Hilton Geneva {CHE}
 

The Hilton Geneva Hotel and Conference Centre, near the airport and Palexpo, (re)opened on 1 October 2020. It used to be the Starling hotel which closed in March from the pause in travel and conferences. There was a previous Hilton by the lake which became the Kempinski in 2007.

I stayed for one night on points which represented about 0.5 US cents per point against the lowest paid rate. I did not have to pay the city tax on this award stay.

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OCLI was available but there was no floor plan so I didn't do it. I was put in a King Executive room which was a nominal upgrade from a standard room. I was also asked to place my breakfast order (deliverable between 0630 and 1000) during check-in. I was not offered a free transport pass and forgot to ask, but I got one later and it was still stamped with STARLING HOTEL.

In the room, the analogue thermostat worked well. Water bottles were in the fridge. Swiss J sockets and one UK socket (upside-down) are by the table, no Europe C socket though. The wall-mounted hair dryer had to be reset using a button every time you took your finger off the control. Bathrobe and slippers were available, bath towels were big but thin. Shower box is raised but the seal had been worn over time, so floor got a bit wet. Bed was comfortable.

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View from window in daylight
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View of reception area from corridor


As all public facilities of the hotel are under enforced closure, in lieu of lounge access I was told to call room service for a free drink and some canapes. These were couscous, some meat thing and 4 prawns in a curry sauce - the prawns were actually big and juicy. A QR code was provided for the room service menu which along with the breakfast order form can be seen at http://qrcgcustomers.s3-eu-west-1.am...9645965_23.pdf

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Breakfast was delivered exactly at the requested time and was piping hot.

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All staff were friendly. The lobby was dead but there were always several guests walking through so occupancy was not completely down. They probably didn't make any money from my points stay, but I wouldn't have stayed here had it not reflagged, and I will certainly consider this property again when things are back to life.


There are several options to get between the airport and hotel. There is a free shuttle service operated by a 6-seater minivan. It is rather cramped and can only fit 2 strangers if distancing properly, so during the current hospitality restrictions it runs on demand - the driver waits by the main entrance and you can call the front desk if you need a pick-up. It only takes 3 minutes so you can wait for the driver to come back if there are too many passengers.

If you arrive at Genève-Aéroport by train, the station exit towards the back of the train leads right to the local bus stops where one of numbers 23, 28, 50 or 66 is almost always imminently departing. Travel 2 stops to Palexpo Halle 7 (next to the Ibises) from where it is 3 minutes walk beneath the Palexpo to the Hilton. Easier than the shuttle if you can read a map and have light luggage. The local buses are not convenient from hotel to airport.

From the far end of the station, towards the front of the train as it arrives, you can even walk the entire way to the hotel in under 10 minutes - past the Arena, up some steps to a footbridge that crosses the motorway to the Ibis Styles entrance, then back down to the aforementioned bus stop.

If you want to go to/from the city, you can take bus 5 which may be faster than going via the airport, but the stop is a bit further away. Do not take bus 5 from the airport to the hotel. I made a helpful map below.

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Thanks, that’s much appreciated. It looks like a relatively decent offer, given that restaurants are currently closed in the State of Geneva.

Really good map, and I think walking it is totally ok. Well, for me anyway: I do loads of things like that in Switzerland. I would have thought the stop for Bus 5 wasn't so far away. There's a bit of change coming for the buses in Geneva on December 13th 2020, by the way.

Only in Switzerland, looking at your pic out of the window above, would you get a bit of farmland in the city like that. Long may it last before it gets built on.

Hilton Geneva Hotel & Conference Center
 

Introduction Overall a solid hotel for a quick overnight stay. The staff are great and really make the difference here. I would give it an 8/10. Check In The checkin lady was warm and welcoming. Due to covid, the lounge is closed but Diamond members get complimentary snacks and a beverage from the room service menu instead which is a nice touch. I was upgraded to a Junior Suite already 5 days prior to staying which I found impressive. I was informed that breakfast starts at 0630. As I had an early start ahead they offered a to go box instead which I gladly accepted as alternative.They hold CHF 100.00 for extras on the credit card, though I was not informed of this during check-in. Dining The staff were professional, drink selection OK. I ordered a G&T and apparently the check-in lady had informed the bar staff that I was a Diamond member. Therefore, they brought the complimentary snacks to the table even though I had declined it beforehand during checkin and they put the G&T on the house. The bar closed at 10pm. Location This hotel is fairly big, is composed of 2 wings and has a conference center. It is a 5 minutes drive away from Geneva Airport and is located opposite the Palexpo center. There are several food outlets, a bar and a pool, but due to covid most are closed. The hotel joined the Hilton brand and reopened on 1st October 2020. It used to be the Starling Hotel.ShuttleThe driver was professional and the shuttle clean and modern (Mercedes van). They are available on demand, no fixed schedule. A Solid Hotel With Excellent Staff This hotel is fairly big, is composed of 2 wings and has a conference center. It is a 5 minutes drive away from Geneva Airport and is located opposite the Palexpo center. There are several food outlets, a bar and a pool, but due to covid most are closed. The hotel joined the Hilton brand and reopened on 1st October 2020. It used to be the Starling Hotel.Overall a solid hotel for a quick overnight stay. The staff are great and really make the difference here. I would give it an 8/10.The main complaint are the outdated rooms. However, judging from the pictures, it looks like some rooms have been refurbished already and this seemed to be a non-refurbished room. Room Now this room is designated as a junior suite. It is a bit old and looks a bit dull, but large. The curtains could need replacing. However, the balcony and views over the airport is great. Also, you get a pillow menu and some chocolates. This is a nice touch. The two bottles of water could be found in the stylish mini fridge. The bathroom features a bathtub and shower. The junior suites are located on the top floor (7th floor). The rooms are not soundproof. Traffic from the motorway which is next to the hotel can be heard.

3 nights stay
 

Nothing to add to the reviews of @:D! and @florens.

Pre-upgraded from basic room to junior suite. I chose building 2, room 768 which is at the end of the hallway. When checking in online, this room looked larger, but it was not. Nevertheless, quietly located within the hotel. The balcony had a small table and two chairs. I took one chair inside so that we both could comfortably sit at the table in the room.
I would fully agree that staff is very friendly, welcoming and tries to help if needed. In lieu of the executive lounge a snack tray is delivered to the room. We opted for 18:00 hrs and it arrived at 18:20 the first night, 18:40 the second night and 18:05 the third night. Snacks were accompanied by one beverage of choice. So there is one glass of wine only per person. The snack was great the first night but declined on night two and even more on night three.

We had dinner in the restaurant the first night. There were minor service issues but the real bad thing was the food. The first course had a stale taste (crab salad) or was soaked in pesto (burrata). The second course was Chicken Thai Curry and we wondered if the person preparing this dish was aware of what he or she was doing: chunks of chicken meat you would never find in a Thai restaurant, no ginger, no lemon grass, everything was swimming in a sauce of neutral taste. It arrived luke warm only. The waiter returned it quickly to the kitchen and our dish arrived later re-arranged on a smaller plate and hot at last. The food is prepared in the restaurant kitchen while the restaurant itself remain closed ( for C* reasons). and served in the CBar. This meant quite a walk for the waiting staff to carry the dishes to the guests. But it was not that long that the food could cool down that much.

Breakfast had a reduced offer but was ok.

I mentioned this to the front desk agent at check-out and the next day the GM contacted me asking for more details. He then said he would follow up with the F&B people in charge.
We walked form the train station at the airport to the hotel following the "Palexpo", "Hotels" and then "Hilton" signs. One suit case and one peace of hand luggage each. The walk involved changing one level up at one point but there was a lift. After 15' we arrived at the hotel.
For commuting to the city center we took bus no 5 (leaving the lobby, turning left to the road 'Rue Jo Siffer', then turning left following the road until it joins the principal road 'Route de Ferney' with the bus stop "Grand Saconnex, Place', all in all 5-6' walk). The schedule is pretty frequent.
At check-out we made use of the free shuttle service. This was an excellent experience. Again, very friendly driver.

i would chose this Hilton hotel again because of the throughout friendly, forthcoming staff and the GM's concern and interest in our restaurant mishap. (And because I am a "Hiltonian".) I might be reluctant to try a full dinner at the restaurant again but I would give it a 'small' try.

Just as an update on the lounge: The lounge is now open from 7am to 8pm, with snacks and alcoholic beverages served from 6pm to 8pm. Hot and cold non-alcoholic beverages, as well as fruits and some crisps are available all day.

The Diamond breakfast is in the restaurant (full buffet with egg station) between 6:30am and 10am (weekends 11am).

It's not really near anything other than the airport (sort of). Yes, public transport is available. But if I had a choice I would take a hotel closer to the city center.

Lazy staff at an unremarkable airport hotel.
 

Recent two-night stay at this property beginning on New Year’s Eve was just a mess. Check in was laborious with no explanation of benefits for gold status (breakfast, etc.). Room was not prepared for 3 guests as booked. During check-in, they promised they'd have everything set up by the time we made it up to the room, that didn't happen. Bedding wasn't available in the room for DIY — it eventually got taken care of some hours later.

Booked an executive room but was "upgraded" to a non-executive room that appears to have shared all the same specifications. No lounge access. Daily public transportation tickets listed as room benefit were nonexistent. Dinner in the bar/lounge arrived cold and an attempt to address this with server was met with a dismissive attitude.

Really just a sour end to the year and an otherwise perfect few weeks traveling around Switzerland where every dining and hospitality experience (even on Christmas) was beyond expectation.

Sounds disappointing, but with regards to the transport tickets, they're free at every hotel in Geneva and should be stocked at the front desk - they fill them out by hand

Stayed here for one night. Times of good upgrades are apparantely gone, I only got a deluxe room despite the short stay, and hotel being half-empty. Staff was also a bit meh.

However, the room was nice. The public transport ticket was provided when I came to drop my bags in the morning (they should also be able to send you the QR code before you arrive, if you need to use public transport on the way to the hotel). Executive lounge is basic, but at least it's one of the few lounges which has non-insulting beer offer (generic brands, but good quality, and selection of various styles - lager, weizen and dunkel). Happy our featured two soups (one of them minestrone and one of them something green with a French name :)), vegetarian lasagne and some sandwhich.

Complimentary shuttle runs every 20 minutes (x:00, x:20, x:40 from the hotel, approximately 5 minutes later from the airport) and there was no need to prebook. This was very convenient not only for the airport itself, but also for trains towards the city (or other parts of Switzerland). Alternatively, there's a bus stop approximately 5-10 minutes from the hotel (don't use the main exit, but the side exit to the right of the front desk). I wouldn't hesitate to book this even for a city stay if the price was right, travel is easy enough.

Overal, a decent hotel, but nothing special. Not very good in terms of elite recognition. I won't go out of my way to stay here again, but if the price is right, I will definitely consider it.