Alpina

Nice room, loved the balcony. Lots of noise from the street when the windows were open but quiet when closed. No aircondition so the windows had to be open. Housekeeping uneven, but otherwise nice and clean. Breakfast at another hotel was ok but not memorable.

Three of us stayed for five nights. We had all stayed there ten year's earlier and, with no bad memories, were happy to rebook. The biggest attraction of the Alpina is its location, close to the railway station and the jetties for Lake Luzern boat services. The rates also are economical for central Luzern. Apart from those positives, we were not impressed on this latest visit. While matters were not helped by our stay being in the middle of a heatwave, and the hotel being without a central air conditioning system, there were other factors which were off-putting. The double room was of a fair size, but the provision of a portable air conditioning unit, professionally vented out of a window, made it impossible to get in or out of bed on that side. The wall of the bathroom was partly of glass and the door was sliding glass. This meant that using the bathroom at night always disturbed the other person with the light coming on. The bathroom was otherwise fine for its purpose. By contrast, there was no door to the bathroom area of the single room. which much irritated our single friend, who said it made him feel like he was in a prison cell. With no air conditioning, this room was very hot. Breakfast was in the nearby Hotel Monopol, where the choices and quality were satisfactory. Our room was not cleaned on one day. Reporting this elicited an apology and a bowl of fruit left the following afternoon - a nice gesture in the circumstances. With one exception, the staff were professional and pleasant. This is not an awful hotel and is worth considering if your budget is tight and you want/need centrally located accommodation. But it comes with pitfalls.

The hotel is only a few steps away from the main train station; it is easy to find. It is located on a pleasant street with an adjacent small park. The single room faced the inner courtyard (as is so often the case); this atmosphere was not so nice, it was quite dark in daylight, and it could not be ventilated well through the window. To make up for that, there was an air conditioner and a sufficient number of lamps in the room. The light switches for them take some getting used to, especially when you arrive tired from traveling in a dark room. The room was very clean, modern, and functional. It is very well suited for a short stay. Checking in at the front desk took a little long and gave the impression that there is still a lack of experience here, but it was friendly. A breakfast that was booked subsequently was offered at the partner hotel around the corner, which turned out to be uncomplicated. The buffet was good. I would book here again because of the good location/distance to the train station and because of the cleanliness and practical furnishings of the small room. In a double room facing the street with more space and light, a longer stay might also be pleasant; my title only refers to my experience in the single room.