"Extremely disappointed with the sub-luxury experience at an alleged 5 star luxury property adjacent to Lake Geneva. Spent 3 nights as an extension to a French river cruise during the first week of September. Upon arrival was shocked to learn the rooms we were assigned to faced the street and only had two USB A (not modern C ports) tucked away in a bedside table that took a long time to even discover after an extensive search. Every other outlet was the old three prong euro style that thankfully took two prong adapters (without a ground)... I called front desk and they told me to use the "adapter" in the minibar area, which had no usb outlets and was a single adapter and not a converter. After an extensive remodel, I was honestly surprised that this major upgrade in such a "tech-savvy" city was overlooked.
The rooms are spacious, and clean with plenty of space for clothes and a room safe for valuables. The bathrooms are also spacious and clean in a classic decor but the swinging half shower door attached to the bathtub and step up to the shower are both awkward and even dangerous to those with minor mobility and balance issues...the full size bathtub is a plus, but the arrangement of shower and shower door are definite negatives.
Out first night we were unable to use the lobby and bar due to some "event" the hotel rented the entire lobby and bar out for, and we were corralled into a smaller middle eastern styled bar across from the middle eastern restaurant we eventually dined in. The bar was unstaffed and I had to flag down a staff member from the lobby event just to take a drink order which we later declined, opting to go up to the pool area for an after dinner cocktail. Interesting to note, the drink selection in the downstairs bar was more limited than the selection poolside, and some drinks poolside although ridiculously expensive were a few franks cheaper than the bar...this seemed totally strange that you cannot get the same drinks at two places in the same hotel, but I digress. Five star prices for 3.5 star service...strike one.
The first night meal at the forgettable middle eastern restaurant was tasty but way too expensive for what was provided. The couple we dined with are also Hilton Honors members, I am only lifetime gold at present, but my friend is lifetime ambassador level and neither one of us received accommodations for our membership. In any case, when the bill came, each of us were informed that we could not charge the meals to our rooms because we didn't have a card on file, even though we both offered cards at check-in were told we didn't need them.
We eventually paid our bills separately but no-one could tell us if service charges were included with the meal and since there was no space to add a gratuity on the receipts presented we assumed a "tip" was included but learned later that may not have been the case...I'm still not sure at this point and this is not fair to the servers. and while the food didn't meet expectations, the service was very good, but the overall experience was again 3.5 stars at best.
The second day, I attempted to sit poolside to write and enjoy some sun. All the lounge chairs were occupied so I settled on a couch a few levels up with a table to write on. I sat writing in my travelogue for a full forty five minutes as wait staff diligently provided service to the sun bathers and guests all around unable to flag down or make eye contact with a single server asking if I needed anything. I eventually got so thirsty, I left, and mentioned the lack of service to a hostess nearby who said she would mention it to her co-workers. I eventually ended up downstairs to the bar that had been closed out of the night before and was greeted by the same friendly bartender that offered to serve us in a different bar the night before. He took my order and provided a drink and snacks with impeccable service and care...I am extremely grateful to him, Daniele, for providing the first five star service received since arriving at the hotel. The pool experience however, again 3 stars at best...not enough lounge chairs and bad service.
The breakfast experience was very good on two of the four days we were at the hotel, but very poor on the other two. Day one we enjoyed a nice breakfast with a view of the busy street and lake Geneva, it was wonderful. Day two, after the event from the night before, the staff and the breakfast area were overrun, and while we were seated quickly we were ignored for at least 15 minutes before I grabbed the manager and forced him to give us some coffee. He apologized saying he had run out of coffee. The buffet was picked clean by the ravenous event guests from the night before, and I honestly felt like we just didn't belong there. The third morning we arrived late and experienced a complete lack of food at the buffet so I simply had coffee and opted for food in Geneva. The last morning of our stay, like the first, was wonderful. Not sure what to say other than the service and the quality at the Willson is hit or miss depending on when you stay and how full the hotel is...the average again is 3 stars at best.
I won't go into detail about others' experiences from our cruise, but the same hit-or-miss seemed to apply, depending on who I spoke to. Thus the 3.5 star review.
Conclusion: Hilton would do well to distance itself from this "luxury" brand until they consistently provide the service we've come to expect."
