Holiday Inn Express Geneva Airport by IHG

⭐⭐☆☆☆ (2/5) My stay at Holiday Inn was generally satisfactory, but check-in with front desk staff member oceane was disappointing. I was given one key fewer than our room required. When I raised it, the staff member insisted all the keys had been handed over and kept arguing instead of checking properly. It turned out the hotel had made a mistake and not issued the missing key. Even then, the staff member wouldn’t take responsibility or offer a simple apology, and responded rudely when I expected one. Mistakes happen, but professionalism shows in how they’re handled. I hope Holiday Inn gives its staff better customer service training so guests are treated with courtesy and respect.

The continental breakfast was good, with lactose-free options and oat milk. When my roommate lost the key to his luggage lock, staff kindly lent us tools to break it open. One of the two elevators wasn’t working. A warning if you take the shuttle: you need to load your own skis and snowboards. I also woke up to my door opening and closing. It was locked, and fortunately I had the chain on, so nobody could barge in. You can imagine how scary that was. I called the front desk, and they said it was the cleaners. It was around 2 p.m., check-in time. The hotel had kindly honored my written early check-in request, but it was still frightening to wake up to.

The breakfast spread had plenty of variety, and the luggage storage room was very helpful. We stayed here twice during our Geneva visit. The front desk was welcoming, and the rooms were comfortable, cozy and sufficient for a short stay. The free airport shuttle is great, but the hotel seems to have a lot of guests. It’s almost always full, and someone gets left waiting for it to return. A bigger bus or a couple more shuttles would help.

I’m staying for a month, and good, cheerful service really matters on a longer stay. So far, the staff have been great. Aziz, Iskander and Maxine helped me with room matters in a friendly way. Two of them work at reception, are very helpful and cheerful, and speak very good English, which was great since I don’t speak French at all. Thanks too to their young blonde colleague for a smooth check-in. I had no problems, got my transport digital ticket and room WiFi right away, and learned about breakfast. The cleaning staff speak little English, sometimes none, but they’re friendly and polite too.