Muurainen plans to double Billnäs hotel capacity

Entrepreneur Olli Muurainen plans to double the hotel capacity at the Billnäs ironworks complex to about 85 rooms with a new building, Yle reports. He has owned and renovated the historic industrial village since 2007.

Muurainen decided to buy the complex after seeing the spacious, bright upper floor of a building called Ylänikkari. The building was once used to make Billnäs furniture and axe handles.

Nearly 20 years after the change of ownership, Ylänikkari is still awaiting renovation. Plans call for the building to eventually house the reception of the neighbouring hotel, as well as a restaurant and meeting facilities.

Several other old industrial buildings have already been restored for use as event, accommodation and representative spaces. Around two-thirds of the buildings at the ironworks have now been renovated.

Concert venue draws audiences from afar

The complex has also become a popular concert venue. The former metal workshop, now known as the Big Workshop, has hosted performances by leading Finnish artists for several summers.

Concerts have attracted more people than Muurainen expected, with this summer bringing record audiences. The venue can currently accommodate about 1,500 people and will undergo another round of renovations during the coming winter, after which it will be ready for further use.

After the renovation, the capacity is expected to increase slightly. The venue is roughly the size of the concert space that Helsinki has sought since the closure of the Circus and Nosturi venues.

According to Muurainen, concertgoers have travelled to Billnäs from surprisingly far away, including Tampere. Most visitors, however, come from nearby municipalities.

New hotel building planned

When Muurainen bought the complex from the then municipality of Pohja, local residents were concerned about its future under new ownership. His plans initially divided opinion sharply.

Muurainen says critical voices have largely fallen silent over the past two decades. He expects the planned expansion of hotel accommodation could bring renewed criticism.

The new building would be constructed next to the existing hotel, which operates in a building that previously served as Billnäs’s headquarters. It would be the first major new building in the village in roughly 80 years.

The expansion would double the current accommodation capacity. Muurainen’s longer-term goal is to reach about 100 hotel rooms in total, a figure he does not expect to exceed.

He says he has not dared to calculate how much money has been spent on renovating and maintaining the complex over the years. His goal is to have the renovation work completed in time for the ironworks’ 400th anniversary, which is 15 years away.