T RIED AND TE ST E D B ERN HOT E L
Hotel Schweizerhof Bern
B A C KGROUND Behind the traditional Bern façade of green/grey sandstone, this hotel (open since 1857) was completely renovated between 2005 and 2011 and is a sister hotel to the Royal Savoy (see left).
WHERE IS IT ? On Bahnhofplatz, facing Bern’s main train station. Zurich is only 50 minutes’ away by high-speed train. Arriving at the station you can go directly to the hotel by foot using escalators from the station to the corner of the hotel.
WHAT ’S IT LIKE? This is very much a city hotel, though one where the design lends privacy to the reception and bar area, as the main doors open onto a vestibule with the concierge desk to one side. To access reception you turn left and then into the lobby bar with its lounge. Service is excellent; staff help with
everything, even directions for an early morning run. The renovation retained the historical elements (much of the hotel is listed), but also brought it up to date. The lounge, for instance, is lined with shelves full of recently published hardback books, and has fashionable lighting, eclectic furniture and, in the evening, music and a DJ once a week. All floors are accessed via a lift famous,
apparently, for being in the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The hotel corridors have large black-and-white prints of Bern.
ROOMS The 99 rooms and suites are on floors two to six, ranging in size from 28 sqm up to 120 sqm. They start with the amusingly named Charming Queens (28 sqm), of which there are 24, and Charming Kings (same size), of which there are 21. There are then 27 Deluxe Boutiques (46 sqm) and suites of various sizes – most numerous are the Boutique Junior suites (11 of these). Around 50 per cent of rooms are outward facing (there is good double glazing to insulate from noise) while the others look into the courtyard. You can open the windows for fresh air. A few rooms have balconies, but most rooms are no smoking
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
BE ST FOR
Exemplary service and a fabulous location in the centre of town.
D ON’ T MI S S The Sky Terrace bar
(only open in summer) or the Cigar Lounge (if you’re a smoker).
P R ICE Internet rates for a
Charming Queen room start at CHF440 (£334) for a weeknight in October.
C ONT A C T
Hotel Schweizerhof Bern, Bahnhofplatz 11, 3001 Bern; +41 31 326 80 80;
schweizerhof-bern.ch
99
(though you can smoke in the Sky Terrace and Cigar Lounge). The lights and shutters for the windows
are controlled from a master panel by the bed and I found my outward-facing room very quiet once these were closed for the night. The rooms have wooden floors with rugs, and feature minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, kettle, air conditioning, IP telephone, entertainment system, 40- inch flatscreen television, international power sockets (UK, EU), and free wired and wireless internet access. There is a good-sized work desk and a complimentary minibar with soft drinks and beer, plus a laptop-size safe with power socket inside. The marble bathrooms have heated
mirrors and rain showers (some have a bath), while junior suites have a bathroom television and (in the bedroom) a sound system with docking station. Larger suites have separate living, dining and bedroom areas, and a guest WC.
FOOD AND DRINK The main bar is in the lobby on the ground floor. To one side of the entrance is the well-known Jack’s Brasserie serving French-style cuisine (and breakfast). The Sky Terrace is open from April until mid-October from 1100-2300,
The Sky Terrace has views of the city rooſtops and the local mountain, Gurten
with views of the Bernese Alps, the city rooftops, the local mountain, Gurten, and the old town. It serves lunch, dinner and, on summer weekends, breakfast, or you could just have drinks up there. Finally, there is a Cigar Lounge on the ground floor.
MEE TING S The hotel has extensive meeting facilities: 800 sqm all on the first floor, called The Belle Etage, and culminating in the impressive 350 sqm ballroom, the Salon Trianon.
L EIS U RE There is a large 500 sqm spa facility on the lower ground floor.
VERDIC T This is a very convenient hotel, minutes from the main station, yet once inside it is a lovely calm place, with a vibrant bar and, in the summer, a rooftop bar. Yet, it’s actually the service that marks it as excellent. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and seemed genuinely keen to ensure our stay was successful and enjoyable. Tom Otley
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