After a day in Switzerland using a Saver Day Pass, I needed to end up in Geneva the next day, but the Hilton Geneva suddenly raised its rate from 180 francs to a ridiculous 600 francs so an alternative was needed. The less-than-stellar reviews of this property were a bit off-putting, but the rate was just enough to trigger my final Amex offer so I decided to go for it. Furthermore, the boat from Lausanne (normally quite pricey at 21 francs) was included in my ticket and brought me almost right to the hotel entrance, so my “detour” to Evian actually saved time and resulted in a more comfortable stay than a cheapo hotel in Annemasse/Ferney/Thoiry.
My stay came to GBP 108.50 after Amex cashback. I received a 3-day auto upgrade to a Junior Suite. It has been mentioned that these are all in the wing perpendicular to the lake, and are described as “lake view” even though much of the view is obscured; it wasn't that bad from my room. Got the water at check in (it wasn’t in the room). There is a fridge in the room which helped to cool down the water a bit too.
My room was well-maintained and very clean, no complaints from me. The only minor issue was the lack of plug sockets (mentioned above), but with the floor area being so large, there was ample space to spread out my stuff and therefore a socket next to the bed wasn’t really required.
Water pressure in the shower was excellent. The air con was powerful, which was appreciated on a very hot evening, and did not shut off automatically when opening the balcony door. Yes, the balconies are very close to each other and if someone nearby is smoking it would be annoying (well, not sure if it’s meant to be allowed, but there is an ashtray). Though I didn’t see anyone on their balconies at all; in fact the whole hotel seemed to be dead.
I had the breakfast area entirely to myself for half an hour or so, and I mean entirely; no staff and also no birds (the doors were closed); when they later popped out of the kitchen the staff seemed surprised that someone had come down before 8am. There were no mushrooms to have hairs in, and they did have a “unique item”, Savoy diots (I thought they were just ordinary sausages until reading up later on…) I wouldn’t pay €32 if I had no status, but it beat all the UK DT breakfasts I’ve had this year.
The “shuttle” is a standard 7-seater car and when the hotel is not busy it looks like the staff would be happy to drive or pick you up anywhere reasonable. With the train being only hourly from 8am, rather than being driven unnecessarily I found that Bus L departs from the pier to Thonon for €1.10, where I wandered around until the next train arrived.
This property worked well as a night stop. As I had not expected to use the lounge or any other facilities, it did not affect me even if they weren't great; I would have to read the latest reviews if I wanted to come back for a longer stay.
