Samppa Lajunen

Samppa Lajunen (born 23 April 1979 in Turku) is a retired Finnish Winter Olympic Games gold medalist, entrepreneur, and investor.^[1]

Samppa Kalevi Lajunen
Country	Finland
Born	(1979-04-23) 23 April 1979 (age 46) Turku, Finland
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Ski club	Jyväskylän Hiihtoseura
World Cup career
Seasons	1995–2004
Indiv. starts	113
Indiv. podiums	55
Indiv. wins	20
Overall titles	2 (1997, 2000)
Medal record Men's Nordic combined Representing  Finland Olympic Games 2002 Salt Lake City 15 km individual 2002 Salt Lake City 7.5 km sprint 2002 Salt Lake City 4 × 5 km team 1998 Nagano 15 km individual 1998 Nagano 4 × 5 km team World Championships 1999 Ramsau 4 × 5 km team 1997 Trondheim 4 × 5 km team 1999 Ramsau 15 km individual 2001 Lahti 15 km individual 2001 Lahti 7.5 km sprint 2001 Lahti 4 × 5 km team 2003 Val di Fiemme 15 km individual 2003 Val di Fiemme 4 × 5 km team

Athletic career

A winner of five Winter Olympic Games medals, his career highlight came at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City when Lajunen won all three gold medals in the Nordic combined events. He also won silver medals at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano in both the 15 km individual and 4 × 5 km team events.^[2][3][4]

Lajunen also found success at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, winning eight medals. This included one gold (4 × 5 km team: 1999), four silvers (15 km individual: 1999, 2001; 4 × 5 km team: 1997, 7.5 km sprint: 2001); and three bronzes (15 km individual: 2003, 4 × 5 km team: 2001, 2003).^[3][4]

Lajunen ended his career after the season 2003/2004 at a quite early age, 24 years old.^[2]

Education

Lajunen concentrated on his studies at the University of Jyväskylä. In the spring of 2007 he graduated with a Master's degree in Economics and Business Administration.^[5]

Samla Capital

In 2015, Lajunen founded Samla Capital. The company focuses on professional real estate investing, managing four funds with nearly 400 investors and assets totaling around 254 million euros. Its investment strategy targets real estate in growing cities and includes business premises, apartments, and hotels.^[6][7][8]

Samla Capital operates alternative investment funds such as Samla Toimitilat Ky and Samla Asunnot Ky, which invest in premises and apartments respectively, with properties mainly in Finnish growth centers.^[9]

Samla Capital’s most notable investment and development project was the establishment of Hotel Maria in Helsinki in 2023. The ultra-luxurious hotel attracted widespread public attention.^[10]

Hotel Maria

Investor Samppa Lajunen founded Samla Capital in 2015. A fund was established for the investment company, which invested in real estate properties. The company then moved into a hotel project. Lajunen's company bought the block located on Mariankatu, Liisankatu, and Maneesikatu in Helsinki in 2020.^[6][11]

Lajunen announced the start of construction of the new hotel together with the construction company Fira in January 2023. Lajunen and the construction company stated that the construction project would proceed in phases during 2023-2024. The hotel investment cost was about 116 million euros. Securing financing from Finland was difficult, but funding was found in London.^[11][12]

Lajunen's vision was to offer the best hotel experience in the Nordic countries, and the hotel aimed to provide ultra-luxury. The Hotel Maria became an internationally rated luxury hotel. It stands out from other hotels in Helsinki with its large rooms, the number of suites (40 in total), and saunas, steam rooms, and bathtubs placed in the bathrooms. Many rooms have ceiling heights of up to four meters. Additionally, the hotel facilities include spa and wellness departments, two restaurants, two bars, a mirror hall, conference facilities, a shop, and a chapel.^[13][12]

The Hotel Maria opened its doors on December 15, 2023. It received the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Legend Collection recognition. The hotel was completed in full in July 2024. The official opening ceremony was held on July 2, 2024. The Hotel Maria was recognized in Forbes’ listing of the world’s best hotel openings of late 2024.^[6][14]

In September 2024, Helsingin Sanomat reported that the hotel had run into financial difficulties. The investors of Hotel Maria learned on January 30, 2025, that the hotel's largest lender wanted to sell the hotel. Selling the hotel would have meant that the investors would lose their money. On July 4, it was announced that the hotel had been sold to Michael Kum's M&L Hospitality Group based in Singapore, and the hotel transitioned under Hilton's Waldorf Astoria brand. Lajunen opposed the deal because he wanted to protect the investors' interests. Lajunen's Samla Capital made significant financial losses.^{[15][16][17][18][19]}