Château d'Ouchy

The immaculate property and stunning lakeside location were the bright spots, but this was easily the low point of our trip. We’ve stayed at Hilton properties in Rome, Athens, Milan, Edinburgh, and Innsbruck, so we know European hotels can differ from US ones. Even so, this felt like the clearest example of cutting everything back. My wife’s Hilton Diamond status was never acknowledged. When I asked whether an upgrade might be possible, we were offered a look at rooms, but told any change would cost extra. Better rooms were available throughout our stay, yet only for an additional charge. The desk employee seemed to be selling each room change as if he earned commission. The room we had made an average European hotel look like a luxury condo. There was a pole right beside the bed in the middle of the room, a particularly odd feature, and I can only guess the room used to be a janitorial closet. Calling it a “city view” was a gross overstatement. We could see the roof, which was one highlight of our Switzerland trip. The hotel was virtually empty, but no effort was made to go above and beyond. If it had been full, we might have been more understanding. At the Hilton in Zurich, where we stayed for the rest of the trip, the staff couldn’t do enough and consistently appreciated our loyalty and status. We regret spending hard-earned points and money here, and wouldn’t stay at or recommend Chateau d'Ouchy to any traveler.

The room was clean and comfortable, with a nice spacious bathroom and a Nespresso coffee machine, iron, and minibar. Breakfast had a pretty good selection and tasted very good. The hotel has its own pier by the lake, and the location is fantastic. Staff at reception, breakfast, and the bar were all very kind and professional.

I enjoyed a good meal in the restaurant, and the hotel’s location is great. The bathtub was lovely, though the shower is set in the tub and the water coverage wasn’t very good.

The location is good, but that’s about it for me. Diamond members get only one level of upgrade, even when rooms are available, and the room amenities are very basic. I’ve stayed at other SLH properties, including Kyoto and London, where they went out of their way to make the stay special. There was nothing like that here, and breakfast was nothing special either.