The York by Swiss-Belhotel International

The housekeeping was poor too. I don’t think our room was vacuumed during the stay, even though we left the sign out asking for it to be made up. We stayed at The York last year and liked it enough to book again, but we regret returning. By accident, we only found out the day before our flight that the swimming pool and sauna were still closed. Those amenities were a major factor in choosing the hotel, and we swam every morning on our last visit. Not being told about the closure was disgusting. When I raised it, the manager was rude and ungracious. He blamed our travel provider, who insist they weren’t told either. We asked for compensation but weren’t offered anything. The York can be sure we’ll never set foot there again. It has totally gone down the toilet.

The location is nice, with restaurants nearby, and the room for six was big. But it was old, and the condition made me think the cleaners didn’t care about the rooms. The walls were marked all over, and some marks came off easily with a fingernail. There was a grey stain on a bed blanket, dusty corners, and mold on the table. The shower smelled strongly of bleach. The towels were stained too, some looking like piss. My brother used one before realizing it had a grey mark like a leather shoe had been slashed across it. If it was piss, wash it, and if it was bleach, replace it. Guests shouldn’t be left thinking the towel is dirty. The place was clean in some ways and the toilets were clean, but the cleaning still felt inadequate. I wouldn’t care if the room were small as long as it was as clean as possible. Hygiene matters to me in an unfamiliar place, especially a foreign one.

Being right in the city centre made getting around convenient, with public transport close by. The hotel itself stayed peaceful despite the lively location, and the common areas were tidy and well looked after. My room was clean, neat and comfortable, and the hotel felt calm and welcoming throughout my stay. I was very satisfied with the cleanliness, comfort and location at The York by Swiss Belhotel. It was good value for a city stay, and I’d recommend it. I’d happily return.

We were disappointed with our stay at the York. The staff didn’t feel welcoming, friendly or helpful. At check-in we were told some amenities, including the pool, weren’t available, but no reason or apology was given. Getting in and out of the car park was difficult too, since reception wasn’t always staffed to respond on the intercom. Our two bedroom apartment on the 26th floor was clean, but had some issues. There were no bath robes, and the air-conditioning in the living areas was noisy and didn’t cool the space. Some balconies had no furniture, and the furnished ones needed cleaning. There was also an outdated brochure advertising room service meals and buffet breakfast from a partnered restaurant next door. Breakfast was at a nearby motel’s restaurant, about 100 metres away from the York up a relatively steep slope. That was difficult for one of our party, who had significant mobility problems.