Hotel Lenzerhorn – Alpine Stay, Spa & Savour — Hotel in Vaz/Obervaz

THE LENZENHORN HOTEL AT LENZEHEIDE--NOT YOUR AVERAGE SKI RESORT, NOT YOUR AVERAGE SKI HOTEL

My family decided to go to Switzerland this year for after a trip to Vail Colorado last year. Let me say right of the bat, as my 9-year-old son put it, “It’s much better in Switzerland, then Colorado” though both have their virtues.

Says my old friend, the charismatic Schimun Murk, Former Director of Tourism for Graubünden, what makes Lenzeheide such a great place to stay is not just exceptional alpine hotels like the Lenzehorn, 300 miles of groomed ski slopes, 100s of rustic alpine huts and a record breaking number of sunny days.

What makes Lenzeheide great place for your ski holiday is something he calls "The Swiss Factor." Lenzeheide, and the Lenzehorn combine the virtues of a world class ski resort where excellence is built into the smallest detail, and the neighborly atmosphere of a small alpine village.

As a visitor you can feel the warm embrace of the Swiss Factor, and Villager Culture the moment you get off the bus from Chur and check into the Lenzerhorn. Greurzi Miternand, [Grea-tsi metta-nònd] hello everyone says the young woman at the rezeption desk in the Soulful Swiss German.

The Front Desk Manager, Katherin Zacharias who has the talent to become a CEO one day has done a splendid job of job of spotting super talented young professionals like Sadrina who welcomed us (above), and mentoring them to make to become young rising stars in the hotel industry.

You can also tell a great leader by those who create a special culture in a business where each team member without exception creates a reality distortion field to deliveron the promise of innovation, operational excellence or unforgettable customer experience.

The secret sauce that she & the team use has something to do with that neighborly atmosphere that naturally leads to making real human connections with guests, giving them space to talk about their goals and problems & going of their way to help solve them.

In my case I arrived at the Lenzehorn front desk having unwittingly booked a (small) bijoux double room that was too small for my wife, son and which, didn’t lend itself to adding the extra bed.

Sandrina who greeted me upon my arrival, enthusiastically too charge of the situation. Instead of scolding us for listing only two people in the Expedia Reservation for the room when there were three, she found a cancellation and upgraded us for the night

She promised to find a “creative solution” for the other nights as soon as possible as the hotel was chock a block full and we couldn’t transfer to a larger room. She then spent hours without our knowing it is calling every hotel in Lenzeheide, seeking another room for us to stay.

In the meantime, we Sadrina came down to the room in a flash sorting everything out when we called saying as we didn’t pack the right adapter to plug in our smart phone, and couldn’t get power from the electrical outlet, (we didn’t turn on the room switch)

The next morning, we got a call from Katherin, who told us not to worry. She had a “creative solution” . . . which involved a lot of work on the part of the hotel staff but cost us little, a small remuneration that we were happy to pay.

For dinner Sandrina found us reservation at the to the hotel’ s charming Stubli restaurant & bar where they serve Swiss local specialties and pizza. As the place was fully booked the hostess they sat us at a big table with some other Swiss guests. They greeted us warmly & said good bye when they left like old friends.

One funny incident that happened at the hotel is when I went to visit the spa & wellness center after a hard day of skiing. I seem to have walked into the wrong entrance, with my bathing suit in hand, and opened a solarium door only to see three naked women stretched out in the buff.

Embarrassed, I asked "Is this for men and women?" One of the ladies said, “It’s for both & by the way,” she said, You are supposed to be naked, and you are also supposed to be silent. I guess this is a good place to end...

I’m a Chinese living in NY but studied in Germany and speak fluent German. My German in laws own a local apartment. Almost every year we come here with the kids to ski. While kids staying with grandparents, me and my husband choose a hotel. This time, we booked Hotel Lenzerhorn for six nights. General speaking, it’s a nice hotel. But I have some “notes” for the international visitors - especially those from out of Europe.

Before going to the negative parts, let’s be fair to start with the positive things:

1. very good breakfast buffet
2. very clean
3. staff friendly - especially the lady serving dinner restaurant - so happy and smiling which is not so usual. (You understand me if you travel frequently between Europe and America)
4. practical location - right in the center of the town and bus station

Now I will go into some parts could be improved:

1)Safety ignorance - bathroom gap

This hotel has been renovated and updated not long ago, which is overall good. But the architect should keep certain safety details in mind. For example, the gap between bathroom and sleeping room is high but without any cautious color. My husband tripped and fortunately reacted on time. I won’t be surprised if accidents do someday happen to some elderly people. And then it is really a problem. So please do some change before it’s too late.

2)Detail missing - water tap switched the cold/hot water sign

If it’s a $50 hostel, I won’t complain about the switch of the sign of hot/cold water for a single second. But for a four-star hotel, you do expect certain standards. For me, it’s a sign of declined “self-respect”. I can’t believe ten years ago, this kind of “little mistake” will happen to any Swiss hotel.

At the end, I just want to point out certain facts for international visitors especially from Non-Europe & Asian area.

1)This place is very un-diverse, mostly elderly white people, the atmosphere is as you can imagine not the same if you go to a more diverse, younger & friendly place

One morning during the visit, while the cleaning lady was preparing for the room, I grabbed laptop and entered the bar (the only public place you can sit during breakfast time, as they don’t have a business center). An old French speaking guy was meanwhile using the room, without earphone but talking loud in his zoom meeting, as he noticed me (an Asian woman) entering the room, he started to shout back in French and using his aggressive body language to kick me out.

It’s a super unpleasant experience. I talked to the staff and make sure it’s a place everyone can use but with the condition “not disturbing others”. The old French speaking guy is breaking the rules and obviously a racist. But it’s not a coincidence that you will meet this type of person more often in a hotel like this than others.

The manager came to me at the end and apologized for this very disappointing experience which I do appreciate. But the “air” of the visitors (mostly elderly white) in general couldn’t be changed. So ASIAN visitors be aware!

2)naked people in Spa and wellness center

Actually a big plus to have a wellness center after a long ski day, but for people not yet getting used to be “naked” or see naked strangers, you have to be prepared first. Although in the instruction it says, you can use towels to cover your intimacies, but literally no one is doing that - except me. Imagine entering the sauna room, seeing two naked men lying there without any covering, I have to say “it’s kind of strange”. I don’t mean to set criticism on this as it’s part of the “European” culture. But just for Non-Europeans please be aware. Also, since I’m again the only Asian woman in Spa at the time, one naked man staring at me for some remarkable seconds which makes me feel weird and rude.

Again, it’s the thing you cannot change. In America, people generally learn more about how to behave themselves as part of the “social equality” education. Europe in comparison is still the place full of white-privileged without any such consciousness.

Will try another hotel...

Firstly I want to comment the very friendly and warm service from the front desk staffs. They speak very good English and super helpful in giving advices and suggestions. They made me feel so welcomed even before I made the booking until check out. So big plus for this team.||Great central location, directly opposite the Post bus stop, convenient for people come with public transport. For those who drive, they have outdoor and indoor garage. They should consider putting up better signages as I was confused when locating their parking lots behind the hotel.||Room itself was comfortable and good size even for single room. Everything was neat and clean. Bed mattress a bit soft in the middle so I think time to change a new one. Their pillows were also too soft for my liking and they did not seem to have firm ones to offer. Still, it was comfortable enough for short stays. Do ask for a quieter room facing the backyard where you could also see the mountains.||Breakfast was good, especially they offered cook to order options. However, I didn’t like to be directed to corner tables when there were plenty vacant ones by the windows. Do allow us to take our own choice as long it’s reasonable. Some staffs here do not speak English, so quite a contrast compared to the front desk. I overheard a couple struggling to communicate their orders. ||I came here for the spa and it was good. Pretty quiet during this period so I often had the whole place to myself. Their outdoor pool was the best! They kept the place clean and tidy, just lighting can be improved for better feel. Also to add soft music creating a relaxing atmosphere. ||Hotel is close by to lots of hiking options. Easy find to cafes bars and restaurants. Overall a very happy visit for me to...