with view to reception and front door

Conference room lounge

There is another lounge area off the main stairway that is kind of a cozy private hideaway in the hotel. On one stay this area was being used as a conference room space, but generally is unused when I have been at the hotel.

a couch in a room — Hotel Temperance cozy lounge

a living room with a couch and a table — Hotel Temperance hideaway lounge

a room with a couch and chairs — Hotel Temperance hideaway lounge

Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance Malmo is quite a little gem to discover in what I consider a laid back alternative city destination to cosmopolitan and glamorous Copenhagen. This hotel fits my needs perfectly when I primarily need a good hotel for an overnight stay as I transit through Copenhagen Airport.

Loyalty Traveler article links:

Malmo, Sweden

Clarion Collection – important note for Choice Privileges members is only Clarion Collection brand hotels affiliated with Nordic Choice Hotels in Norway, Sweden and one hotel in Latvia have complimentary dinner buffet.

I have stayed at Clarion Collection Hotels in UK and USA, but those hotels are not affiliated with Nordic Choice Hotels and may not have any complimentary meal, even breakfast.

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6 Comments

GUWonder April 1, 2019

I have stayed at the Comfort Inn Malmo plenty of times, and it’s a basic but decent enough hotel. It can be an especially good value for cash bookings but when using Choice points in the area, I default to the Hotel Temperance as a better value given the larger rooms on average, better neighborhood and the included food. The exceptions would be: if the Temperance is sold out of rooms for point use; or if having heavy (wheeled) luggage, then the proximity to the train station would perhaps nudge me to use the Comfort Inn Malmo.
GUWonder April 1, 2019

The train across the bridge is shut down (in both directions) most of the day so far due to a wildcat strike by the Danish labor union members. There are replacement buses for the train, but they present their own hassles and delays — worse during the early morning and busier commute hours than at other times.

Just something to consider as the bridge train can be shut down due to strikes or wind while road traffic is still open.
GUWonder April 1, 2019

I have booked the Hotel Temperance so much over the years that I feel like I have seen just about every room type they have. The rooms with windows looking into the inner atrium/bar area — speaking of the ones that have a peek at reception too — can be some of the largest rooms in the hotel. And during the summer, the inside atrium facing rooms may be better for sleep than the other rooms. That said, I prefer not getting them, as my general preference is for rooms looking over Engelbrektsgatan street and with W/SW-facing outside views.
GUWonder April 1, 2019

I don’t remember if room 327 has the hair dryer mounted on the wall next to the sink in the bathroom or if it’s been a stand-alone hair dryer placed on a shelf in the closet of the room. Most of the rooms there have had the hair dryer mounted on the wall near the sink, usually on the same side as the bathroom light switch.
bluecat April 1, 2019

GUWonder, I like your 3rd comment and hope I remember it when it comes time to book this hotel. Between Ric’s post and your comment, I’m definitely going to consider this hotel.

Your 4th comment was so esoteric and persnickety, though, that it made me wonder if today’s date–April the 1st–had anything to do with it! Anyways, it’s all good!
GUWonder April 1, 2019

I consider this hotel the best value hotel in Malmo, at least for those with points or an ability to buy points on the relative cheap.

While the Clarion Malmo Live and some other hotels around town have larger and better equipped facilities and more consistent room types, the Hotel Temperance is my primary go-to hotel in the area when not at a house in the area or when putting up guests who want to stay in a well-located place in Malmo for visiting southern Sweden and for CPH/Copenhagen.

On off-peak days, I would also suggest considering the Best Western and Quality View hotels in Hyllie as they are only 12 minutes from CPH airport by train and can have some very good prices, breakfast included.