Hotel Schweizerhof Bern $42 USD too good to be true?
 

Hotels.com is offering rooms at the Schweizerhof Hotel in Bern for $42 USD and up. This appears to be a 4 star hotel... could these rates possibly be true? I visited the hotel web site which is in german only. The best I could make out there appears to be some renovations taking place at the hotel. I was debating over a 2 night stay in Bern upon my arrival to Switzerland starting May 20th. The hotel rates I researched in Lucerne were very high and there were no vacancies at Des Alpe (my first choice) so I am exploring alternatives to Lucerne. We are arriving via Zurich and wanted a stopover before moving on to Wengen. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

The Schweizerhof in Bern is very centrally located..near the main train station, etc. It is reputed to be one of the best hotels in the city.

As to Lucerne..have you checked on the possibility of Des Balances or the Flora (the latter if you don't mind being in a more "modern" type of place.

erwench:

Umm... how I am going to tell you? All of the Schweizerhof hotel has been closed for restoration since february 28, 2005. The only part operating is a restaurant.

It is very doubtful whether the Schweizerhof will be run as a hotel after the 18-month refurbishment. It may be converted into an upscale apartment block.

Under the present circumstances $42 is rather expensive for a spot on the pavement... ;-)

Enjoy your trip.

Phil

Thank you for the information Phil. I guess Hotels.com has not updated their website.

Intrepid, thanks for the Lucerne hotel recommendations. Des Balances looks nice.

Phil,

are you sure about the Sofitel Schweizerhof in Berlin?

I seem to recall passing by it a few weeks ago and I do not recall any construction.
I also know that the Schweizerhof underwent significant refurbishment at around the turn of the century and was established by the Dorint chain (now member of Accor) as a modern design hotel back then. It would appear odd to me that it should undergo extensive renovation after such a short span of time.
I also just read a favourable review about the place in a German newspaper that mentioned the city's largest hotel indoor pool at the Schweizerhof.

I also checked some dates at the end of May through www.hrs.de and they indicate availability at € 179.-.

With US$ 42 quoted I would certainly try to verify whether the hotel is really closed - and if it isn't jump on it.

P.S.:

The hotel's website is available in English language, too - and it doesn't state anything about current renovations. What it does say (also in the German version) is that it underwent a complete overhaul and restauration in 1999.

You can also book it through their own (Accor's Dorint Sofitel) website for current dates (I checked for May 20).

http://www.schweizerhof.com/

<b> Forget everything I wrote! I just noticed that you are talking about the Schweizerhof in <i> Bern </i> not <i> Berlin </i>...

</b> Sorry for the inconvenience! Shame on me- rather embarrassing.
I need to go to bed !
Have a great trip.

hsv

hsv, you have completely lost me. The others are talking about the Schweizerhof in Bern in Switzerland, not about the one in Berlin, aren't they?

I remember having read a newspaper article about the closing of Schweizerhof titled something like &quot;5-star hotels don't pay&quot;. Yes Schweizerhof was one of the two 5-star hotels in Bern. The other, Bellevue Palace is state-owned (Swiss Federation or Bern Canton, I don't remember) so it may have better financial back-up. Anyway Phil said, according to the article, it is more likely that the building will not open again as a hotel.

Well I read hsv's last post too late.

Erwench: re the Des Balances..pricey to be sure but it is in the middle of just about everything and if you can spring for a view of the covered bridges, Jesuit church, and the river, well...it could be quite nice. Another hotel popular with folks here is the Wilden Mann.

Intrepid: Thanks for the hotel suggestions. Both hotels seem nice although pricey, but than again this is Switzerland. Any other suggestions for restaurants or activities?