Hotel Montana Zürich — Hotel in Zurich

I do not recommend this hotel, not even for one day.

The machine they have for check-in was not easy to use, especially because there were no clear instructions on how to get the room key card. At first, I thought there was no one at reception, but eventually, the receptionist appeared and checked me in. When I entered the room, I realized it hadn’t been cleaned: there was leftover coffee on the table, the bed was unmade, and there was a used towel in the bathroom. I went to reception to report it, and she asked to check before relocating me to another room. According to her, it was the only room available. This new room was bigger and had an extra bed, and she told me that if I wanted, I could either stay there or go back to the previous room. I thought to myself that I was being compensated for their mistake of assigning me an uncleaned room, so I decided to stay in the bigger one. I spread out all my belongings and felt the problem had been solved quickly. The receptionist mentioned they were short-staffed, and I assumed they were overwhelmed and unable to clean all the rooms on time. The next day, I left early and only returned at night. When I tried to access my room, my card no longer worked—access denied—and I heard voices inside, speaking the same language as mine. I knocked, and after speaking to the new guest, she told me that I had probably been moved because she needed the extra bed. But I immediately wondered: where are my things? Nothing was left in that room. With no one at reception, I went to the machine and saw that they had reassigned me to a room on the second floor. I activated the new card and entered—it turned out my belongings had been moved there. They had stuffed my shoes with clothes, and a bar of soap I had was missing. This happened around 9–10 p.m. The next day, I asked to speak with the manager, but she wasn’t available. I spoke again to the same receptionist and told her how absurd it was that they had moved my belongings without any notice. I also mentioned my missing bar of soap. She simply apologized and said they didn’t have my phone number to inform me—(but clearly, that is not my problem). I stayed another five days at the hotel and never heard anything more about my soap. The new room seemed a bit newer than the others, but the shower holder was broken, so I had to hold the showerhead every time I wanted to bathe. The window overlooked a supermarket loading dock, so sleeping with the window open was impossible. The room was hot, and the only fan provided was old and too noisy to sleep with. At 6 a.m. on Saturday, I was woken up by someone talking on the phone, even though my window was only slightly open. In short, it was absurd—something that, in my opinion, borders on a police matter. I emailed Booking.com demanding a solution or at least a guarantee that the hotel would not touch my belongings again. They replied three days later, asking me to upload documents to support my claim, but the upload link didn’t work. I contacted them again to inform them about the issue, and after another day, they responded saying the hotel had not replied at all and that no agreement had been reached. Booking.com then offered me credit for a...

Loved the hotel. But, that said, I understand why the reviews are often contradictory. The reason, I believe, is that those who booked the cheapest room, hated it & those who booked & paid for a Deluxe (or better) room, loved it. Both got the rooms they paid for. Those who booked the cheapest room hated it. They expected a spacious room with a wooden wardrobe, lounge chair, desk & chair, large bathroom & tub, massive comfortable bed, Nespresso maker, and two double windows but that describes a Deluxe room. In this hotel, like in many others, it makes a difference. In modern U.S. hotels, most all rooms are identical, but not in Europe. Even in Switzerland the phrase applies: you get what you pay for. If you want a spacious room, book a Deluxe Room. I paid just a little extra than the standard room, and got the room described above; loved my stay at the Montana.

Yes, other reviews complained that there is no A/C; that is the norm throughout Europe. If you want a/c book a hotel that specifically says they have a/c. And read the reviews because “a/c” in Europe may not be the sub-zero systems found in the U.S. I came early October, and although the days were warm & bright, the nights cooled down, especially with both windows left open. I actually used the comforter; it got chilly.

And for the complaint re pillows, the reason is that the pillows are filled with down feather. Feather pillows (more expensive) tend not to hold up like the awesome American-made “My Pillow.” Maybe someday My Pillow will be everywhere. I am also not a fan of down feather pillows. Maybe you can ask in the request box to substitute down feather pillows for foam or some other firmer filler.

Location is great if you need to be near the train station. Otherwise, it’s not. If you want to explore the old town or go on a lake or river cruise you will need to take the #4 tram. The distance is walkable but it’s not 5 minutes. I needed to be near the train station for an early morning departure so, the inconvenience of taking the tram was acceptable. Trams come every few minutes; this is Switzerland after all.

The hotel is in an odd area of town but close to the station. For example, right next door is a Sex Shop. But the hotel itself is in a recently renovated building; the decor is modern & hip. Most of the street are just older apartment buildings.

The self check-in was a new feature I’ve never experienced but loved it. When you enter, you walk up to one of three terminals, log on & your room key is coded & you’re done; simple & fast. Why isn’t every hotel doing this?! There is a person nearby to help those technologically-challenged or should one have any questions.

The room was spacious & well equipped with large reading lounge chair, king bed, plenty of lighting options, great shower & deep tub, desk & chair & a large Nespresso coffee maker. The two large windows provided good natural light & allowed for a cool night sleep.

Bottom line: if you want a spacious room, book one & if you want to be in the old town or by the lake, consider other options. I took the tram, did the river & lake cruises, strolled through old town & walked less than 5 min. to get my...

The machine they have for check-in was not easy to use, especially because there were no clear instructions on where is the room key card. At first, I thought there was no one at reception, but eventually, the receptionist appeared and checked me in. When I entered the room, I realized it hadn’t been cleaned: there was leftover coffee on the table, the bed was unmade, and there was a used towel in the bathroom. I went to reception to report it, and she asked to check before relocating me to another room. According to her, it was the only room available. This new room was bigger and had an extra bed, and she told me that if I wanted, I could either stay there or go back to the previous room. I thought to myself that I was being compensated for their mistake of assigning me an uncleaned room, so I decided to stay in the bigger one. I spread out all my belongings and felt the problem had been solved quickly. The receptionist mentioned they were short-staffed, and I assumed they were overwhelmed and unable to clean all the rooms on time.||||The next day, I left early and only returned at night. When I tried to access my room, my card no longer worked—access denied—and I heard voices inside, speaking the same language as mine. I knocked, and after speaking to the new guest, she told me that I had probably been moved because she needed the extra bed. But I immediately wondered: where are my things? Nothing was left in that room. With no one at reception, I went to the machine and saw that they had reassigned me to a room on the second floor. I activated the new card and entered—it turned out my belongings had been moved there. They had stuffed my shoes with clothes, and a bar of soap I had was missing.||This happened around 9–10 p.m. The next day, I asked to speak with the manager, but they weren't available. I spoke again to the same receptionist and told her how absurd it was that they had moved my belongings without any notice. I also mentioned my missing bar of soap. She simply apologized and said they didn’t have my phone number to inform me (but clearly, that is not my problem). I stayed another five days at the hotel and never heard anything more about my soap.||||The new room seemed a bit newer than the others, but the shower holder was broken, so I had to hold the showerhead every time I wanted to bathe. The window overlooked a supermarket loading dock, so sleeping with the window open was impossible. The room was hot, and the only fan provided was old and too noisy to sleep with. At 6 a.m. on Saturday, I was woken up by someone talking on the phone, even though my window was only slightly open.||||In short, it was absurd something that, in my opinion, borders on a police matter.||||I emailed Booking.com demanding a solution or at least a guarantee that the hotel would not touch my belongings again. They replied three days later, asking me to upload documents to support my claim, but the upload link didn’t work. I contacted them again to inform them about the issue, and after another day, they responded saying the hotel had not replied at all and that no agreement had been reached. Booking.com then offered me credit for a...