I took my wife on a brake for a day/night, flew to Milano & drove to this Hotel which looked great on the web. Location is really superb high above the lake. The rest is rather poor: service attitude marginal i.e. we wanted chairs & a table to be moved into the sun but the waiter told us that his boss doesn't allow him to do that. We asked that he call his boss but never got an answer. Reception was not always attended but if service was ok. Interior design not up to modern standard and a bit neglected i.e. The breakfast room is like at a youth hostel, the lounge is a set of old sofas, the derelict elevators. Seems from observation that the hotel is highly used by older kids from the nearby American School who come and lounge or eat here. Must be a good source of revenue but doesnt fit with a hotel atmosphere. Restaurant food was excellent, as well as the service and the superb wine list. Overall this place could be a beautiful boutique hotel but for that it urgently needs investment and a more attentive staff attitude. Like this it is definitively not worth the room
rates.

My partner and I spent a (too) short 3-day stay at the Principe Leopoldo in November. I work in the hotel industry and consider myself an exigent guest when I travel - which is alot! I was not disappointed in the slightest way. This is a beautiful building in a quiet area of Lugano, away from the noise of downtown, but just a 5 minute drive away. From the moment we arrived (the porter was there on the doorstep), we felt like VIP guests. The lovely Sonia (I think) at reception, gave us the necessary info on the way down to the room - which incidentally was the largest double room I have seen at any hotel, to the tasty breakfast - the muesli with forest fruit on it was just like my childhood memories! - to room service (delicious and super fast) and the cosy bar upstairs with the very talented pianist, everything was perfect. All the staff greet you with a genuine and smiling "hello" and make you feel at home. All in all, a memorable stay in a town I have visited several times and love and hope to return to, staying at the Principe Leopoldo!
Thank you again
Alona Johnson-Ferguson

We stayed at the Villa Principe Leopoldo for a weekend in September. Our expectations were pretty high for several reasons: first the hotel has the reputation to be one of the best in the Southern part of Switzerland and for almost 800.00 SFR per night for a standard double room, it surely belongs to some of the more expensive hotels in the world.
But we soon found out, that a good reputation and high prices do not guarantee a perfect stay. The first thing to remember about this hotel is that it was transformed from a private residence to a hotel not too long ago, in 1986 (you may read about the history of the hotel on their website: http://www.leopoldohotel.com/en/37/historical_remarks.aspx). This might be the reason,why the hotel is hard to find. Even with GPS navigation, you will first see the “Residence” entrance and wonder, where the actual hotel is (across the street). And all this because it is so poorly marked. Once we found the entrance, there was nobody there to greet us, or help us with the luggage or to tell us where we could park the car. So the first impression was already disappointing to say the least. Our room was about average for this category with a modern bathroom, a big balcony and a nice view. But there was nothing that made it stand out, for example there were two small complementary water bottles, but no fresh fruit or anything else.
The dinner in the restaurant was also about average, good, but not exceptional for the price. The same goes for the breakfast: a buffet with everything you would expect, but nothing more. The service in general was ok, but somehow we missed the presence of a good hotel manager, who in my opinion is one of the most important factor of any hotel. The location of the hotel is great, if you want a wonderful view of the lake, but if you want to be close to the center of Lugano, choose an other hotel. They do offer a free shuttle service to the center (but only a few times in the afternoon) and you could walk, but it is about 20 minutes and not very convenient (not all the streets have sidewalks).
So all in all I guess you can say that this hotel has not too many strong points: a wonderful view, and an exotic, charming building with nice rooms. But that is not enough to justify the high prices. So if you want to stay in Lugano, my tip would be to go visit the hotel and perhaps have a drink, but stay in an other hotel closer to the center and with more reasonable prices!

You know you are in Italian Switzerland when you enter the plush marbled and mirrored suites. A bit much for my taste, but no denying that it is well done and to the highest standards. Nothing was missing, the service was great, a short drive to downtown. The view is, of course, picturesque, it would seem from all the rooms. It is in a prominent yet isolated position overlooking the lake, and so there was nothing to be heard at all. We had a meal on the terrace, which was fine.