Touristenheim Bergfreude

I was upset about paying tourist tax for my four-year-old, who is exempt in Leukerbad. Booking showed 54 Frank for three days for three adults, even though my reservation was for two adults and one child aged four. I’d booked and paid the hotel portion online two weeks earlier, and because it was nonrefundable, that was already settled. Booking leaves the tourist tax for the hotel to handle under local rules. It doesn’t know the local law, so its estimate was wrong for a child. This has happened across my other 10+ reservations in Europe, and hotels have charged according to the actual situation. Here, the owner repeatedly insisted that I pay in cash for what Booking showed, three adults, which we weren’t. I paid the tax for my four-year-old to avoid an argument. That was 18 Frank, and the owner couldn’t even pass it to the local government because children that age don’t pay tourist tax. Money isn’t a big deal after all we spent on vacation, but being taken advantage of feels bad. I’ve had similar situations in Spain, Germany, Italy, and France, and never paid tourist tax for a four-year-old. Hotels follow local rules instead of asking for Booking’s estimate. I contacted the Leukerbad tourist information center and Booking separately. Both said the hotel could charge according to local laws, so the case is closed for me. I won’t spend more time on it beyond writing this review. The hotel itself was good value. We liked it overall: clean enough, with a good breakfast and free parking in front. Evenings were very quiet, so it seemed ideal for families. One travel note: to cross to the other side of the mountains, you need to take a tunnel that costs 30 euro one direction, unless you want to spend 3 hours going around the mountains.

People kept trying the handle on my room door all night, and others were loud in the hallways and right outside my window. I barely slept. There was no front desk I could speak to about it. Even while I was in the shared bathroom, people repeatedly tried to open the door. I don’t think the hotel was directly at fault for my poor stay, but this was the only time I felt unsafe during my time in Switzerland.

Thanks for welcoming and hosting us so kindly. We really enjoyed our time at your hotel. Best of luck, and we hope to come back soon.

The service was great. I don’t think I ever saw the staff, but they were around and quick to answer text requests. The hotel is in a beautiful, quiet part of Switzerland that feels like a hidden gem, away from the busier tourist areas. Getting there meant driving between two mountains, but it was a gorgeous route.