Our institute offered a a subsidized trip to Switzerland, involving Lectures, Seminars and local sightseeing at the end of our MBA. Lausanne Youth hostel was where we based ourselves as we travelled up and down in that beautiful country. The hostel was conveniently located about 5 minutes bus ride from the city center (Ouchy) and about 15 minutes from Lausanne Railway station.

Having never seen student hostel life, it was a unique experience for many of us. There were seperate rooms for boys and girls. Most rooms had 3 or 4 Bunk Beds. Bathrooms were located outside the rooms, common for all residents. Taking baths in shower stalls while chatting and throwing soap and shampoo bottles to our friends in adjoining stalls still brings smile to my face. Buffet breakfast was a simple affair, nothing fancy. Juice, Milk, Cereal, Toasted bread and Eggs.

The hostel was always full of backpackers and people seeking overnight budget accomodation. The regulars gave us great tips about which sights to see and places where we can get cheap beer ! Lausanne is a beautiful city. The lake front at Ouchy is where we spent most of our evenings. Also, 20 minutes away is Nyon, the prettiest cobblestoned village you will ever see.

Lausanne tends to miss out amongst big Swiss cities like Geneva, Zurich and Bern. However, it is no less worthy of a stopover. The Olympic Museum is also located here.

I am a Swiss resident so maybe my opinion is based on the consistent quality that you find here, but we were disappointed with this hostel.
I was travelling with my boys by bike and had stayed several nights at other official Swiss Youth hostels on the way. All were better and cheaper than the this one.
As an example, for just Sfr 10 more ($7) than the nights lodgings for the 3 of us in Lausanne, we stayed in Fiesch with half-board and free access to the swimming pool! Quite a difference.
Local motels (in Crissier) also offer prices for Friday and Saturday night stays that are lower than at this hostel, and you get a shower in your room and non-bunk beds.

This was my second stay at Hotel Jeunotel. I originally came back because I knew the cost was as cheap as you could find in Switzerland and I felt safe staying there. The staff was extremely helpful, nice and spoke at least 4 languages which is especially nice.

We stayed here during the month of August during the large Volley Ball Tournament which goes on annually just a kilometer or so away from the hotel. The hotel was fully booked but it never was crowded for us.

The first misconception about this hotel is that it is a hotel. It is first a hostel, with about 60 other hotel rooms for people to stay. Taking into account that it is a hostel, the accomodation is quite nice. It still has the feeling of a hotel, but more of a 2 star hotel with the extreme basics.

The second misconception is that the hotel is near Ouchy. It is actually about 5 bus stops away in the near by location of Vidy at bus stop #2 Bois De Vaux. The bus ride is about 5 minutes and not complicated at all. It takes a simple 2 minutes to arrive at the hotel. Just make sure you grab a day bus pass for 7CHF.

Yes the hotel has cement walls and floors. The shower is just a shower next to the toilet but the room is quite large and even includes a refrigerator. If you assume you are touring the area, it is perfect for sleep, breakfast and leaving. There is only a small basic television but lots of room for your belongnings.

Breakfast is basic but what you get at any other hotel. This is a basic hotel breakfast and not much different than what you would find at other more costly hotels. Basics include baggette, ham, yogurt, butter, jam, orange juice, coffee, or espresso, and milk.

If you are looking for a more luxurious place to stay, this hotel is not for you. If you are on a budget and want to feel warm and welcome, this hotel will suit you just fine. The beds are comfortable and the sheets are very nice.

We were very happy with our stay here this time and found it to be a great price for Swiss standards. Feel free to lock up your bike as there is plenty of room for that here. Internet is available as well as food, drinks and a pool table if you choose.

If you are coming by car, you will find about 20 parking spaces available for your convenience. This is very nice since if you were staying in town, you would have to pay for such a parking spot. There was a guard as well. I'm not sure if they are there at all times, but it was nice to see people were watching out around the hotel grounds.

We stayed at the Jeunotel In June 2004 for 6 days. The rooms contain very basic facilities: the floors are concrete; the small bathroom contains a toilet, basin and shower; there is a small room containing a fridge, sink and shelf; there is a low built in shelf behind the beds. The room is quite spacious in comparison to other hotel rooms so we had no problems storing our suitcases. However, there was no heating and I found the rooms to be cold. The main problem was that there were school groups staying there at the same time so it was quite noisy. Given the place is a hostel, it is likely to have school groups staying there. The breakfast offered consists of cornflakes and another type of cereal, toast, jam, ham and cheese, tea, coffee and juice.

There are only 2 English channels on the television: MTV and the news.

The internet facilities offered were expensive, so I didn't use them

There are laundry facilities available (you need to ask for the key at the front desk).

You need to catch a bus to get there from the heart of Lausanne, which means the travel costs can add up. I can't remember the cost but you do have to pay with each trip. The hotel is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the main road, where the buses stop.

The Olympic Museum is close by. We didn't visit it but we did visit the caravan park that was next to it. There is a small deli/shop selling basic food staples. There is also a cafe serving food and drinks. It has outdoor seating by the lake and you can see the french mountains on the other side of the lake.

Next time I would stay in a place more centrally located - it might cost more but you save on time (and the small cost) with transport and the facilities might be better.