|
|
 |
Hotels
Besides VAT at 7.6%, a compulsory 15% service charge is included in the cost of all hotel bills.
The prices quoted below are the starting prices for double rooms, including VAT and service charge but excluding breakfast, unless otherwise stated.
Business
Hilton Zurich Airport
Located in the hills overlooking Glattburg, the Hilton Zurich Airport is just a five-minute free bus ride from the airport and 15 minutes from the city centre. Renovations, completed in May 2001, have greatly updated the Hilton for business users and all 322 air-conditioned rooms and suites now include modem points and a CD player. Computers and printers are also available. The decor is high-class modern and the 46 new executive rooms have their own reception area and lounge. The two restaurants have been combined into a single excellent establishment. The hotel’s 22 function rooms can hold up to 320 people (220 for seminars, 280 for banquets) and state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment is available in all function rooms. The hotel has a sauna, solarium and massage facilities. Jogging through local meadows and woodlands is enjoyable, while golf, tennis and swimming are all available near the hotel. There are two restaurants, a piano bar with evening music and the underground car park has room for 300 cars.
Hohenbühlstrasse 10, Opfikon
Tel: (01) 828 5050. Fax: (01) 828 5151.
E-mail: zurich@hilton.ch
Website: www.hilton.com
Price: SFr400.
Hotel Inter-Continental Zurich
The Inter-Continental is another excellent choice for the businessperson, with 364 rooms and nine junior suites, ten family rooms and ten connecting rooms. Of these, 210 rooms are non-smoking and two have facilities for the disabled. All of the luxurious rooms include a two-line direct-dial telephone with voicemail, a modem point and modem. The two-floor health club has a heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, solarium, gym and Turkish bath, as well as a health bar and sportswear shop. Fully qualified fitness instructors are also available. The recently renovated conference rooms can hold conferences for up to 300 and meeting facilities for up to 600. The ballroom itself can be divided into two rooms. All 11 conference and banqueting rooms have ISDN connections and full state-of-the-art conference facilities. Audiovisual specialists, interpreters, photographers, florists and entertainers can be arranged. The well-equipped business centre includes a fax machine, PC/printer, modem, scanner, laser printer, Internet and e-mail access, a photocopier, shredder and telephone. The 84-seat Relais des Arts Restaurant features excellent international gourmet cuisine and alfresco dining during the summer, while the 120-seat Restaurant LetziLeu serves seasonal dishes from breakfast onwards for informal dining. The hotel bar (open 0700-0200) features live music in the evening. There is a shuttle bus service to the airport and parking for 550 cars.
Badenerstrasse 420
Tel: (01) 404 4444. Fax: (01) 404 4440.
E-mail: zurich@interconti.com
Website: www.interconti.com
Price: SFr420.
Swissôtel
One of the most convenient hotels for the Messe (trade fair centre) and the airport, the Swissôtel is also one of the best business hotels in the city. It can handle conferences for up to 800 and the ballroom holds 600 (520 seated). The 31st-floor seminar rooms are all equipped with ISDN, Dolby sound systems, video-conferencing and simultaneous translation facilities – one room also has DVD and a plasma screen – and the separate business centre includes video-conferencing. The hotel has 347 luxury rooms and ten suites. Business rooms include dual-line telephones, voicemail, fax and ISDN facilities and 38 business executive rooms also have Lavazza coffee machines and CD players. The Abaris Wellness Club on the 32nd floor features a pool, sauna, solarium, steam bath, Jacuzzi, massage and exercise equipment, with wonderful views of the city, the lake and the Alps. There are three excellent restaurants and the Nocturne Bar is an excellent place for patrons to both relax and have more informal business meetings. There is also a complimentary shuttle bus to and from the airport.
Am Marktplatz, Oelikon
Tel: (01) 317 3111. Fax: (01) 311 4381.
E-mail: emailus.zurich@swissotel.com
Website: www.swissotel.com
Price: SFr290.
Zürich Marriott Hotel
A modern, five-star hotel situated on the River Limmat, opposite the Hauptbahnhof, the Marriott has 238 air-conditioned rooms and 22 suites on 19 floors, many with panoramic views of the lake and the Alps. All rooms have dual-line telephones with modem points and voicemail, and some rooms have fireplaces. There are banquet room facilities in ten rooms for four to 400 persons and a modern business centre. Full secretarial facilities can also be arranged. The hotel has its own beauty salon and a fully equipped health club with indoor pool, sun roof, sauna, gym, whirlpool and solarium. The Marriott’s two restaurants, La Brasserie (international) and the White Elephant (Thai), are open for lunch and dinner, while the Riverside Bar is an elegant place for business visitors to relax after a hard day.
Neumühlequai 42
Tel: (01) 360 7070. Fax: (01) 360 7777.
E-mail: zhmarriotttresa@hotmail.com
Website: www.marriotthotels.com/zrhdt/
Price: SFr345.
Luxury
Baur au Lac
Located in its own private park on the shores of Lake Zurich, the city’s finest hotel is situated at the beginning of the fashionable Bahnhofstrasse. The same family has owned the hotel since 1844. All 107 rooms and 18 suites are different, although all feature triple-glazed windows and CD players. The hotel is light and welcoming and the decor continues to reflect the hotel’s 150 years of lasting values. The six meeting rooms hold up to 200 people and all are equipped with ISDN, fax and full business facilities, including video conferencing. Secretaries, hostesses, photographers and translators can also be arranged. A separate business centre includes two computers with printers, high-speed Internet access and fax facilities. The hotel also boasts a fitness centre that features Cybex Strength Systems and its own nightclub, Diagonal. During summer, meals (including breakfast) are served in the glass pavilion beside the canal. In winter, they are served in the elegant Restaurant Français. The Rive Gauche offers informal meals, with a bar featuring over 100 malt whiskies.
Talstrasse 1
Tel: (01) 220 5020. Fax: (01) 220 5044.
E-mail: info@bauraulac.ch
Website: www.bauraulac.ch
Price: SFr680.
Hotel Eden au Lac
On the shores of Lake Zurich, a few steps from the Opera and a ten-minute walk from Bahnhofstrasse, the Eden au Lac maintains its position as one of the city’s finest hotels. Opened in 1909, the hotel’s early success collapsed during the Depression and it applied for bankruptcy in 1935. Arthur Louis Thurnheer was appointed by the bank as Delegierten and, with his excellent taste and attention to detail, he turned the hotel around and ultimately became its owner. The 56 five-star, air-conditioned rooms are all equipped with fax and modem points and the hotel’s business suites all include computer printers. The three elegant banqueting rooms (the Baroque, the Miroir and Restaurant Eden) can accommodate between two and 80 people. The French restaurant is famous for its hot hors d’oeuvres, one of the earliest degustation menus developed by the Aga Khan III (1877-1957) during his wartime stay.
Utoquai 45
Tel: (01) 266 2525. Fax: (01) 266 2500.
E-mail: info@edenaulac.ch
Website: www.edenaulac.ch
Price: SFr580 (including breakfast).
Moderate
The Central Plaza Hotel
Despite being built in 1883 and possessing a superb period exterior, the Central Plaza attracts a younger crowd nowadays, while still offering excellent quality of service to business and older travellers. Although directly located on Central Square and the tram crossroads on the Niederdorf site, the 100 air-conditioned rooms and suites are fully soundproofed from the noisy intersection. Most rooms have a view over the River Limmat and all have modem points. A photocopying service is available at the front desk and secretarial services also can be arranged. There are many public spaces including the lobby, a piano bar-café, a piano lounge, and the River View and King’s Cave restaurants. Neptun’s Terrace – a heated and rainproof barbecue restaurant with illuminated waterfalls – and the Sidewalk Café are open in summer. Although ‘mock medieval’ in theme, the King’s Cave restaurant has an excellent atmosphere, featuring grilled specialities in a regally bedecked cellar with bar, fireplace, fountain and wine cellar. With Swiss neutrality during the Cold War, the hotel’s piano bar became a favourite drinking and meeting place for spies. Special weekend and holiday room rates are available.
Central 1
Tel: (01) 251 5555. Fax: (01) 251 8535.
E-mail: info@central.ch
Website: www.central.ch
Price: SFr360.
Etap Hotel
Etap Hotel is situated in the industrial Zurich West neighbourhood, which is currently reinventing itself as a hip gallery and restaurant enclave. All Etap hotels worldwide are identical and feature pastel grey and violet walls and carpets, a double bed with a single bunk above it, and a shower and toilet in separate fibreglass modules; all rooms also have excellent soundproofing. The Etap shows that economy accommodation can still be of a good quality and all rooms cost the same whether occupied by one, two or three people.
Technoparkstrasse 2
Tel: (01) 276 2000. Fax: (01) 276 2001.
Website: www.etaphotel.com
Price: SFr89.
Other Recommendations
Dolder Grand Hotel
Opened to designs by the architect Jacques Gros in 1899 and despite major renovations, the Dolder Grand retains its Art Nouveau architectural features and atmosphere, reminiscent of an old film set. Perched above Zurich, with stunning views of the city and lake, the hotel can be reached by road, without going through the centre of the city. It also is reachable by the Dolderbahn funicular railway from Römerhof. Although all 131 rooms and 32 suites are traditionally furnished, they all offer modern comforts, including digital telephone system with ISDN connection and voicemail, room safe and TV. Guests have free use of all the following sports facilities: a nine-hole golf course; five, clay tennis courts; a public pool in summer; a public ice rink in winter; mini golf; and a fitness corner. The hotel’s grounds also offer a number of excellent woodland walking trails. There are 12 conference and banqueting rooms, able to cater for eight to 500 people. All rooms have ISDN connections and can be provided with state-of-the-art technical equipment. A high-tech, self-service business centre is also available 24 hours a day. The hotel has a superb Mediterranean restaurant, La Rotonde (see Restaurants). The sister hotel, the Dolder Waldhaus, is located 500 metres (1640ft) below the main hotel, on the same funicular line.
Kurhausstrasse 65
Tel: (01) 269 3000. Fax (01) 269 3001.
E-mail: reservations@doldergrand.ch
Website: www.doldergrand.ch
Price: SFr540 (including buffet breakfast in La Rotonde restaurant).
Dolder Waldhaus
Kurhausstrasse 20
Tel: (01) 269 1000. Fax (01) 269 1001.
Website: www.dolderwaldhaus.ch
Price: SFr350.
Widder Hotel
The Widder is composed of eight adjacent medieval houses, gutted and combined. One of the houses was that of the Butcher’s (Widder) Guild, whose members still meet at the hotel for the mutton supper on Martinmass (11 November). The hotel is located in the middle of the Augustiner Quarter and named after a 13th-century monastery that used to exist there. The 42 rooms and seven suites (four with private roof terraces) all show a combination of the old and new, with features including 17th-century frescoes and old wooden floors; no two rooms are decorated in the same manner. All rooms are air-conditioned and include a fax machine with separate, private number, a telephone with modem and cable TV. Six modern function rooms hold up to 200 people and can be equipped with any required technology. The hotel restaurant is divided into two different interiors and features excellent Swiss and vegetarian cuisine. For decades before the hotel opened, the Widder Bar was an important jazz venue, and in 1995, the hotel revived the tradition. The bar’s ‘Library of Spirits’ offers more than 800 spirits from around the world, including several hundred single-malt whiskies.
Rennweg 7
Tel: (01) 224 2526. Fax: (01) 224 2424.
E-mail: home@widderhotel.ch
Website: www.widderhotel.ch
Price: SFr610 (including breakfast); many rooms are SFr690.
|
|
|
|
General
