My boyfriend and I visited Geneva in January for my 30th Birthday and decided on the Atel Windsor without consulting trip adviser first. This proved to be a blunder.

Taken in isolation this hotel is actually quite nice and somewhat of a bargain. It’s a stone’s throw from the old town and the rooms are small but comfy and clean, spotless in fact. The bar is nice enough and the buffet breakfast adequate (although the coffee was quite terrible in my opinion).

As pointed out in numerous other reviews, the problem lies in when you leave the hotel and enter the ‘Rue Du Berne’ – the street on which the hotel is situated. Whilst the ‘Du Berne experience’ is perhaps only moderately unnerving during the day, after dark is quite different. Awash with drug dealers, pimps, prostitutes and kerb crawlers. Ignoble and seedy, it’s beyond awful and frankly unsafe.

As my boyfriend and I smoke we had to stand outside the front of the hotel to enjoy a cigarette. On one occasion we saw the police pin a man down at gun point. If that wasn’t excitement enough for one evening, we were then racially abused by a passer-by for being English.

Unless you have no plans to leave or enter the hotel after dark, I would advise you to look elsewhere.

Hotel Windsor is central, 5min walk from central station. However, it is along a street within the red light district (we didn't have any problems) - tip: felt safer entering/exiting through the back hotel entrance, rather than the front!

Hotel itself is quite modern (newly renovated), very clean rooms and bathrooms. Room was very decent size with 2 single beds, although bathroom was quite small. Breakfast was included and (surprisingly) good, with lots of variety (cereals, hot / cold drinks, fruit, yoghurts, breads, croissants, hams, cheeses, and eggs) - but no hot breakfast. Worth it for expensive Switzerland!

Only downside is the walls in the hotel are SUPER thin. As in, you can hear next room's conversation, the toilet flush, moving coat hangers, tv etc. very easily. We were lucky as we went mid week and there weren't that many people in the hotel, but I can imagine peak time being awful for noise. Front desk is not overly friendly, but helpful when you ask!

Very easy access to train and amazigly nice decorated hotel with modern style.Room was spacious and i had a perfect sleep at relaxing bed. Room service was fairly good and I got immediately what i asked for. The shops and restaurants are in the surrounding of the hotel and I enjoyed the atmosphere at the hotel much. Breakfast was good with a great number of food and variety of drinks.

Stayed here for 4 nights and was very impressed. The whole place was renovated recently, and though the corridors and elevator are miniscule, the room was very generously sized. I particularly liked the hardwood floors and very comfortable bed. Breakfast was good - very good continental breakfast with a choice of filter coffee or Nespresso, plenty of juice and cereal choices.
Staff was friendly.
You do need to be prepared for the fact that this hotel is located in a rough and ready street, though the rooms have fantastic windows, so no noisy rooms.