Hotel Lötschberg

I waited a couple of weeks before writing this so I wouldn't react in the moment. From check-in on, the woman at reception was hostile and abrasive toward my family and me. Maybe she was having a bad day, or perhaps wasn't feeling well because she was pregnant, but hospitality clearly doesn't seem suited to her. I'd emailed through my third-party travel site the day before arrival to request an extra twin bed. She said she hadn't been told, and I apologized because I'd thought the message went directly to the hotel. She shouted that now she had to move a bed while pregnant and that they hadn't known. I offered to have my husband move it, but she yelled that he couldn't. Twice she said she'd write to the third-party provider to say the information never arrived. Then she charged us for the extra bed, which we never got. While I was paying, the tap on my card didn't work and I was looking for the chip slot. She condescendingly asked, “Don't they have chips in the US?” Someone else came in during this exchange, and she answered their questions without hostility for some reason. After I paid for the bed, I politely asked where we could park. She rolled her eyes, said parking cost extra and was behind the hotel, then reluctantly put the card machine in front of me again. I've traveled for 40 years and have never encountered this kind of rudeness and hostility. I hope she has a good maternity leave and gets a chance to reset.

The place was spotless, and the owner gave excellent service. I needed a pair of pants dry-cleaned urgently, and the hotel sorted it out very quickly. I'd highly recommend it to anyone coming to Interlaken.

If they offer you a “budget” room, be aware that ours was tiny, with just one small window up near the ceiling. It sounds like some of the other rooms are better, with windows you can actually look out of, but I wouldn't choose to stay here again. Breakfast had a few options, though the selection was limited for anyone with allergies.

The price felt way too high, especially with so little to eat at breakfast. Rooms at the same rate varied a lot in size, and ours didn't look like the online photos.