ZRH overnight layover - Radisson vs Hilton
 

Hello all -

I have a 10 hour overnight layover in zrh coming up this may, travelling with wife and two kids. Arriving 10pm and departing 9am following morning.

I see the airport hotel is quite spartan and has communal restrooms. Furthermore, from what I can gather, the airport restaurants and food options are generally closed around 10 pm.

I would rather get a proper hotel room with possibilities of late night food/room service etc, as it would be more comfortable with the kids.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a short overnight stay with kids? We've stayed in zurich old town before so it's not necessary to see the town or night life.

I've narrowed it down to either Radisson Blu (connected to the airport) vs Hilton Airport (shuttle service).

It seems the Radisson is quite expensive and can get a similar size room for about 100 CHF less at the Hilton. Although it would be nice to simply walk to the terminal in the morning. Does anyone know how convenient the shuttle service is?

One other consideration is we are flying first class so I wanted to get to the airport quite early (6 am or so) to take advantage of the lounges.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I've stayed at a different hotel, but same distance as Hilton. The shuttle schedule is quite good and the trip short, so you'll be fine,

The Radisson Blu is a good hotel and super convenient, because then it's just a short walk to the lounge. As you say, it's rather expensive. Also, the food at the hotel is very pricey.
There are a three supermarkets at the airport and they close at 23h00. So you can get food there after your arrival.

Radisson is better than the Hilton in terms of convenience (and also hotel rooms I'd say, the Hilton is fairly tired)

Have you checked that you (and everyone else in your family) can enter Switzerland on their passport? That's the main reason for the airport hotel in Non-Schengen zone (pax who can't enter Schengen and got stuck in ZRH overnight intentionally or by missing their connection)

Also, if you're arriving and departing Non-Schengen, I'd advise to arrive back at the airport early enough. Immigration can be rather naughty when you can't use the automatic gates (or they're broken yet again.. worse then actually, because all Swiss/EFTA/EU members have to queue at the few regular booth as well)

As you're probably aware, there are several other airport hotels in ZRH, but none of them is really nearby but the Radisson. For a simple overnight, pretty much any hotel would do, which is way hotels like the Hilton are relatively cheap (in terms of Switzerland prices) BUT they're now charging for whatever they can. At the Hilton, the shuttle bus now costs money even if you stay there! For a family of 4, that's quite some money (I think it's 5 CHF per pax and way, thus would be 40 CHF..)

My personal advise would probably be for the Radisson - the extra costs are relatively small for the convenience it gets you.

Alternatively, the Ibis Budget is 2 tram stops (3min) away from the airport - if all you want is a bed - and usually can be had for a bargain. I'd say in 9 out of 10 cases, you'd be there (and from there especially) quicker than to the Hilton.

We all have US passports so we'll be ok for entry. Also, we'll be arriving from CDG and departing to BOM - We should be able to use FCL A terminal to clear immigration/securityand then transfer to E FCL via car, correct? And is it correct to assume we don't have to clear immigration again after transfer to E gates? Is immigration a pain even in the FCL?

It's an overnight connection. Landing from CDG 10 pm and flying to BOM at 9 am following day.

I second this. If you're flying F, saving a little bit to go for a less convenient airport hotel really isn't a thing. Especially if you like to enjoy the F lounge(s) in the morning.

Another vote for Radisson here. It is just so easy. Quick walk when you arrive and even quicker walk in the morning. And a very nice hotel as well.

Thanks for all the advice! Went ahead and made a flexible booking at the Radisson. Was surprised at how little the discount was for non-refundable rate.

Very smart move. Enjoy your trip!

The only place Id stay if I was traveling with the family, for 3 reasons, Location.Location,Location

I usually stay there even when Im alone and over nighting. This upcoming trip I decided to try The Park Inn. I usually use pts and the PI is apx 1/2 the amount and they prebooked me on a morning shuttle otherwise it would have been The Rad. also The PI dropped their fee for the shuttle from the hotel back to the airport

But nothing beats rolling out of bed and a 5-10 min walk to the term, I will miss that this time