Alpenroyal Swiss Quality Hotel

We stayed at the hotel, and overall it is below 3-star standards. The location is great. At the reception desk, there’s even a sign stating Ice cubes: 3 francs, Microwave: 5 francs. This pretty much sets the tone for the hotel’s overall attitude. The people are not friendly. Signs such as No picnic are found throughout, which adds to the unwelcoming atmosphere. The rooms are clean, but the bathrooms are very old (think 40–50 years back). There’s a big difference between authentic and outdated. The pillows are barely pillows and the blanket is too short for the bed, which makes is uncomfortable. Breakfast is especially disappointing. A good breakfast doesn’t take much effort, yet the melon literally tasted like onions, the ham tasted sour, the orange juice (cheap to begin with) was watered down, and the cake was sugary and low quality. Nothing was truly enjoyable. This hotel could be such a nice place if they invested even a little effort. Focusing on service, friendliness and quality instead of cutting costs on every possible detail.

We had a deeply disappointing experience during our stay at Alpenroyal Zermatt. From the moment we arrived, we felt more like an inconvenience than valued guests. While we understand that the hotel follows a traditional Swiss chalet style and does not have elevators, we were met with a brusque and dismissive attitude when we inquired about assistance with carrying our luggage up two flights of stairs. At breakfast, we were unexpectedly and rather abruptly asked to leave a small bag outside the dining area, accompanied by uncomfortable glances that made us feel unwelcome. On the day of our departure, we had an early train to catch — the Glacier Express, which departs at 07:52 AM daily. Despite informing the hotel in advance, we were told they couldn’t assist with transportation or even open reception before 8 AM. This left us in a difficult situation, having to juggle luggage while returning the access card ourselves with no support from staff. Additionally, we encountered issues with the in-room coffee machine, and instead of help, we were told we simply didn’t know how to use it — a dismissive response to a faulty appliance. The room’s balcony, unfortunately, offered no view of the Matterhorn, which is a rare miss in Zermatt. While that alone would not be a dealbreaker, it added to an already underwhelming stay. Most distressing of all was the feeling of being treated differently, perhaps due to our background. It is disheartening and unacceptable to experience this kind of bias anywhere — let alone in a country that prides itself on hospitality and modern values. We sincerely hope the Zermatt tourism board takes note. It’s unfortunate that the natural beauty of this region is overshadowed by such a disappointing hotel experience.

Looked forward to our trip for so long, we paid more for a Matterhorn view as this was a special trip for us. When we arrived we found a crane right in front of our hotel obstructing the view. We booked through booking.com and were not made aware before our visit. We mentioned this at check in to be told we “should’ve” been emailed which we hadn’t, the receptionist checked the system and confirmed we had been missed off the list and given a half hearted apology. We were disappointed having this booked for so long & had we known booked somewhere else or without a view for cheaper. We asked if there was any possibility of some money back given we paid more for this room upgrade and basically told no. As you can see from the pics, the view was definately obstructed and not what we paid for. We planned to spend our evenings on the balcony and enjoy the view but it wasn’t as enjoyable as we hoped. Disappointing stay considering the price we paid for this room.