InterContinental Hotels Group Stay Forum - HI Zurich Messe

As this has been a pointbreaks-hotel recently, I got a room here for 5K points instead of a rate of ~200CHF. Arrived at the hotel at about 8pm in the evening and everything was already prepared for me. Even got the "as a valued Gold member, we have upgraded you to a top-floor King bed room"-spiel - nbut admittedly the room was really VERY nice.

Room had a very comfy King bed, the usual pillow-menu and was decently spacious for European measures. Room is nicely apponted, with fake-wood flooring, flat-screen TV with a good selection and in general very tastfully selected furniture. Coffee maker is available in the room, yet no mini-bar but a vending machine of the floor to buy softs from. For a change in Europe, Internet is currently free at this hotel, and decent in terms of speed. They also offer a pay-option, however what the benefits of that were did not appear to me. Shampoo in the bathtub is from a big bottle mounted to the wall, but they supply single-portion conditioner and body-lotion. Hotel is sparkling new and still smells like.

Best of all is the location of this hotel. For one it's right across the Zurich fair, so if you attend an exibition, your travel-time will be less than a minute (if you're slow), and it's a mere 10 minute by public transportation from the airport (take the train to Oelikon station, then either 63 or 94 bus that stops right in front of the hotel), making it a good choice for an overnight when you need one. Negative is that breakfast starts only at 6:30, so with my 7:25 flight out of ZRH I have no chance to report how it is.

All in all definetly a place I would return to.

Greetings - Dirk

Thanks for this, Dirk. We'll also be there on PointsBreak rates and based on your report and the positive reports at tripadvisor.com
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g188113-d1216728-r30879062-Holiday_Inn_Zuerich_Messe-Zurich.html#REVIEWS, we're looking forward to it.

Some additional info: Tram route 10 has been extended to ZRH. This means street level access at ZRH instead of descending into Hades for the train. Tram 10 goes to Zurich via Oerlikerhus, Leutschenbach and Sternen Oerlikon, from any of which Tram 11 connects to Messe/Hallenstadion for the hotel in 1 or 2 stops, or walk or bus from Sternen Oerlikon.

Yes, I have a thing about trams :p and Zurich's public transport is second to none IMO. But then, they do invest in it ...

Back from our PB stay, and it's everything that Dirk said.

An update on the tram. Take the 10 from ZRH to Sternen Oerlikon and then a 63 or 94 (one stop) from across the road if there is one - and there's a countdown timer telling you when the next one is due) - or a 5-minute walk to the hotel OR take the 10 from ZRH to Leutschenbach and same-tramstop connection to the 11, one stop to Messe/Hallenstadion. Total journey time about 20 minutes. The are is CHF6.10.

From hotel to ZRH with baggage, I'd suggest the 11 tram from Messe/Hallenstadion to Leutschenbach (one stop) then the 10 to ZRH from the same tramstop. That's because part of the walk to Sternen Oerlikon is uphill.

I'll happily stay again, in fact we're booked for later in June, also on PB. The tram links mean that nowhere in Zurich is very far. The Glatt shopping centre is a short 94 bus ride away. The only downside for us was we were there for the Whitsun weekend, and almost everything in Switzerland was closed, including the two nearby Italian restaurants. Downtown was open as usual.

I stayed there for one night last month on a pointsbreak stay. I was less keen on the hotel, though it was perfectly adequate for a one night stay. I was upgraded to a top floor room, and was given free access to the minibar. The minibar access was not explained to me, but a friend had told me to ask. There were some soft drinks and a Kit Kat bar.

My room had a modern industrial look. I like modern, but this was spartan imo. There were no cabinets. Rather, there was a very long shelf built into the wall which was terrific for laying out my suitcase. What I really disliked was the choice of color for an accent wall. It was grass green, almost a lime green. I found it very jarring. The same owner built a hotel in Berne (I hope I have this right) and a friend told me the decor is identical there.

I didn't see any restaurants or cafes in an easy walk, though the hotel has its own restaurant. I did very much like the extensive outdoor seating area.

What I really disliked was the choice of color for an accent wall. It was grass green, almost a lime green. I found it very jarring.Yes, I wouldn't want to spend too long there.I didn't see any restaurants or cafes in an easy walk ...There are two Italian restaurants within 5 minutes (closed at Whitsun), near the tram stop. More restaurants at Oerlikon (5-10 minutes walk). OK in good weather but less pleasant in the rain or snow. Or take the bus to the Glatt shopping centre.

What I really disliked was the choice of color for an accent wall. It was grass green, almost a lime green. I found it very jarring.

For better or for worse, this is the new Holiday Inn color.

For better or for worse, this is the new Holiday Inn color.Understood, and the staff were wearing uniforms in the new colour scheme. But room walls? If I have to suffer huge areas of that green in future HI rooms, I will be very disappointed.

We will be in Zurich for three days and considering this hotel. Is this a good base for seeing the area, I realize it is not in the city center but it is close to transpotation. Not sure what we will be doing but probably the touristy things first timers do. Is three days in Zurich too much?

Thanks

We will be in Zurich for three days and considering this hotel. Is this a good base for seeing the area, I realize it is not in the city center but it is close to transpotation.

Not in my opinion. It's simply too far from city center and in a very bland neighborhood immediately across from the convention center. But it depends on your budget, and what your alternatives are. I've certainly stayed in out of the way places because they were what I could afford at that point in time.

Not sure what we will be doing but probably the touristy things first timers do. Is three days in Zurich too much?

There are some wonderful scenic day train trips from Zurich. If you spend three days in the area, I'd suggest looking into that.

I stayed there last year in June for a night.

The report is uploaded on my homepage with some pictures and a short video.
(http://www.hotels-and-travel.de/hotelberichte/ihg/hotel_zrh_hi_messe.htm)


The Holiday Inn Zurich Messe is located in Zurich Oerlikon, which is halfway between the airport and downtown Zurich. From the airport or the main station the hotel could be reached either by train or by tram #11. By car, one should follow the signs to Zurich Oerlikon and / or Messe / Hallenstadion. From the station Oerlinkon take the bus #63 to the hotel, the stop is right in front of the hotel.

The hotel is a six floor building in a very light brown colour. The 164 rooms are all non-smoking rooms and divided into Standard and Executive Rooms. The first floor, where the seven meeting rooms are located, is slightly wider and therefore featuring as roof for the entrance and parts of the restaurant. Apart from that, the building itself it nothing special.

One is accessing the hotel through a sliding door and reaches the lobby. The lobby is long but a bit narrow. There are glass windows to the street. A small seating area is close to the lobby, but a bit more lounge chairs would be nice. Right next to the entrance is the “Lobby Bar” and the Brasserie “Bits& Bites”. The check in desks are further down the lobby on the right side. There are two places to check in and out desk, but in off peak times it seems that usually one agent is on duty. Next to the check in desk is the Business Corner, which has two PC and a printer for printing of up to 20 pages.

A gym is available on the second floor, it is small and called Mini-Gym, what is the right description. Is had a machine for body training, a treadmill, a stepper and a bike. Towels are available. It is open 24 hours, which seems to become the norm at international brands.

The Lobby Bar is open from 06:30 to 0:30 and serving different types of beverage as well as light snacks. The restaurant Brasserie Bits&Bits is open from 06:30 to 23:30 and serving breakfast as well as lunch and dinner, mostly international and local dishes.

Breakfast is served as American buffet with cereals, yoghurt, fruit salad, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, rösti, mushroom, cheese and salmon. Jam and confiture are available, rolls area available as well as toast, croissant but I missed pastries. Tea and coffee were self service from a machine, orange and multi-vitamin juices are also available.

The interior is modern with mostly dark wood compared with some light brown elements. Nice and modern, but not overly stylish and it might not be that fast out of style. The restaurant is also very modern, the walls are dark, some parts mixed with light brown colours and a dark wooden floor (laminate).

The hotel is offering a covered parking available, which could be reached from the hotel, but is not part of the hotel, since it is outsourced.

I arrived around 20:10 at the hotel and entered the lobby. I was friendly greeted at the hotel and the reservation was retrieved from the system. I was told that I got an upgrade to an Executive Room due to my Platinum Status. The special features of the Executive Rooms were explained, they are slightly bigger than the average room, having a Tassimo coffeemachine and a minibar with complimentary soft drinks. I had to ask for internet, which is free if you do not need the DSL 16000, which would be 9.00 CHF for 24 hours, and for the times breakfast is served; I was notified that it was not included in my room rate and would be 24 CHF. The use of the keycard in the elevator and at the doors to the room were also explained.

The room was at a corner of the building, but had windows only on one side. There was a long hallway to reach the room. Located at this hallway was the closet and the Tassimo coffee machine as well as minibar and safe. In the closet were the iron and ironing board placed as well as two bathrobes with slippers. The hallway was painted in Holiday Inn Green which gave it a special appearance, not as bad as one could imagine reading about green wall paint. At the corner to a room was a place to store luggage. The bathroom was at the entrance to the room.

To safe space, there was a sliding door rather than a real door. It had a toilet, sink and bath. Bathroom amenities were placed next to the sink. Hair-dryer and shaving / cosmetic mirror were also available. The bath had a glas panel, which as usually was too short to avoid dripping water on the floor while taking a shower. Towels of big, medium and small size were available for two persons. A nice feature was the blue night lighting on the floor. The big mirror behind the sink became foggy while taking a shower. Both, the too short glass panel the the foggy mirror are problems in many hotels and also one gets used too it, they are still a bit annoying. While I could imagine, that a heated mirror would be a bit too much to expect in a Holiday Inn, a slights bigger glass panel should not be a problem.

The room itself was of medium size, the term bigger of the Executive Rooms are more related to the more space related to the hallway. On the left side was a double with two bedside tables with two reading lamps. On one of the bedside tables was a phone, both had power outlets, one even a German plug, and switches for all lights in the room. Kudos, since I have not experienced such a feature in a (Holiday-Inn) hotel for a longer time. Opposite the entrance was a lounge chair with a small table and another lamp. On the left side in the corner was the desk with lamp, power outlets (again including a German one). The wall mounted Flat TV was also mounted there, which could be a little big disturbing, especially if one was working with a laptop, and had a lot of other stuff on the desk, since the desk was not the biggest one. Another phone was placed on the desk.

The room was laid with dark laminate. A mirror and a wall print gave the room a nice appearance, but overall the room was missing a bit a nicer atmosphere. Maybe it would have been an advantage to place the print or the mirror on the wall where the bed is located. The walls in the room were painted white, not green.

The mattress was hard and exactly as I prefer it.

The room was in good condition, a few stains and scratches but nothing really severe.

Breakfast was mentioned as above, staff was of average attentiveness. Dirty and used plates was cleared, but they passed my table several times noticing it before taking it away and they did not seems too busy. The quality and quantity was okay, I would have preferred to have a slightly bigger selection of fruit.

It might be just me, but I did not find the green wall colour that bad at all. It is for sure something differnet, but each to his own :D. I would stay there again, even if I wanted to visit downtown Zurich. My parents did so a few days later and found the location excellent, as they went there by car and this hotel is easier if you also want to drive to some places outside Zurich. Especially during rush hour, that saves you some time.