Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sion by IHG — Hotel in Sion

HIX Sion is in the newly built area conveniently located by the train station and looks extremely promising from the outside (and to be honest, also from the inside). All new and spotless.

Early check-in at 11:30 was not possible, so we left our bags and came back in the evening.

Then, we were told, there was a problem with the keycard system, and there would be no keycards. Every single time we would want to enter the room, we would need to drop by the reception and ask someone to accompany us and open the room door. This is highly uncomfortable, because it not only causes wait times (reception may be busy), it also hindered us to go back to the room when we usually would (a bit chilly outside, let’s get a warmer jacket, etc.) because we did not want to be a nuisance. Being told the technician would not be available on Sundays is completely unacceptable.

As an IHG Platinum member, we chose the welcome drink. They did not hand out vouchers and wanted us to jug down the welcome drink upon check-in, however we said, we'd be back later. Back 15 minutes later, the same staff did not know which drink items are actually available as welcome drink (spoiler: house wine and beer), after having chosen beer, we were asked "small or large?" - only to be told only "small" qualifies as "welcome drink" after having chosen "large". Ok, but then why ask and slap in the face. Instead of being offered the prezels and peanuts already prepared in glasses at the back of the bar to accompany the beverages, one staff member offered another staff member chocolates in front of us (the only other people there), only to ignore and not offer anything to us. Awkward and another slap in the face.

We received a one-category upgrade to standard room with mountain view (basically high floor), unfortunately none of the suites. While the room at first seemed really beautiful (the hotel is brand new, opened in April 2025) and the full window front overseeing the area and mountains seemed very promising. Unfortunately, it turned into a nightmare. They have some sort of passive ventilation system, which we set to maximum cool, but it got hotter and hotter (on a rainy day in mid September!). Also, it was super stifling with the smell of paint, wood and workshop, making it difficult to breathe. Going down to reception (no telephone in the room!) and asking about it, we were told, "it takes a 30-45 minutes for ventilation to become effective". Which of course, it never did. It was almost unbearable. At one point, I woke up in the middle of the night franticly, opening the room door to get some semi-fresh air inside. Windows can't be opened, by the way. But it was only in the morning after returning from breakfast (which is quite good, btw; however we did't like the cantina style trays) and being let in by a staff member, when we noticed how hot it really was. The staff member was shocked by the heat wave exiting the room once she opened the door, offering us a room change (unfortunately at that point making no more sense).

I spoke with the manager before check-out. He said, he would "refund the stay in points" (which sounded to me: full refund). Afterwards, he sent me an e-mail offering 50% refund and "accordingly" crediting 500 points. Explaining to him that those 500 points are merely worth 2,50 USD and nowhere near 50% of the 100+ CHF paid, had no effect. So, thanks for nothing.

Should you end up being assigned to room #608 - I recommend you to run as...

We booked a stay for 4 people (2 adults and 2 children, aged 9 and 13). The room, however, was only suitable for 3 guests. It had one double bed and a sofa bed that fits just one child. Both children were expected to sleep on the sofa, which was impossible. I raised this issue with reception, but the manager offered no real solution. The only suggestion was a baby cot, which of course is not suitable for a teenager. In the end, we had to arrange it ourselves, with 3 people sharing the double bed.

On top of that, the air conditioning/climate control did not work. Reception assured us that someone would come to fix it, but no one ever showed up. The room remained uncomfortably hot, and with three people in one bed the situation became unbearable.

Because of these problems, we cut our stay short and left a day earlier than planned. To make matters worse, the manager did not even take the time to speak to us at checkout. Overall, a very disappointing experience and certainly not the standard you would expect from a Holiday...

Perfect location in a very new building, stunning rooms. The beds were comfortable with the option to have harder or softer mattress. A rooftop and a gym are available on the 6th floor, as well as a very nice bar next to the lobby.

Our room had breathtaking views of the castle. We loved every single bit of our stay there.

The breakfast is good, with some slight modifications for long-stay guests. I saw some athletes so I guess I’m not the only one who might request / recommend this: maybe adding some hard boiled eggs would be a nice addition to the breakfast menu.

The staff was just phenomenal, all of them were attentive and kind, going the extra mile for their guests. Shoutout to Alejandro who spoke Spanish and Dutch to us!

If we’re back in Sion, we’ll stay...