Livetotell

Trying to put together a summer itinerary for Switzerland, and would love some guidance on making this trip spectacular. Fly into Zurich, and stay four nights at the Park Hotel Vitznau. While staying there, explore the region. Next stop would be a three - four nights at the Alpina Gstaad. From the Alpina explore the region with nice day trips to Lauterbrunnen / Jungfrau region, etc. Then Fly out of Geneva. This trips emphasis would be about exploring the natural beauty of Switzerland. Hiking, biking the hills and mountains, lake tours, some train rides (Jungfraubahn,etc). Are the two hotels mentioned close enough to do those day trips, while also having a chance to enjoy the resorts themselves?

I also would like to explore the possibility of getting a day spa pass at the Hotel Villa Honegg to just enjoy those views, etc. Does anyone know if they offer that?

Is it worth making the trip south to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn,etc? It looks like I would have to overnight there. I'm having a hard time gauging the distance of the places I want to go to relative to the hotels, and having a pleasurable drive, versus "being in the car too long." kinda thing. I don't have to see every detail of Switzerland on this trip, and I don't want start to feel like every mountain/valley is looking the same experience. I could always go back another year and explore the southern part ( Zermatt, St. Moritz and even drive to Milan)

For this trip, is it fairly easy to rent a car and explore? Thanks for your help!

El Puerco Volante

Thanks. Good to know that Kulm remained consistent

Breakfast sounds terrible. No a la carte would have forced us into room service breakfast in this period, and I'm not going on holidays to constantly eat in my room.

Regards,

El Puerco Volante

El Puerco Volante

Suvretta House.

Executive overview: full of character, but a bit stuck in the past. Needs to modernize to become great.

We stayed 3 days. Place is old-ish, but have a very nice sense of place. Similar to Gstaad Palace in that sense, but few steps behind.

For example, Suvretta's SPA is strait from the 70s. And why bother to have an external jacuzzi when you make it that small ? It literally can fit 4, maybe 5 people. Not good.

We stayed in a Jr. Suite on 3rd floor. Big balcony, fantastic view of the valley. Nothing to complain here, loved it actually.

Service was mostly good, with concierge and waiter serving afternoon tea being stand-outs. Afternoon tea have a child version, which is nice.

Breakfast is a buffet. Really? Anyone heard about Corona? Aha, that's resolved - there is a box with masks at the entrance. Nobody uses them, but hey, there is a box with masks! Seriously, this was very disappointing, as overall hotel is coping well with Corona. We just had our breakfast a la carte and that solved the issue for us.

I liked the rather formal service at the dinner too. No language problem for us, as we speak fluent Italian. The service was good but delivered without brilliance. At this level I expect servers to have personality in addition to being precise. One more thing this place can learn from Gstaad Palace.

The food was the tastiest out of all Swiss hotels I stayed in recently! Some portions are very small. Post stamp-sized Foie Gras for 50+CHF anyone?

There was a good selection of cigars available and I liked the bar too. Finally, St.Moritz have some fantastic nature walks, which we very much enjoyed.

Will we be back? Probably yes, in the winter. But will try Badrutt & Carlton first.

Regards,

El Puerco Volante

kamel123

Feels pretty consistent with my experience. I am sure fluent Italian really helps.

If you stay in Winter, Suvretta's ski-in/ski-out location would be a big plus over the hotels in St. Moritz proper.

kamel123

This Summer, my family and I did a round trip through Switzerland, staying at 6 different hotels, similar to the 2016 trip recounted at the beginning of this thread. The 6 hotels contain mountain, lakeside, and city hotels, so they are not directly comparable. Still, I would rank as follows:

Overall best: Gstaad Palace

Positively surprised: Eden Roc Ascona, Grand Hotel Quellenhof and Spa Suites Bad Ragaz

Very good: Mont Cervin Palace, Zermatt

OK, but no reason to return: Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, Splendide Royal Lugano

Individual reviews follow, and I will also post pictures later.

Overall, Swiss hospitality delivers to a very high standard, I found. Basic processes like housekeeping, valet, etc. work efficiently with very limited mistakes. Some hotels are somewhat stuck in a past era especially service-wise, which you may like or not (I generally don’t), but most have heavily invested and updated their offering. In terms of the price/value ratio, be prepared for very high prices for anything involving a person providing a service (food, Spa, …). At the same time, you can be reasonably sure that you get what you pay for – excessive price gauging with smalls rooms costing several thousands per night just because the demand is there (as it happens in some other places in high seasons) is non-existent. Food in general is un-adventurous, not bad by any means, but do not expect exciting discoveries.

I don’t want to turn this into another Covid-19 thread, so just one short factual comment to get it out of the way: Things felt normal overall, with pools and most restaurants fully operational (for anyone to decide whether they feel this is a good thing or a bad thing) . Some restaurants had QR codes on the table to scan instead of paper menus. Some staff wore masks, most did not. The one visible restriction was at breakfast, which was either normal buffet (Mont Cervin, Bad Ragaz), served buffet (Kulm, Eden Roc, Gstaad Palace), or a la carte only (Splendide Lugano). I liked the served buffet option least – I would have preferred to receive e.g., a bread basket and a fruit platter instead of having to point at each single piece I wanted.

kamel123

Overall: A positive surprise. Convenient to reach, and well suited for e.g., a long relaxing weekend. The surrounding nature is nice but not quite as picturesque as in other parts of Switzerland, which is why we did not stay before. Still, with the various Spa and food options, there is quite a bit to do on site. Flawless hard product, good service (although slightly impersonal).

Room type: Spa Suite

Setting: The Grand Resort Bad Ragaz consists of two hotels spread over three buildings (the Grand Hotel Quellenhof and Spa Suites, and the Hotel Hof Ragaz), a shared park with outdoor swimming pool, a hotel Spa, a public Spa (Tamina Therme), and a golf course. The Quellenhof hotel looks like a belle-epoque style palace, but is in fact a modern replica that was built in the mid-1990s at the site of the old building that had been torn down. The Spa suites is a separate 9-story block, opened in 2009.

Room: Our Spa Suite was located on the 7th floor, and had a nice view of the Bündner Herrschaft mountains and vineyards. It had a separate living room and bedroom, a large terrace with table and loungers, a spa bathroom with whirlpool tub, steam shower, and sauna, and an additional powder room. At 88 sqm, it felt spacious. The decoration was modern, with wooden floors, and white lacquered surfaces. Overall a very nice room in excellent condition. There is also a Nespresso machine, and the minibar is included.

Food: There is a wide choice of restaurants on site, including two 2-star Michelin options, an Italian restaurant, a Thai restaurant, and others, but not all are open on all days of the week/during summer.

We tried three different restaurants:

L’Olivo: classic Italian, with a nice outdoor terrace around a water feature. We enjoyed our evening there.

Verve by Sven: This is the Sven Wassmer’s (chef of the 2-star Michelin Memories restaurant) secondary restaurant. There is an emphasis on modernized regional cuisine, in an informal setting. We also enjoyed our evening there.

Glady’s: This is next to the golf course, and serves casual dishes (burgers, grilled meats etc.). We liked this least, as the atmosphere was sterile (modern building with high ceilings, stone floor, they left the windows open on a cold evening). For some reasons, this has 13 Gault Millau points, undeservedly.
Breakfast is served in L’Olivo (buffet) and Verve by Sven (ŕ la carte). The ŕ la carte was a bit cumbersome, with long wait times and tiny portions – they tried for sophistication and the quality of the dishes was fine, but too complicated. The buffet was not outstanding, but fine.

Service: Very good throughout. Efficient housekeeping with turn-down done at the right time. Also, they converted the sofa bed for our children back to a sofa each morning, a step that many hotels unfortunately skip. Spa suites are assigned a butler, but we literally saw him only at check-in. This feels like a large resort, so there is not much personalization.

Pool/Spa: This is the reason why many people stay. There is an impressive array of various pools. The hotel spa consists of the historic Helenabad (19th century), another indoor pool, various saunas, and two children’s pools. There is also an outdoor pool in the park. In addition, hotel guests have included access into the public Tamina Therme, connected to the hotel. This felt too crowded during Covid times, so we only went for a short visit.

kamel123

Overall: Not a bad stay, but unlikely to return. This feels a bit stuck in the past / resting on its laurels. The target clientele seems to be regulars who have been coming for decades and don’t want things to change, but the world has moved on. At this price point, I expect something to stand out – be it a greatly designed hard product, a unique location, personalized service, whatever. I am actually surprised that no-one has tried to shake up the St. Moritz hotel scene a bit and create a small, chalet-style boutique hotel – the willingness to pay is obviously there judging from all the luxury retailers with a local presence, but all you get is old-style palace hotels with high room counts that are seem to be far away service-wise from what you get at other ski towns.

Room type: Superior two bedroom Suite

Setting: Kulm Hotel is on the site of first hotel in St. Moritz and thus occupies a privileged position overlooking the lake towards the mountains on the opposite side. Unfortunately, the 1960s St. Moritz Bad ugly concrete blocks are also in plain view. The hotel today is an amalgamation of multiple buildings connected by long hallways. In 2015 (I think), a renovation program has been started, with rooms getting a new interior design by Pierre-Yves Rochon and updated technology. I don’t know what proportion of rooms has already been updated.

Room: Our Suite was basically a one-bedroom suite with a second bedroom added by closing off an otherwise public hallway. We had a spacious living room with a fireplace and a balcony overlooking the lake, two bedrooms (one with another balcony), two full bathrooms, and plenty of closets. Unfortunately, this was not one of the renovated rooms. We did not complain, as the room was still in fine condition, and the wood paneled ceiling and traditional Engadine-style furniture gave it a nice sense of place. Still, I don’t understand why they do not renovate the higher room categories first? Also, the web site shows updated rooms / rooms with parquet floors, with a small comment that “designs may vary”. In hindsight, I should have complained, or negotiated a specific room in advance.

Food: In winter, there is a wide choice of restaurants on site, including gourmet options. In summer, there is only the Grand Restaurant (with a fixed set menu, and where breakfast is served), a Pizzeria, and two casual off-site restaurants close by (Chesa al Parc and Kulm Country Club).

We did not try the Grand Restaurant as we found the decoration and the whole atmosphere pretty atrocious. Imagine a large dining hall, with a red/gold color scheme, that looks like it was last redecorated maybe in the 1950s. It was supposed to look elegant, I guess, but it felt cheap and way past its prime. Also, the menu choices felt outdated.

We tried Chesa al Parc for lunch, which was OK. A casual restaurant next to the golf course. Not a meal I will remember, and relatively unattentive service. We also tried Kulm Country Club. This was recently redecorated by Norman Foster in a contemporary style, incorporating old sledges and various winter paraphernalia. Good casual dining.

Breakfast was pretty bad. It was a served buffet, with a very limited choice. For example, only two types of bread, one type of sweet pastry. A la carte dishes were not offered. An omelette station appeared only on the third day. The service was stiff, with waiters in white uniforms. They would not be able to explain the dishes (e.g., I wanted to know whether the pastry was filled with chocolate, the waiter ultimately stuck a knife into it to have look – and then left the piece on the buffet).


Service: Impersonal. This felt somewhat like a repeat of the Suvretta House experience described upthread. Apart from smaller hiccups (e.g., the website indicated wrong opening days of the Kulm Country Club, so we nearly could not eat there), nothing went wrong. Housekeeping was very good, all turndowns done at the right time. There was the most generous welcome amenity of this trip, with two fruit plates replenished daily, chocolates, stuffed animals for the children, and a bottle of champagne. Still, we did not interact with a single staff member. Partly, this is a language issue, where most staff speak native Italian + English, and sometimes the English is not great. Partly, this is the style – pretty stiff, not making conversation with guests. As a result, the whole experience feels a bit plastic. I understand they may not get that many local guests, but the main local language in this part of Switzerland is German, so being continuously addressed in English feels bizarre.

There is a children’s club with an interesting menu of activities being offered, including sports activities for older children (shared with the Kronenhof hotel in Pontresina), but nobody seemed to be ever there.

Pool/Spa: Large indoor lap pool, heated indoor/outdoor pool, small children’s pool, plus various saunas. Nice view from floor to ceiling windows.

kamel123

Overall: This conclusion of this review is similar to the one above about Kulm – not a bad stay, but again unlikely to return. Another very traditional grand hotel. Beyond that, it is not quite clear what it is trying to be. For business travelers, maybe, given it is quite centrally located? There is a small pool, but if you are looking for more of a resort-type experience, there are probably better options in/around Lugano.

Room type: Presidential Suite

Setting: Splendide Royal is located right at the lakeside promenade, a leisurely 20 minute walk to the main square, and a 10 minute walk to the main shopping street Via Nassa, and close to the funicular going up to Monte San Salvatore. Unfortunately, there is a lot of traffic on the road along the lake. The hotel consists of a historic turn of the century building with traditional decoration, a modern annex from probably the 1960s, and a just newly constructed spa/pool building

Room: I booked the Presidential Suite as the upcharge to the next-lower category was minimal. The suite was large, traditionally furnished, with high ceilings decorated with frescoes, and a large terrace running alongside the suite with lounge furniture and a full-size dining table. There were two full bathrooms. The suite was partially renovated – there was for example a new herringbone wood floor, but the bathrooms and room technology were old (although in good working order). I had essentially booked the suite for the large lake-view terrace, and we did have a room service dinner there once, but we did not use it as much due to the noisy road right below it.

Food: There is an informal restaurant next to the pool for lunch (La Piazzetta), which was ok, although service was not very attentive. For the evening, there is La Veranda (very traditional menu, did not try), and the gourmet restaurant Il Due Sud, combining dishes from Southern Switzerland and Southern Italy. We may have been interested in the latter one, but thought it was closed as it had disappeared from the website and did not figure in the guest directory, but apparently it was open. Room service on our terrace was ok – good service in terms of setting the table etc., not very memorable food.

Breakfast was disappointing. They serve at set breakfast, which is basically a simple continental, worthy of maybe a three-star hotel, plus very limited a la carte options. The orange juice was clearly not fresh, and the only choice of juice they had. Service was slow and inattentive, with long wait times for beverages, and some forgotten orders. It sounds maybe more catastrophic than it was, but having to wait ages for my morning coffee gets me worked up.


Service: OK. Basic processes such as housekeeping and valet worked as they should, and that was it. Quite cold welcome at check-in. Generous welcome amenity with champagne, fruit, and a chocolate cake. No personalized attention.

Pool/Spa: There is a newly constructed indoor pool, with floor-to-ceiling windows that fully open to the garden and a lake view. This was fine, but relatively small and crowded. If you stay here anyway and would like to swim, this does the trick, but you would not come for the pool.

kamel123

Overall: A very positive surprise. We went in with quite low expectations – we thought the highly-specific interior design (check the website) would not be our cup of tea. Also, the hotel is split across three 1960s/1970s blocks, that look a little bit like lower-income multi-family housing. And then we had a flawless stay from start to finish, great location, great food, very nice room, perfect service.

Room type: Deluxe Suite

Setting: Eden Roc is located directly at the lake, at the end of the lakeside promenade. There are ample, well-groomed gardens. The view on Lago Maggiore is fantastic. Yes, the hotel is split across three unremarkable buildings, but the overall ambiance is still great. Everything is perfectly maintained, especially the gardens.

Room: We had a freshly renovated suite facing the lake, on the third floor of the middle building. The decoration was still done by Carlo Rampazzi, but we actually liked it – a grey/white/beige color scheme, with little colorful touches. The suite setup was also very practical. A section of the living room was separated through a glass wall, and could be fully sectioned off by closing roller blinds and a door, turning this effectively into a two-bedroom suite. There were two full bathrooms, and a large lakeview terrace furnished with loungers and a small table. I would expect quite some variability among different rooms, and this room is what I would ask for.

Food: There are four restaurants on-site, two relatively informal ones directly at the lake (La Cassetta and La Marina), and two more formal ones (Eden Roc, 15 points Gault Millau, and La Brezza, 17 points Gault Millau and one Michelin star). All have outdoor seating facing the lake.

We tried La Cassetta (very nice, good choice of fish dishes, very attentive service), and Eden Roc (more traditional, we shared a Chateaubriand – white-glove service, but without stuffiness).

Breakfast was very good to. It was a served buffet, which is not my favorite concept, but there was very ample choice, very high quality products, and also very good a la carte dishes.

Service: Excellent. Every staff member we met in every interaction we had was friendly and personable. Service in the restaurants was very attentive. When staying at the outdoor pool we were given a second umbrella to provide more shade, and the person apologized that it had taken so long (we hade not even asked for it!). When we left, our car was cleaned. Both the F&B Manager and the GM were present throughout and making their rounds.

Pool/Spa: There are is a large outdoor pool, another indoor/outdoor pool, and a hot indoor pool/jacuzzi, and various saunas and treatment rooms. And there is of course the lake (although I found it a bit cold for swimming) with plenty of watersports options.

kamel123

Overall: A very good stay. We stayed on a very good offer (stay 3 pay 2), so this came out to be the least pricy hotel of this trip by far, and had the best price/value ratio. Would I return? Yes, in principle, but if in Winter, I may choose a place that is closer to the ski slopes (such as Riffelalp, which was closed this Summer).

Room type: Alpine Suite Matterhorn

Setting: Mont Cervin Palace is located in the center of Zermatt village, right next to the main street. It is a beautiful Belle Epoque building, with various more recent annexes. It is connected to Le Petit Cervin, a chalet-style sister hotel, and there are also apartment-style rooms in a building across the street. The location is convenient for reaching the cable cars going up the mountains, and the view of the Matterhorn mountain is pretty good. The owners and managers are the Seiler family, a hotelier family with a long tradition who owns multiple places in Zermatt.

Room: We had a freshly renovated suite with a view of the Matterhorn. There was a nice sunny balcony (although narrow) with a small table. Compared to some of the other suites we stayed in during this trip, it felt slightly on the small side (55-65 sqm), but it was fine. There was a sofa bed and a rollaway bed in the living room for our children, which made it feel slightly cramped. The room had a nice wood floor. There was a bathroom and an additional powder room. Decoration was ok, if a bit bland.

Food: There are multiple restaurants on site and in adjacent sister hotels. In Summer, unfortunately most were closed (even the main restaurant), so the only options to eat on-site were the Grill and the terrace of the bar Joseph. We tried both – the bar had, well, bar food, but well executed. The Grill is had very good grilled meat, prepared on a huge wood-fired grill in the middle of the restaurant.

Breakfast was excellent. A self-service buffet, plus an a la carte selection. The quality and choice were very good. A selection of fresh juices, many different pastries, cakes, and traditional breads from the region. Best breakfast of this trip.

Service: Fine. Very attentive at breakfast and dinner. Housekeeping was good, although we declined one turndown as they came only very late. Nice welcome amenity with a local wine, fresh orange juice for the children, stuffed animals, fruit.

The transfer to the hotel was very well executed – you park your car in the village of Täsch, they load your luggage into a minibus and drive you to Zermatt, where they transfer your luggage to a small electric cart for the last stretch to the hotel. This sounds pretty cumbersome, but was all done in under 30 minutes in total. On their website, they still advertise transfer via a traditional horse-drawn carriage, which was not available (although the competing Zermatterhof hotel had it).

Pool/Spa: The setup was quite typical for Swiss mountain resorts – a large indoor lap pool, a hot indoor/outdoor pool, and a separate children’s indoor pool, plus various saunas. Compared to some of the other hotels, the Mont Cervin pool was showing its age, and there was a bad smell in certain areas. There is also a garden with loungers, but this was lacking privacy with surrounding residences looking right in.

kamel123

Overall: The highlight of the trip. If you have only little time to spend in Switzerland, I would suggest you come here. The surrounding region is very picturesque, with green rolling hills, dotted by wooden chalets, and higher mountains in the distance – quintessentially Swiss. Gstaad Palace combines the atmosphere and tradition of a grande dame hotel with contemporary service standards and hard product (quite unlike some of the St. Moritz places).

Room type: Alpine Suite Mountain View + Deluxe Room

Setting: Gstaad Palace is like a fairytale castle with turrets, located in the upper part of Gstaad (close to the Alpina Gstaad), with a nice view of the Wispille hill. The lobby is very atmospheric with a large fireplace and bar. The Rolls-Royce courtesy car is parked out front. Room keys are actual keys instead of key cards.

Room: We received a great upgrade. We had booked a Deluxe Junior Suite + a connecting Superior Room, and they upgraded both to an Alpine Suite Mountain View + connecting Deluxe Room. This was the best room of this trip by quite a wide margin (it would have also been the most expensive one). Everything was brand new. The decoration made some light alpine references, with wooden beams, grey felt blankets etc. For me, it struck exactly the right balance between tradition (you would not want a modern style in the mountains) and modernity (you don’t want too much mountain kitsch either). The suite had two full bathrooms, a spacious bedroom with a sofa, and a living room with another sofa and a dining table, as well as a large closet. The deluxe room was also very generous. The suite and the room both had a large terrace (unfortunately, they could not be connected) with a great view, a dining table, and loungers. Our rooms were on the first floor – higher floors have only narrow balconies, so this was a great plus.

Food: In Summer, there is the Grand Restaurant, where also breakfast is served, and the Grill (did not try the latter). The Grand Restaurant is exactly how I feel a Grand Restaurant should be – it has some old-world glamour (with crystal chandeliers, white tablecloths, uniformed waiters) but has been brought forward to today’s times. For example: No set menu as in the Kulm Hotel, but an extensive a la carte choice, including some old classics but also daily specials (e.g., there were Indian dishes one day – very well done, and it is for some reason not easy to get good Indian food in Switzerland). A jacket requirement, and some guests really do dress up, but it is not policed. Formal service, but not stiff – they also smile. Very attentive. Highly flexible in accomodating the food preferences of our picky children (and preparing something that they enjoyed and which at the same time was not nuggets with fries)

Breakfast was excellent. A part self-service/part served buffet, and very good a la carte choices. Room service on our terrace was also very good. The menu is not extensive, but they are flexible for you to go off menu.

Service: Excellent. From the receptionist who welcomed us in the local dialect and with a genuine smile, to the farewell from the manager. We had a small hiccup one afternoon where a waiter made us wait around a bit for a table on the terrace, but after I complained he comped our drinks and apologized profusely.

Pool/Spa: There is an Olympic-sized outdoor pool (which we found too cold), an indoor pool, and a hot indoor/outdoor pool belonging to the spa. The spa itself is very atmospheric, with a fire burning, indirect lighting, stone walls, and his and hers sauna areas. Unfortunately, the hot outdoor pool (unlike at the other hotels) belongs to the spa and is thus technically off limits to children below 14 years except on two days per week. Most of the time, this was not enforced, but one day the spa manager took it upon herself to enforce the rule (although my children were not disturbing anyone – there was no-one else there except one man who was clearly not bothered). We reluctantly obliged, but then the next guest refused to ask his small (and very well behaved) daughter to leave, so the spa manager let us back in. Overall a slightly strange experience, but did not detract from our stay.

El Puerco Volante

The Dolder Grand

Executive overview: Resort feel in 20 min from Zurich center. Nice luxury atmosphere and one of the best SPAs in the world. Service is polite, if a bit impersonal.

We stayed for 3 nights this time in a modern Jr. Suite with a big balcony and a full view of Zurich lake. This characteristics are essential for me on my summer trips and Dolder delivered fully.

SPA is fantastic. I dislike indoor pools, but this is how an indoor pool should be done. The outside cold/hot bath is another highlight. Treatments are also excellent, although priced towards the high end of the scale of Swiss hotels.

Breakfast is great. No buffet (finally), very high quality food delivered a la carte. In good weather you can sit on a nice terrace.

2* The Restaurant is good. Not all the dishes are memorable (some are), but the setting is nice and the Chief was genuinely interested in our comments (unlike quite a few other 2-3* Chiefs). The service is not on par with the setting and 2* rating - way too easy-going. Have a look at La Pergola in Rome to see how high-end restaurant service should look like.

In general service across the hotel needs improvement. It is polite, but generally lacks engagement & personality. Covid management also needs improvement. There are simply not enough hand disinfection stations across the hotel

Would we return ? Yes! In fact, we already booked our next stay. Combination of location, SPA and good food offerings works very well for us.

Regards,

El Puerco Volante

El Puerco Volante

I feel the same.

Regards,

El Puerco Volante

schriste

You summary sounds fair, but I have a soft spot for this hotel. My wife and I stayed over Valentines day in 2009. A number of service related items still bring a

1) We had the Front desk from our hotel in Milan call the Splendid Royal to let them know our (early) arrival time. The front desk person laughed as the Splendid Royal informed him that they were fully booked, but would do the impossible to accommodate us (and they did).

2) I had what may be the best Cappuccino of my life at breakfast there.

3) The waiters at our Valentines diner were an absolute joy.

4) I called down to the concierge to ask about the lake ferry schedule (very limited in February). He said one was leaving shortly, so we came down to the lobby. The concierge came running over to meet us at the elevator and said it was leaving in 5 minutes... but we could make it if we walked there now. To save time he presented us with complimentary tickets and wished us on our way (and escorted us outside to point exactly where we had to go).

offerendum

Considered Splendid Royal but decided to skip it. For me it looks too old fashioned and the Presidential Suite more or less the only acceptable room. For what it offers too expensive in my eyes.