Hotel Bristol Zurich - Zurich, Switzerland 

Good location, but not good for longer stays!
Posted: Mon, Jul 07 2008
We stayed at the Bristol for 1 week. The location of this hotel is great. Literally 5 minute easy walk from the train station, 2 minute walk down the street to the old town. The room we had was a standard double, 2 twin beds pushed together, 2 nightstands, very small color tv, small bathroom with standup shower, small closet space. The room was very clean as others have commented, but that is all I can really say was good. Opinions do vary, but here are my comments on the room- The beds were very hard and uncomfortable. The pillows were very mushy and flat. There is no air in this room. It felt very stuffy and stale. No air condition or thermostat control..It was unusually warm the week we were there, 80's..and we were sweating all night. The street the hotel is on was noisy and busy with cars all day and night. You could open the very nice big windows, but with the street noise at night, you can't sleep even with earplugs! The bathroom was fine, although quite small. We were on the 4th floor, facing the street. Our room was very noisy, you can hear the neighbors beside you and above..when they walk around, the bed vibrates..It was a very uncomfortable stay, but the price and location were right for us. Next time, we will choose another place, unless we are only staying for a day or two. The breakfast that they include in the rate was ok. They offer 3 cereals, cocoa crispies, muesli, and corn flakes. They have croissants, breads, jams, butter, fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs, and yogurts. Also coffee, tea, and orange juice. The breakfast area was split into 3 small eating areas. Sometimes, it gets crowded, but we always found a spot to sit. The staff was friendly, but not overly so. They did answer any questions we had, and gave us suggestions on places to eat. They do have 2 MAC computers in the lobby, 5 Francs per half hour, a soda machine, and coffee, BUT you have to pay for that which is odd to me. There is a larger TV with a small sitting area as well. The TV only has 1 English station, CNN, so don't expect to watch much entertainment. Overall, I would not recommend the Bristol for longer than a 2 day visit. If you are looking for comfort and more amenities, this is not the place for you. The location is great though for those on business or quick weekend getaways.

Good but Basic Hotel
Posted: Sat, Jul 05 2008
We stayed here for one night on our way to Italy in May 2008. The Hotel Bristol is a good, clean hotel but very basic. Other than a decent breakfast and an elevator there are no amenities at all. All in all, this felt like a clean and small Motel 6 room. One thing to keep in mind is that Zurich is an incredibly expensive city and that, for the price (I think I paid $195 US for a room the size of my bathroom at home), it's probably a decent deal for Zurich, but if it were anywhere else I'd say move on. For the remainder of the trip while in Italy, we stayed in much cheaper and much nicer hotels, so this hotel would probably have to be considered versus other Zurich hotels only. The room is clean but tiny. I know that's the standard in Europe and honestly I'm not a picky person when it comes to hotel rooms, but this was small even for European standards (I was in a double room for 2 people). The bathroom was also very small with a tiny shower. Nonetheless, there was nothing wrong with the room and, as I've said, breakfast was decent. The friendly staff let us keep our bags in the hotel after we checked out for the day.

Great for budget travelers
Posted: Sun, Jun 01 2008
The Bristol Hotel is located very near the train station, about a 3 minute walk and very close to the center of town. The walk to Bellvue Platz took us about 15 minutes at a leisurely pace. The rooms are small and simple, but everything was very clean. The breakfast buffet was good. They had 3 types of cereal, three types of bread (all fresh), 3 flavors of yogurt, cheese, cold cuts, fruit coctail, coffee, milk and juice. The staff was very helpful and friendly. There are two Apple computers in the lobby for guests to use for a price.

Clean efficient hotel
Posted: Thu, May 29 2008
I stayed for a weekend recently. The hotel is clean and everything runs efficiently. Bedrooms are a little on the small size, but adequate in terms of facilities. This certainly isn't a luxury hotel, but within its grade, it delivers well. Staff were generally efficient and helpful, with one exception - an individual who prefered to sit round the back chatting on the phone when she was supposed to be manning the front desk. I and a few others took longer to check out than desirable because of this. The location isn't quite as central as other reviews had led me to believe. It's close to the Hauptbahnhof, but is 10-15 minutes walk from many places you want to be in central Zurich.