Hôtel Elite

After a long walk I stopped in for a cocktail, then ended up having three. The bar staff were very nice, and they put up with my bad French.

We didn't feel comfortable at this hotel. It was very hot and not very clean, and the place felt more like a city hostel than a hotel. On the plus side, the person at reception was polite, the bath looked clean, the shower was good, and the location was central. It was 39 degrees in our room while it was 27 outside. A laminated note acknowledged that the building gets too hot and asked guests to keep windows and curtains closed during the day, then open them at night. But then there was street noise, and smoke from people in other rooms came in through the window several times at night. There was also a cigarette tucked inside the window and actual litter under the bed and across part of the floor, which made us wonder what else hadn't been cleaned. A large spider was sitting on the toilet paper. That can happen in a warm place, so we just put it outside. The WiFi had no password, but asked for our phone number, which felt strange and not at all standard.

Mr. Francois followed up before I arrived, even calling to check where I was and guide me to the hotel once I got to Sion. The staff are great, and once you're there, you feel at home. It's a small hotel with small rooms, but mine was extremely comfortable for solo travel. For a family, I'd want to look into whether they have a room with more space.

There isn't any air conditioning, so I'd avoid this place in summer or during an unusually hot September. Otherwise, the staff were friendly and helpful, and the location is good, within walking distance of the train station and old town.