Hotel Rousseau Geneva

The worst part of our stay was the receptionist. From day one, she was rude and sarcastic. We arrived a little before check-in, and she mocked us for being “too early.” When I told her the towel heater only blinked and didn’t work, she first claimed the government turns off power in summer to save energy. When I said it didn’t make sense for the government to control hotel amenities, she changed her explanation and said a guest on an upper floor had once started a fire by leaving clothes on a heater, so all the heaters were switched off. The inconsistent, dismissive replies were among the most unprofessional service I’ve experienced in years. The room was dirty when we arrived, with worn, mismatched furniture that looked like random leftovers from someone’s home. The bed was very uncomfortable, and the mattress was noisy. The shampoo bottle was nearly empty, and housekeeping wouldn’t clean unless we specifically asked. Several lights were burned out. The towel heater never worked, and the coffee machine came with decaf capsules. When we asked for regular ones, they tried to charge us. The elevator barely fits two people with luggage, and there are still 5-6 stairs after it before you get to the rooms, something to consider with a stroller or mobility issues. We came from France expecting this three-star hotel to be comparable to others there, but it fell far short.

The location was good, but our seventh-floor attic room was awful. Half of it was unusable, I hit my head on the slanted ceiling several times, and the windows looked straight into the ceiling. When I immediately asked for another room, they said they were fully booked, though I barely saw anyone at the hotel and didn’t believe them. The shower had no shelf for toiletries and took ages to get warm. The TV remote was terrible, and I couldn’t change the captions or set the audio to English. If they offer you the seventh floor, say no. I’ve seen other reviews mention this room too.

Our room looked straight onto other buildings and rooms, but we were there to explore the city, so it didn’t bother us. The room was a good size and comfortable, and it was so quiet that we didn’t hear a single noise inside. The location is perfect for a few days in Geneva, close to everything.

The room and bathroom were spacious and comfortable, and the staff were very nice. We stayed for two nights and had the Express breakfast each day, a huge croissant with butter, jam and/or Nutella, plus coffee and juice. At 9 CHF, it was decent value. The hotel itself is also good value, about a seven-minute walk from the railway station and a couple of minutes from the lakefront. My one complaint was the attic room. Its slanted ceiling caught my head at least four times, and it was quite different from the rooms shown on the website. At checkout, I told the manager, but she wasn’t apologetic and said I should have asked to move after seeing it. After a long train ride and hauling two large suitcases up the stairs from the elevator to the attic, I just wanted to lie down and relax. If you’re assigned a seventh-floor room, ask if it’s the attic before going up, or specify when booking.