Boutique Hotel Karl

Isabela at the front desk made our family feel at home from the moment we arrived. She was so kind and patient with our kids, and her care made a real difference to the stay. The Karl Hotel was clean and comfortable, with spacious, well-kept rooms and a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere. Its location also made it easy to explore the city. We had a fantastic visit and would happily stay again. I'd especially recommend it to families with children.

For a summer visit, I found the Boutique Hotel Karl disappointing. Our upper-floor room was uncomfortably hot, and street noise made sleeping hard. The beds weren't comfortable either, and the low roof beams made it awkward to move around. Breakfast options were limited. For a Luzern hotel promoted as "Boutique," the comfort and quality didn't meet my expectations.

The Filipino woman at the front desk was very friendly and tried to make our stay better, but the rest of the experience was the most disappointing part of our trip across Western Europe. We were not told that the elevator was shared with a school, and on arrival had to wait several minutes for students to leave before we could use it. The bathroom wall had a lot of mold, the radiator was extremely rusty, and the wardrobe was less than two feet wide, with too little room for three people's belongings. The hotel uses ordinary keys rather than keycards, and the door doesn't lock by itself when closed, which was inconvenient for the three of us. We were also refused access to a microwave, plates, and cutlery for food we'd bought at a nearby supermarket. That was a first for us on this trip. The breakfast area in the lobby was open, and after seeing a man drinking coffee there, we went in for coffee and tea. He rudely said we'd have to pay extra. We later learned he was the owner, Patric Graber. Nobody had told us at check-in that using the lobby coffee machine cost extra. We've stayed in hundreds of hotels across North and South America, Europe, and Asia, and never had an experience like this. I wouldn't recommend the hotel. The owner needs to improve his attitude.

The staff were wonderful and helpful, and we enjoyed the very good breakfast. The location was also very good. Our clean room felt a little tired, though, and the river-view balcony came with a downside: a four-story parking garage across the river lit up the room all night. There were sheer curtains and metal shades, but we needed airflow, so pulling the shades down didn't really work for us. For a quieter, more peaceful night's sleep, choose a room without the river view.