FlyerEC

Our friend ‘ s relative / uncle owns Dolder Grand .. & he is shocked at the level of service or rather lack there of since the difficulties of the past few years . How times have changed . They have not been able to attract staff , let alone good ones to supplement the current thin team . Seems like a global situation from observations since last May . We will be in Zurich , briefly , in about a week & decided against staying at Baur au Lac too but likely stop by for memories sake

Tellerwaescher

Mr Schwarzenbach's biggest difficulties in recent years are probably not so much the lack of good staff.

RichardInSF

A bit more explanation of exactly what those difficulties are would be helpful!

Tellerwaescher

Mr Schwarzenbach has been investigated for tax evasion in recent years and there have also been sentences for fines in the millions. A few weeks ago, a rumour circulated, which has since been denied, that the Dolder was for sale for SFR 700 million, which was generally considered a bargain price. But this is probably just a rumour, allegedly Mr Schwarzenbach is doing extremely well financially, at least according to his spokespersons.

pstm91

1) A pool is of no interest to me when I'm traveling to Zurich. I have never once traveled to that city and treated it as a resort stay, and I think many would agree with me.
2) Style is subjective, and from what I hear, they have done a great job with the renovations.
3) As others have pointed out, Dolder is not in the city. The question was about Storchen, so Baur au Lac is a reasonable comparison. Dolder is not.
4) I last stayed at Dolder in May of 2022, and the service was abysmal. I'm not one to complain or nitpick, but for a "5 star" hotel it was brutal. I don't know how much the pandemic had to do with it, but we were not happy. Most of my comment about Baur au Lac being in a class of its own was in regards to the service, which is fantastic. If I don't need to be in Zurich, then I completely agree with the comments above about going to a far superior hotel somewhere else (such as Chedi or Bad Ragaz, if you're looking for a spa).

offerendum

They have (or at least had) the highest staff to guest ratio. In any case, the service was very decent, one often hears complaints about the Dolder.

RichardInSF

Thanks for the info, unfortunately due to a bug in the forum software, I cannot at present "like" posts in this thread.

offerendum

Did anyone try Villa Orselina so far. Like the rooms more than Eden Roc and Giardino.

WildTravels

Mandarin Oriental has a page up for the Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich, scheduled to open this coming winter.

While it's still sparse on details, you still get a brief idea. I wonder who the two Michelin-star experienced chef is that will be leading the fine dining Italian restaurant. Also, the rooftop bar sounds interesting and cool.

obscure2k

Welcome to Flyertalk WildTravels

WildTravels

Thank You. Glad to be apart of this community.

JiangsuLu2002

I've read about the lack of air conditioning in Swiss hotels. Is that also true for the luxury hotels in Zurich and Geneva? Seems like temperatures can be quite hot these days and am wondering if the hotels discussed in this thread in Zurich and Geneva have air conditioning or not as it could make a difference in our selection for an upcoming trip this August.

offerendum

I never had a problem with air condition in a Swiss hotel. "Problem" can be, that for environment reasons you can't transform your room to a fridge. But cool it down to reasonable temperatures shouldn't be a problem. To be sure your room has air condition just look on their homepage before you book. Should be listed.

scented

The top hotels have A/C that can be controlled individually. While many or even most 5 star hotels have A/C systems, most of them have the chiller units on a low setting. So whatever you do with your room controls, the temperature will not change much. In my experience, the very best hotels (Park Hotel Vitznau, Four Seasons Des Bergues, Baur Au Lauc, etc. etc.) will adjust, especially when given advance notice. No issues there and strong A/C.

In Zurich especially, this can be an issue. Geneva has a district cooling system that is currently being expanded for environmentally friendly and highly efficient cooling (and heating), much better than chillers or worse -- split units.

Michaeljinnyc

Any good choices in Bern and Basel?