Widder Hotel — Hotel in Zurich

The Widder Hotel is a reminder that it takes more than high-end décor to make a luxury hotel. It looks great, but a service culture is completely missing.

I'm really not a demanding guest... but as I carried all my bags to the room while two idling porters watched, I couldn't help but decide that the Widder failed to reach a minimum service level for a hotel which positions itself in this elite league. The reception staff provided efficient, courteous service at the standard Swiss level, but it is far from personable or personalised hospitality. This is such a disappointment! As a fairly small property with plenty of staff, they could excel at the proactive service style which distinguishes the world's best hotels.

Absolutely none of the details mentioned during booking were remembered in later encounters, even though they were all with the same staff member. There is simply nothing attentive or engaged about the service here. It gets the job done, but certainly can't be called hospitality.

Also, I mentioned some maintenance issues (filthy furniture in the room with burst upholstery) in the post-check-out online questionnaire. In other hotels, a manager almost always follows up out of courtesy, but from the Widder there was no acknowledgement whatsoever. The Widder consistently makes you feel like just another customer; certainly never a valued guest.

Despite all this, there was a glimmer of excellence in the service: turndown. I'm a sucker for a Bettmümpfeli, and was not disappointed, but that's not the only reason I'd rate the turndown here very highly. Common missteps in other hotels, such as leaving used coffee cups in the room, did not happen here. Leaving somnolent piano jazz playing was a nice touch.

I stayed in one of the lower room categories (my fault for booking at the last minute), but was very pleasantly surprised. The "design" category was very cleverly organised and full of high-end features: marble bathroom, rainfall shower, coffee machine, free non-alcoholic minibar, highly customizable lighting.

Apart from the practical features, it was beautifully designed: an inviting place to work and relax in. There was absolutely no sense that it was the poor relative of the historic junior suite I had set my heart on. The only sign that these rooms are not their pride and joy was the aforementioned poor state of the furniture – suggesting that these rooms are the repository for what's not good enough for elsewhere. Sound insulation wasn't great either: noise flowed freely from the corridor and neighboring rooms, but in a 500 year old listed building I was expecting worse. It's also refreshing to get a low-tier room with a street view instead of courtyard.

The Widder has easily one of the best equipped and most stylish hotel gyms I've ever had the pleasure of using. Freeweights, Technogym cardio and strength machines and crossfit basics are all accounted for, and open 24/7. Separated by saloon doors, a small, unisex locker area with one shower/dressing room and toilet adjoin the workout room. The fitness room was definitely my favorite of the hotel's design set pieces. You will nevertheless notice the lack of service culture here too: if you plan on using the gym in the evening or before work, you'd be lucky to find a towel. Housekeeping doesn´t call by often enough.

Great architecture gives the Widder a bit more personality than the Baur au Lac around the corner, which is just your standard-issue fancy hotel which could be anywhere in the world. However, thinking about how few hard facilities the Widder offers – no world-class spa like the Dolder, nor the green oasis of the Baur au Lac – the Widder needs to be full of other pleasant surprises to justify its consistently higher prices compared to these direct rivals.

So I consider the Widder to be very stylish place to sleep and shower, but can't consider it a luxury hotel as long as the only interaction with your hosts is about payment. The Schweizerhof has all the Widder's strengths but with personable, attentive service on top, and at...

My recent stay at the Widder Hotel was an experience that exceeded expectations at every turn.

From the moment I arrived, the front desk team set the tone for the stay—professional yet warm, ensuring a smooth check-in. This level of service was mirrored in every interaction with the hotel staff, whether it was the exceptional room service or the meticulous housekeeping team.

The in-room dining experience was nothing short of exceptional.

The room itself was a sanctuary: spotlessly clean, whisper-quiet, and thoughtfully designed.

My evening unwinding at the hotel bar was another highlight. The waitstaff’s friendly engagement with guests turned the night into a memorable one.

Breakfast was another chapter in perfection. The staff operated with the precision of a Swiss watch, ensuring every guest felt catered to without a moment’s delay.

Post-breakfast, the cozy library offered a serene escape, where I settled into a Charles and Eames lounge chair with a Goethe book in hand—an unforgettable touch of refinement.

Upon departure, the parting gift of finest pralines was the perfect send-off, a thoughtful gesture that left me smiling long after I checked out.

The Widder Hotel doesn’t just offer a stay; it offers an immersion into a world where history, modernity, and unparalleled...

Really enjoyed an evening spent at the Widder Bar whilst on a business trip to Zurich, exploring their excellent range of single malts.

I spent a while chatting to the bar manager who was very friendly and really knew his whisky. I ended up leaning on him for recommendations towards the end of the evening and he exhibited that impressive trait of a real whisky expert; analysing what I had been drinking so far and choosing whiskies that were sufficiently similar to be to my taste, but equally sufficiently different so as to keep things interesting. The atmosphere was also really nice in this place - very sophisticated and upmarket but also very friendly. Oh and there was a piano player too.

Highlights included an old Signatory bottling of Brora (shortbread and demerera sugar), a Swiss single malt - a 4 year old Rugenbrau (dried fruits; reminiscent of a Karuizawa) and the piece de la resistance was undoubtedly the Widder Bar's own Laphroaig bottling (less of the characteristic medicinal notes but huge raw elemental peat, yet surprisingly refined and feminine - more like a Caol Ila). I also tried the renowned Ardbeg Mor there, in a giant bottle which apparently there are only a handful of...