Novotel Zurich Airport Messe

"I want to start by saying I didn’t book this hotel, I was redirected by Swiss Airlines after a mishap with my ticket. I arrived into the room and noticed the carpet was dirty, the bathroom floor, sink and shower hadn’t been cleaned, and there were hairs on the supposedly fresh towels. I wasn’t provided a robe and slippers like the pictures show. As I wasn’t planning on being in Zurich, I didn’t bring a charger with me, so I went to ask reception if they could help me with giving me a wall plug, or charge my phone at their desk. The receptionists replied that they didn’t have any chargers. Of course that is not possible as they operate computers and phones, a simple “we can’t give it to you” would have sufficed. Anyways, I went back after a while to check again, and another receptionist let me know that they had a charging station just behind a sign that was blocking a corridor for construction (basically if you didn’t know it was there you wouldn’t see it). This means that 3 people working there had no idea about this, or they didn’t care to tell me for some reason. Disappointing experience. The dinner selection was bland and everything tasted like oil. Lastly, even after putting a “DON’T” sign out of the door, someone from housekeeping still opened it. In short, the stars of the hotel should be reevaluated, the housekeeping staff should be trained on door signs and cleanliness and the reception staff should be briefed on the hotel facilities. Would not recommend this hotel."

"Hotel rooms were clean and hotel is very convenient to public transport. Airport is just a few tram stops away. That's about it. That's the best we can say. They didn't tell us, but it is one giant construction zone. Dumpsters, dust and dirt. Breakfast was a tragedy as it's set up on long conference tables. Think prison dining. No outdoor space, no indoor space and reception is a makeshift office. Gave off serious Motel 6 vibes. Then you walk down a plastic lined hallway to the elevators. Would not be such a whining baby if they told us, but they didn't. And they didn't offer anything like, "Oh, have a beer on us" or "breakfast is included for your inconvenience." Maybe it's a cultural thing but, man, very disappointed. Good tips: Tram stop right outside - buy the 24 hour pass Coop grocery store 500m away - cross tram tracks and turn left. It's on that street about 500m down, opens at 7.00am. Great for cheese and croissants"

"During a previous stay at this hotel, I realized its advantages: two tram routes (the 10 and 12) will take you the few stops to the airport, and one tram route (the 10) will take you into the centre of Zurich in about 25 minutes. The same tram will get you to Oerlikon, which is close to the hotel and has lots of shops and restaurants and a railway station that is a main interchange, providing a way of getting onto intercity and local trains without going all the way into Zurich. The street running through the nearby complex of apartment buildings (Boulevard Lilienthal) has a few restaurants and cafes, though many close for part of the day, plus three supermarkets (a Coop, a Migros and a Denner) and other stores including pharmacies. The rooms used to be at least two corporate renovations behind other Novotels, and were known for chipped paint, mouldy tile grout, and filthy hallway carpets. The renovated rooms are certainly fresh, but mine was impractical: almost no storage, with just a hanging rail and no drawers at all, only a shelf that was so low it was usable only for shoes. Most irritatingly, there was plenty of space for a desk, but no desk. There was a table, but it was too high to put a laptop on, and the only seat was an armchair that was too low and too reclined to serve as an office chair. The only solution I could see was to perch on the side of the bed. Not exactly practical. Rather than spend money on the ridiculously gimmicky LED striplight that went all the way across the ceiling and down the walls in a U shape, the renovation could have stretched to more furniture. In the bathroom, the dark green paint on the back of the door was already chipped, and because there was no doorstop, if the door was opened fully, it hit the side of the toilet bowl. Speaking of the toilet, the 'short flush' button was already broken. Other reviews have rightly picked up on the renovation, which I found very badly handled by the hotel and by Accor. The Accor website has a short paragraph stating that renovations are happening, but with no indication of extent or timeline. The only other clue is the banner when you approach the hotel (it advertises 'Novotel 2.0' and shows a picture of a renovated room and public areas). Bear in mind that I had made reservations with another hotel chain for a location that had ongoing renovations, and that had not just information on the main booking site, but also two dedicated e-mails in advance of checkin. At this Novotel, there was zero information about what to expect: nothing about the availability of meals, or gym facilities, for example. It was only on the second day I was there that one of the flatscreen TVs outside the reception area had suddenly sprung into life and had a sign saying 'breakfast' and pointing to a sad-looking conference room. Even Imane, the only receptionist with any degree of friendliness, had not said a word about all of this at checkin. The reality was that drilling inside the building began on one day just before 8, and on another at around 11. Although the walls and ceilings seem to be solid masonry, rather than plasterboard, they do transmit noise (including conversations) and so the drilling echoed everywhere. Of the signs in the room, one, advertising a 100 Accor points bonus if you elected not to have your room cleaned, was in German only (and I will be interested to see if I ever get the points). Another, with a QR code to (supposedly) get information specific to this Novotel, just led to a page that took no account at all of the renovations, and advertised facilities that were nonexistent. As if to emphasize the general managerial neglect, the fridge in my room had a bottle of water with a capsule top. It was not a twist-off top, but one that needed a bottle opener. There was no bottle opener. I used the end of a teaspoon handle. I might stay again, but only if the rates are substantially below what is available elsewhere (there are other hotels of every category in the area). There are a few positives apart from the location: the cleaning staff are great, and the rooms are clean. The beds are comfortable, even if the pillows are bizarre (there are normal pillows, but also two small pillows stuffed side by side into a single pillow case)."