Riffelalp Resort 2222 m — Hotel in Zermatt

The hotel has a unique situation in Zermatt, being truly ski in & out on the slopes on the Gonergrat. It is a pleasure putting your skis on & being on the slopes immediately. Most of the staff was very pleasant, especially the French maitre D & most of the members of the front desk team. The outdoor pool was small but pleasant with a nice view of the matterhorn. Unfortunately the hotel falls short on multiple things which are unacceptable for the 5 star rating & the price. I made a booking last minute during peak season, the first "natur classic" room I stayed in was not up to standards expected, it was small, extremely dark, the furniture was not practical & outdated, the bathroom was nowhere near the standard of any 5 star hotel. The housekeeping fell short forgetting to replenish basic necessities like shower gel, even when I purposely left the empty bottle in the middle of the bathroom. I asked for an upgrade & was put in communication with "Patricia", the woman was beyond unpleasant for no reason, seemed to have a problem with the fact that I asked for a quiet room, ideally away from any rooms with kids or connecting doors, claiming this was a "family hotel", although the romantic pictures of the couples in the outdoor jacuzzi aren't exactly screaming family friendly on the hotel's website; she also seemed to have a problem with the fact that I was alone, for god only knows what reason she felt the need to lie & say that I had warned them a friend of mine would be joining me, which I never did, I guess she wanted to keep her last premium room for a couple to make a few extra hundred francs in dinner bills; the website booking.com showed a room of the matterhorn view category available for the remaining duration of my stay but she told me that was not the case & it required a room change - that is simply not possible as booking.com does not have the capability of showing a room available over a period of time which requires a room change, either way, she wanted to be difficult & being thanked for doing her job which tarnished the experience. When I finally was given the upgraded room, I was shocked to realise the magical matterhorn view was completely ruined by a ridiculously large inflatable highlighter-yellow duck in the middle of the garden right under the matterhorn & facing all the most expensive rooms. That's whes I realised this was indeed a "family" hotel, god only knows why they chose to ruin every single photo any paying customer may wish to take from their matterhorn view room with such an absurd & ugly artefact. The room was more spacious & the bathroom was up to the 5 star standard, however it was still dark & the most shocking aspect was the unbearable noise of the doors being slammed shut from all the rooms nearby & the floor above. For a few hours daily, every morning and evening, while guests went on to breakfast and ski, same thing at night when they left for dinner & came back to sleep, the hotel floor turned into a complete nightmare, the vibrations & sound of the doors slamming made you jump out of bed, it is beyond shocking that no member of staff has realised this & done anything about it. There was no kettle & no tea in the room. I stayed in the hotel for a week, whilst it was possible to go to the village for dinner, the train times to come back were very limited which it made it impractical & risky. There were 2-3 restaurants on site, whilst the food was good, the options quickly became boring & the number of "healthy" options were extremely limited, the menu for the room service was equally disappointing with a single "healthy" ish option available. Bills for the same things ordered were different depending on the staff, some staff at the Alex restaurant seemed to expected guests to greet them first which was surprising for a 5 star hotel. On my last day, I asked for a late checkout even if I had to pay an extra fee, the "shift manager", i guess Patricia, granted me...

The hotel has a unique situation in Zermatt, being truly ski in & out on the slopes on the Gonergrat. It is a pleasure putting your skis on & being on the slopes immediately. Most of the staff was very pleasant, especially the French maitre D & most of the members of the front desk team. The outdoor pool was small but pleasant with a nice view of the matterhorn. Unfortunately the hotel falls short on multiple things which are unacceptable for the 5 star rating & the price. I made a booking last minute during peak season, the first "natur classic" room I stayed in was not up to standards expected, it was small, extremely dark, the furniture was not practical & outdated, the bathroom was nowhere near the standard of any 5 star hotel. The housekeeping fell short forgetting to replenish basic necessities like shower gel, even when I purposely left the empty bottle in the middle of the bathroom. I asked for an upgrade & was put in communication with "Patricia", the woman was beyond unpleasant for no reason, seemed to have a problem with the fact that I asked for a quiet room, ideally away from any rooms with kids or connecting doors, claiming this was a "family hotel", although the romantic pictures of the couples in the outdoor jacuzzi aren't exactly screaming family friendly on the hotel's website; she also seemed to have a problem with the fact that I was alone, for god only knows what reason she felt the need to lie & say that I had warned them a friend of mine would be joining me, which I never did, I guess she wanted to keep her last premium room for a couple to make a few extra hundred francs in dinner bills; the website booking.com showed a room of the matterhorn view category available for the remaining duration of my stay but she told me that was not the case & it required a room change - that is simply not possible as booking.com does not have the capability of showing a room available over a period of time which requires a room change, either way, she wanted to be difficult & being thanked for doing her job which tarnished the experience. When I finally was given the upgraded room, I was shocked to realise the magical matterhorn view was completely ruined by a ridiculously large inflatable highlighter-yellow duck in the middle of the garden right under the matterhorn & facing all the most expensive rooms. That's whes I realised this was indeed a "family" hotel, god only knows why they chose to ruin every single photo any paying customer may wish to take from their matterhorn view room with such an absurd & ugly artefact. The room was more spacious & the bathroom was up to the 5 star standard, however it was still dark & the most shocking aspect was the unbearable noise of the doors being slammed shut from all the rooms nearby & the floor above. For a few hours daily, every morning and evening, while guests went on to breakfast and ski, same thing at night when they left for dinner & came back to sleep, the hotel floor turned into a complete nightmare, the vibrations & sound of the doors slamming made you jump out of bed, it is beyond shocking that no member of staff has realised this & done anything about it. There was no kettle & no tea in the room. I stayed in the hotel for a week, whilst it was possible to go to the village for dinner, the train times to come back were very limited which it made it impractical & risky. There were 2-3 restaurants on site, whilst the food was good, the options quickly became boring & the number of "healthy" options were extremely limited, the menu for the room service was equally disappointing with a single "healthy" ish option available. Bills for the same things ordered were different depending on the staff, some staff at the Alex restaurant seemed to expected guests to greet them first which was surprising for a 5 star hotel. On my last day, I asked for a late checkout even if I had to pay an extra fee, the "shift manager", i guess Patricia, granted me...

I don't think I have ever written a review before, but felt compelled to do so on this occasion. We stay in many "top" hotels around the world, but the service at Riffelalp outdid anything that I have experienced before. ||Most hotels and restaurants with good views have terrible service and food as they get sloppy, relying on their location alone to lure in clients. Not so The Riffelalp.||When you book, the arrival process seems a little complicated, but from the time we arrived in our car into the parking in Tasch, until we arrived at the hotel, it was seamless. The friendly porter looked after our luggage and we even had a rather fun skidoo trip from the railway station to the hotel with our luggage pulled along in a sledge behind, which my son (and I) thought was excellent, unexpected action! ||The staff at the hotel are without exception charming, accommodating and helpful. My son has severe allergies (potentially anaphylactic) which always causes a sense of anxiety when we eat out. This is the first hotel where I felt they genuinely cared and wanted to make us and him feel comfortable. On arrival they asked if I could have a meeting with the sous chef to discuss - he was so friendly and professional with lots of ideas of what he could prepare. He made special separately baked croissants as soon as he arrived to work at 07.00 each morning so my son would have a wholesome breakfast before skiing. Additionally, every member of waiting staff was already fully aware in each of the three restaurants we ate in. Again, all charming, very sweet and engaging with my son. Guillaume, the maître d' in the main restaurant, was also the perfect host. Every waiter / waitress was so well trained and professional. It makes such a difference to get a genuine smile and feel like you are being looked after by people who care and take pride in their work. Yes, it's expensive, but this is Switzerland, and when one gets great food and service, it feels ok.||The bubbling outdoor pool, steaming away in the cold mountain air, was a big hit with me and my son as we watched the Matterhorn and skiers zoom past. The ski area is also "off-the-charts" amazing.||Our stay was sadly cut short by a family emergency. It was a great wrench to have to leave early as we genuinely felt so at home there. The warm atmosphere created by the people that work at Riffelalp is the difference. ||I haven't even mentioned the rooms and the hotel in general, which are also excellent, but a "good hotel" without amazing staff and service isn't a good hotel.||Spoil yourself and have a memorable holiday.||Thank you again to all the team at Riffelalp. We...