Swiss Star Tower

We left after the second night of a three-night booking and found another hotel because we couldn't take the conditions any longer. After that, we emailed management to ask for a refund for the final night, but still haven't heard back. We had also contacted them after night one and got no reply then either. The elevator was out, apparently for a while, and we hadn't been told. Our room was on the 10th floor, so the climb was exhausting. Inside, the sheets were clean, but there was dust on the floor, crumbs on the couch, old food stuck to the silverware, and cigarette butts on the balcony. There was no AC, so the windows were the only way to cool the room. A train line and switch right outside made an awful screech every 30 minutes to an hour, waking us repeatedly through the night. I've lived near trains before and this still kept me up. The room was only partly clean, and the whole stay was uncomfortable and disappointing.

The bed was the worst part. The springs poked into us, so getting any rest was impossible. All night there was shouting, crying children, and people trying our door. I didn't sleep at all and felt unsafe. We told staff about the problems straight away and asked to cancel the rest of the booking with a refund. They were no help, passing us back and forth without a clear answer. It felt like nobody knew what to do or cared about fixing it. The place felt unsafe and unpleasant from the start. Homeless people gathered by the entrance and made noise through the night, the surroundings were filthy and smelled terrible, and even the elevator was dirty and poorly kept. The room felt like a prison cell. The fridge was broken, and though there was a kettle, it was useless without an adaptor. A friend had booked this for us, and it turned out to be the worst place I've ever stayed. I rarely leave bad reviews, but this was unacceptable from beginning to end. I'd tell others to avoid it.

Self check-in and check-out were convenient, and the place was quite clean. The rooms are very basic and rather dated. Being beside Oerlikon station is handy, but trains pass the hotel every few minutes and make enough noise to disturb your sleep.

The best thing about the apartment is where it is. The rooms are okay for the price, but they aren't well maintained. Service was pathetic: check-in ran late, and the representative was rude when replying. There are two elevators, but one is completely shut and the other gets stuck on the 4th floor, so we had to take the stairs to the 7th. It's a budget hotel, but that was still a poor experience.