Boutique Hotel Josef

I was glad someone came to check the sink close to 9 pm, and I appreciated being moved to another room. Still, neither room felt worth the price, and I’m thankful I only had one night there. Both had scuffed paint on the walls. In the first, the fabric walls had what looked like grease marks, and the faucet was so loose it moved with one finger. The sink’s hot water also didn’t work. The woman at the cafe contacted someone after I told her about it. He inspected it and moved me, but the second room wasn’t an improvement: it had one small window, with a dead wasp, other dead little flies, and some mold on the sill. The odd outdoor screen was really hard to pull down and didn’t block the light, so I could still see the neighboring building. The first room had proper blackout shades. The location is very close to the train station, as the map suggests, but with the window open there was no quiet at all because of the trains. I wondered how the faucet got so loose and whether the rooms were being checked and cleaned properly. The location isn’t something they can change, but both rooms fell short of what I expected for this price.

I loved the spacious room, the comfortable bed, and the little extras like a fridge, safe, desk and sitting area. The towels were large, toiletries were provided, and breakfast was included. The food was delicious. The amenities were more than I’d expect from a three-star hotel, even though they’re standard items. The staff were friendly and knew their stuff, and I loved the service and atmosphere. It’s very close to Old Town, and I felt safe walking around at any hour. When I’m in Zurich, I’d book here again. It felt like a five-star stay, and I really recommend it.

We left and spent the night at another hotel because we couldn’t sleep in the room. It was 24 degrees and stayed warm no matter what we tried. There was no air conditioning, and the ventilation didn’t seem to bring air in even though it was 17 outside. Opening the window at night wasn’t an option with the very loud trains across the road. Nobody at reception could help. Management refused a refund, saying this was normal for the ventilation system. Really? Avoid this place if you need to sleep.

For the price it was good, though nothing exciting. The location felt safe and the place was clean and comfortable. They were helpful with things before or after check-out. There’s a coffee machine, but no fridge in the room.