Grand Hotel Europe

A nice place with welcoming staff. The room and bathroom were both clean, and the room was big enough for two. It’s good to know the whole facility is designed for hospitality, which isn’t always the case in Europe. I recommend it.

It’s no luxury hotel, and there’s definitely an air of times past, but it was quite nice overall. I stayed two nights in a comfortable, spacious room with air conditioning and modern touches like USB plugs by the bed. The center of town is about a 15-minute walk along the water under the trees.

The room and common areas didn’t have the quality or comfort I expected at this level, and the facilities felt modest, with average or outdated vanities. The breakfast buffet felt more like a canteen than a premium service. I was also woken at 8 a.m. for room service, which has never happened to me at a hotel before. There were some positives: the staff were generally friendly and helpful, the location is fairly central, and the walk around the lake takes 20-25 scenic minutes. Free parking is convenient. Still, the experience didn’t match the 4-star rating or the $500+ nightly price. It felt like a basic 3-star property charging luxury rates, and I left feeling overcharged and underwhelmed.

The room was clean, if a bit small, and the complimentary breakfast included with our reservation was good. The heat was the big problem. It was over 80 for three days straight, and even though staff brought us a fan, it didn’t help enough. The central AC was useless. Staff said Swiss regulations meant they couldn’t set it below 23 degrees, but our room was probably 34-37 throughout the stay.