Marmont Hotel

The colorful, very themed design may suit some people, but it didn’t give us the classic or refined feel we expected in Geneva. We could clearly hear street noise, too. The team was generally polite, though there was no luggage help, so we had to move everything ourselves. When we asked the receptionist for assistance at 11 a.m. on 9 Feb, she said no one could help, and the reply felt dismissive. That level of service wasn’t acceptable to us, and with the overall experience, we wouldn’t stay again.

We were upgraded to a larger room with a kitchenette, which we really appreciated. The staff were helpful, breakfast was great, and we had a wonderful New Year’s Eve at Hotel Marmont, with an excellent dinner in the restaurant and fireworks over the lake.

Most of the staff were professional and the hotel itself was good, but my dealings with Office Manager Sophie were unacceptable. I’d booked through February 7, then asked on February 6 to add one more night. It was approved, with payment agreed for checkout. After breakfast the next morning, my key stopped working. Sophie told me I had to pay immediately or leave, even though we’d agreed otherwise. My wallet was in the room, but she showed no understanding and gave me an ultimatum. She also repeatedly failed to make a working key card, so I had to go up and down three times. Her frowning, rude and hostile manner was completely unprofessional and well below basic hospitality standards.

After I accidentally canceled my booking, I emailed several times to ask if it could be reinstated if a room opened up. The hotel first said it wasn’t available, then stopped replying. With no confirmation, I booked somewhere else, but the hotel still charged my card the full amount for the canceled reservation. Front Desk Manager Sophie Valensi wouldn’t cooperate or reverse the charge when I called, saying I’d requested reinstatement without any documentation. This was the worst and most unprofessional booking experience I’ve had. The communication failure and charge are unacceptable, and I’m filing a dispute with Visa.