Yyteri and its beaches have been a popular leisure site since the 19th century. In the 1930s it became a national tourist attraction. A hotel was planned already in the 1950s, but the project didn’t start before the end of the 1960s. The city of Pori arranged an architecture competition of the hotel in 1971. Young architects Söderlund-Valovirta Architects won the competition.

Jan Söderlund and Erkki Valovirta were assisted by architects Sebastian Savander, Yrjö Turkka, Mikko Heikkinen, Anna-Maija Jaatinen, Martti I. Jaatinen and Alpo Halme. The original interiors consisted of furniture by Yrjö Kukkapuro, one of the most famous interior architects and furniture designers in Finland. Landscape architect Onni Savonlahti was in charge of landscape design. The design of the hotel consisted also artworks by artists Maija Lavonen, Howard Smith and Zoltán Popovits. The construction began in the early 1970s, and the hotel opened its doors in 1974.

The main features of the building have been preserved, although heavy extensions have been added to the building, the latest of them was completed in 2018. The interiors have been renovated. Hotel Yyteri has five floors, over 100 hotel rooms, a sauna and spa, eight different meeting rooms, a restaurant and a night club with a terrace. The hotel is considered as one of the most important modernist buildings in Pori.

Source: Satakunta Museum