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Old Aug 14, 2016, 7:39 am
  #4  
kamel123
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 360
Dolder Grand, Zurich

Room type: Junior Suite Superior

Setting: The Dolder is located ~15-25 minutes (depending on traffic) from Zurich downtown on a hillside, in Zurich’s most exclusive residential area Zürichberg, looking down on the lake and the city. It’s a leafy and green setting, with the woods starting right at the back of the hotel. The location has its upsides and downsides – perfect for a relaxing stay, removed from the hustle and bustle, not ideal if you want a choice of restaurants in walking distance. Also, weekday traffic in the mornings and evenings is pretty heavy, so if attending business meetings downtown, I would prefer to stay in the city.
The Dolder consists of the original turn-of-the 19th century building, and two modern additions left and right, designed by Norman Foster. Tastes vary, but we found these additions to be quite respectful to the historic building in the middle.
Public areas are quite grand. Especially the lobby is atmospheric. There is a large woodburning fireplace, a nice view towards Lake Zurich, and very comfortable sofas. On the walls, a serious collection of modern art (the personal property of the billionaire hotel owner), with numerous museum quality pieces (such as a large Gerhard Richter).

Room: We opted for a junior suite in the original building, and were happy with it. Dark wood floor, view to the lake, classic-style furniture but with contemporary touches, modern technology (e.g., B&O TV, room controls). I would always prefer the original building over the new additions as I feel it provides more sense of place, but the new building comes with the option of a lake-facing balcony also in lower room categories, which is a plus.

Food: Breakfast is à-la-carte, and service-wise, this was one of the best à-la-carte breakfasts we have had so far. We have found that à-la-carte breakfasts can get inconvenient when you have to ask for every yoghurt, bread roll, etc. separately, but here it worked perfectly. Staff always turned up at the right time to bring e.g., another cup of coffee, made suggestions as to what we could order, remembered preferences from the prior day, and all this while remaining discreetly in the background. High quality dishes – great cheese, great egg dishes.
We did not try the gourmet restaurant, just had room service once. Pricey, but nice selection, nicely presented, and of high quality. Flexible in accommodating off-menu requests. Also, very nice snack menu in the lobby, featuring classics such as club sandwich and beef carpaccio, expertly prepared.

Pool/Spa: Not much to say other than my wife enjoyed her treatments (massages) very much.

Service: Excellent throughout. Every staff member we met was particularly friendly, and everything worked seamlessly.

Overall: Top-notch stay throughout. Pricey, but worth it. The local competition would be the Baur au Lac (downtown, at the lake), the Widder (downtown, spread over a number of historical townhouses), and potentially the Park Hyatt (downtown, modern). The Dolder is unique for its urban-resort like location.
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