1960s and 1970s were the hot decades of the Cold War. Finland was said to be the independent and neutral bridge between the East and the West, but on the other hand, Finland was quite tight in the Soviet leash.

Valtionhotelli became the base camp for the bilateral clearing trade between Finland and the Soviet Union. Valtionhotelli was also in the forefront dusting off the old strict rules in the restaurant scene, and one of the first discotheques in Finland resided in the cellar of Valtionhotelli.