A building plot was earmarked for this purpose, carved out of parkland in Munkkiniemi, adjacent to the Hotel Kalastajatorppa to which it is connected by a tunnel; the rationale being that catering, housekeeping, and similar services could be provided by the hotel as part of their normal operations, thus negating the need for the guesthouse to employ its own permanent staff.

[3] Guests have included Prince Philip, Harald V, George H. W. Bush, Boris Yeltsin, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping and Ban Ki Moon, among others.

[4][5][3][6] Following his March 2024 inauguration as the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb and his family were accommodated in the State Guesthouse, as the President's official residence Mäntyniemi, nearby some 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) away, was about to undergo an extensive renovation lasting several years.

[2] The building's floor area is 2,525 square metres (27,180 sq ft) (gross), laid out over three stories connected by a lift.

[6] Much of the furniture and lighting fixtures are designs by Alvar Aalto, and other contents feature Finnish arts and design by the likes of Timo Sarpaneva, Raimo Utriainen, Sam Vanni, Pentti Kaskipuro, and Rafael Wardi [fi].