Hotel Goldener Stern – Self check-in

We enjoyed the ground-floor bar, and it was handy to have tea and coffee, a small fridge, and both USB A and C charging ports in the room. The only thing I missed was a little bathroom shelf for toiletries. It's a lovely old hotel in a great spot for exploring Lucerne. Our room was clean, spacious, and well heated, with large windows that opened onto the Christmas market below. We'd be very happy to return.

I love this place and would definitely come back. The room was spacious and clean, and although it's self-service, they made sure we had what we needed and gave us clear information. If you book through a third party, look out for the lobby entry code email sent the day before. Mine got lost, so we had to wait outside. The Goldener Stern team replied really quickly to my email and sorted it out.

The location was good, but paying 380 CHF for two nights and getting this quality was disappointing. The room smelled of cigarettes, apparently from previous guests, the shower had mold around the base and ceiling, and broken clips on the curtain rail meant it wouldn't close fully. See pictures. We couldn't get the TV to work beyond one English channel, and several emails with support didn't get phone casting to work either, so we gave up. For the price, this felt poor for a 3-star hotel. We've had much better rooms with breakfast for less in other Swiss cities, including Zermatt.

The room was a good size, clean, nicely kept, and pleasant. Getting inside was another story. I couldn't find the front door code in my email, and WhatsApp only sent an AI reply telling me to email for immediate help. I sent three emails and heard nothing, so we waited in the cold until someone came out and we could get in to do the self check-in. I don't know if the holiday season caused the delay, but having someone available by email or WhatsApp would help guests who need assistance. We also couldn't open the service station. The code written on the wall didn't work.