My stay in this hotel turned out to be one of the most disappointing I have been unfortunate enough to experience. On previous trips to Geneva, I had seen this hotel from the outside and been impressed by its majestic presence. The images on the web site seem to confirm this view. The entrance to the hotel, the staircases, the corridor leading to the rooms are all decorated in an elegant style, promising comfort and luxury. However, this impression is sadly shattered on entering the bedroom. Whereas the style of the hotel’s public areas is almost stately, our bedroom seems to have been inspired by Ikea’s Formica era: flat, rectangular furniture. Because the room is so small and the layout of the furniture so badly planned that the designer has found no room to fit in a chest-of-drawers, so that is almost impossible for a couple to unpack all of their items. In addition, how can the hotel justify describing rooms as suitable for two guests and then only providing a single easy chair? This disappointment is reinforced by the bathroom. Once again, no drawers are provided for storing items but, and which is much more serious, the bathroom is so compact that there is no room for a standalone shower. If you want to use the shower, you will have to clamber over the side of the bath and snuggle up to the taps in order to control the equipment. This issue with the shower in the bath highlights another major problem with this hotel: the complete lack of provision for people with any form of disability. Every one of the majestic entrances to the hotel is on a lower level than the hotel’s interior. The only way of getting into the hotel that does not require climbing a number of steps is to go into the hotel’s restaurant and find a member of staff who can accompany you up in the service lift. I did not ask what provisions are available if the restaurant is very busy or when it is closed. In short, both the external aspect and the five stars attributed to this hotel set expectations that are not satisfied in reality. On the plus side, however, the staff are charming and very helpful but that does not make up for seriously substandard rooms.
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