Gasthaus 210

There’s a 24-hour grocery store right downstairs, and the train station is very close. The room’s kitchenette was handy. Just remember to bring extension plugs.

We found check-in quick and the staff polite, and the location near Zurich’s main train station made getting around simple. The 24-hour market downstairs has helpful staff and reasonable prices. Still, having the reception inside a market felt odd for a hotel. Our quad room was very basic for what it cost, with just one bulb to light it, and the pillows smelled unpleasant. The Wi-Fi kept dropping and was weak, which made planning our days frustrating. It works if all you need is a bed for one night and location matters most, but comfort and amenities could be better.

I was glad my stay was only one night. The room had a kitchenette with a microwave that could have helped on a longer visit, but I didn’t sleep well. Street noise was mostly blocked by the window, yet some kind of mechanical sound inside the building went off every few seconds all night. Maybe it was an automatic door in the shop below. Light from a nearby streetlamp also came into the room. There was no bedside light or socket, and an extra bed was stored upright in the room. The room looked fairly modern, but was in poor repair: there were unfinished drill holes in the wall, and electrical wire ends were covered with sellotape. It wasn’t very clean, especially the bathroom, and the shower drain was blocked. The “reception” is actually the 24-hour grocery store, apparently with spare rooms above it, and you queue at the checkout to get your key. Signs say there’s a 2000 CHF fine if the fire service is called out, about €2100 or $2400. I understand fining guests who set off smoke alarms might be reasonable, but that’s a huge and unreasonable amount. This didn’t affect me, but if there were a fire, I’d expect the building’s poor wiring to be a more likely cause. I got what I paid for, which wasn’t much for Zurich.

The location is great, the price is affordable, and the 24-hour shop downstairs is reasonably priced with helpful staff. There’s a hot shower and kitchenette too. Still, a whining HVAC noise in my room made it hard to sleep until I bought earplugs. The shower hadn’t been cleaned and flooded because hair was blocking the drain, and there was an empty bottle left in the room, so it hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned. Probably good value for Zurich, but those problems kept my rating average.