My 7 year-old son and I stayed here for a total of 4 nights, 2 nights in late June and 2 nights in early July 2008. I'm finally getting around to this review.
We booked our room by email and had prompt responses and good communication. I was uncertain about this place, especially if it would be ugly or noisy, being so near the train station. But, overall, it was great!! It was our best find/deal out of 8 hotels/towns in Switzerland.
We arrived by train from France. The hotel is just next to the train station. This could be good or bad, but in this case, it was great. The hotel looks nice from the outside, so that was a good first impression. I saw the restaurant was full of people enjoying the nice afternoon (later, I thought the food/service in the restaurant was average-nothing to write home about, but okay). The lobby was medium-sized and pretty. The front-desk clerk, whose name I failed to note) was a lovely, warm young lady who efficiently checked us in. A young man took us to our room, which was on the side of the hotel. The rooms there have a separate entrance and are kind of suites- bedroom, bath, kitchenette. I can't remember what type of rooms those are, but they're in the hotel building, separate entrance and they have kitchenettes...
The room was on the second floor, overlooking the train station, just what we asked for! My son got to watch trains, especially the TGV trains from France coming and going anytime he wanted. The windows were big and the best thing was that when the windows were closed, we could not hear a thing from outside. Those were the best windows EVER in terms of soundproofing!
Back to the side entrance... the hallway leading up to the elevator was beautifully painted, the elevator was small, but also pretty. We loved coming "home" and felt safe and comfortable here. It was always nice and quiet here. We couldn't hear anyone in nearby rooms, so the soundproofing was well done between rooms too.
The room was spacious, pretty, big, lovely windows, very comfortable bed, great linens. The bathroom was beautiful and new. The kitchenette was there, though we did not use it. It made the whole place bigger having it and for those who may be the kind to use kitchenettes, it had everything one could want. There was a window in the kitchen also, adding light by the table-very nice.
We ended up with this same room during both our stays, which was coincidental but great! My son likes to tour a hotel, but the staff were too busy to give us one, which was okay, but we can't tell you about the rooms in the main part of the hotel.
The other great part of this hotel was that it is walking distance to the lake. We walked there every day for the Crepes Nutella my son loves (and the cruises and the Petit Train, etc.) Super location.
Our rate was only usd250 per night. That's including tax and an ok breakfast downstairs in the restaurant. It was a major bargain!!! This was summer 2008 when the dollar and Swiss Franc were about even.
After Hotel Des Balances in Lucerne and Hotel Caprice in Wengen, this was our third favorite hotel in Switzerland (out of 8 total). It was a great bargain, well-located, the best view of trains (if you're into that and my son IS!), safe, lovely, clean.
The only downside is that the restaurant service is mediocre, food is mediocre (but not bad). We ate out except for breakfast. Also, the one lady I mentioned at the front desk, who was warm and welcoming, the other desk personnel were efficient but cold. Also, the day we left, we asked for a wake-up call in order to catch the train (6 am train, so 5 am wake-up call), that morning's desk clerk forgot to do it. Luckily, I'd set the room clock's alarm so we were awake. He apologized, but he seemed sleepy, as we'd awakened HIM when we came to check out.
All in all, we loved this place and would stay again.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
