Ten years after our last visit to Gstaad we reserved at the Steigenberger as we like its location near some of the best ski areas in the Gstaad-Saanen area/ Also we were looking for a traditional family friendly full service hotel. We had three rooms for nine days with the half-board plan. Our experience was excellent. The food was the biggest surprise. I truly did not expect such fine cuisine and the breakfast buffett is truly outstanding. I am surprised to read other negative reviews about the quality of the service, as our experience was very good. Rooms were always quickly cleansed in the morning and everyone was extremely friendly. The rooms were large and comfortable for Swiss standards. If you like the ultra-modern feel of some new hotels, this property is not for you. The rooms are traditional with a very cozy feel. The cleanliness and quality of the bedding etc. was very good. We rented our ski equipment from the onsite store, and found the same friendly helpful service as elsewhere in the hotel. The Shuttle service to the various ski areas (5 to 10 minutes away) as well as to various destinations around Gstaad was very useful. The General Manager, Ferdinand, was everywhere in the hotel. Initially I thought he was the restaurant manager as every night we would see him working in the dining room! He made a point of being available for the guests and always asked if we needed help with anything. Amongst the front desk personnel, I must point out Ruth as a particularly helpful and knowledgeable employee. She was of great help to us. We will very likely return to the Steigenberger this year.

We stayed at the Steigenberger for skiing and also attended their New Year's dinner and celebration. Our experience was exceptional, and the staff was very attentive and friendly. The New Year's dinner was fun and the entertainment was interesting. The food was first class, and the dining prices were very reasonable for Switzerland. Within the first day most of the staff would greet us by name. The staff went out of their way to insure that our stay was without problems and even scheduled our housekeeping around our schedule since we had our dog with us.
The hotel is only 7 minutes from Gstaad by car and offers a view of Gstaad and the valley. It is also only 10 minutes from the areas best skiing.
We will definitely be going back next New Year.

The hotel offers an impressive selection of services but this does not help if the basic service does not function. We went skiing during the day. Would have expected that rooms are cleaned and made up during this time, unfortunately this was not the case. We then ask three times for it but nothing happend. We gave up. We will leave tomorrow and not come back.

The first disappointment in this hotel is that the staff is not speaking other languages than German and poor English. Oh! The director and somebody else are from Holland and they speak also Dutch. Now I note strange coincidence in all written good reviews about the hotel: All they are in German, English and Dutch. But look the other Reviews and you will discover that not only flowers and roses happens in this hotel.
The water in the swimming pool is too cold: Probably they economize the heating.
The menu for dinner in both restaurants is oft poor and sometimes strange. The staff there is slow and without the Swedish table you probably will forget why you came in the restaurant. The director is helpless, even when he takes part helping in serving. If you claim, you will confront his arrogance.
Boring music in the lobby will be the last extra.