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A string of small boutique hotels has popped up in the last decade, all with a strong focus on design, sleeping comfort, and generous bathrooms—think large bed covered with a fluffy down comforter and soft pillows, looking onto an outsized flat-screen TV that invariably includes video games and a selection of movies, and a white-tiled bathroom with black slate floors and lots of mirrors. On our list we've included the Seefeld, Widder, and Zürichberg.
Another passion taking over the city—in fact, the country—is the trend toward so-called "wellness" vacations. Putting a new spin on the 19th- and early-20th-century tradition of the Swiss sanatorium—where convalescent patients from all over the world came to Switzerland to cleanse their lungs with Alpine air—hotels here are adding pools, saunas, steam rooms, and special areas for such ministrations as hot-stone massages or body wraps.
Smaller venues like the Hotel Seefeld have simply added a cosmetics studio to cover their customers' skin-care needs. Upscale houses cover everything from full-body peels, sports massages, and ice wraps (Park Hyatt) all the way through to the comprehensive spa services of the Dolder Grand Hotel, which also includes kotatsu footbaths, an aroma pool, and indoor and outdoor whirlpools. If you're still not feeling like a whole new you, there's even a clinic complete with a team of doctors for cosmetic surgery.
Located on a residential street near the leafy Schanzengraben canal opposite the Old Botanical Gardens, this 394-room hotel, one of Zürich’s largest, occupies a former beaux arts post office. It has a colorful, spacious lobby with blue Danish egg chairs, an original Boesch model boat, and especially friendly service.
Dutch chain citizenM, known for budget prices and artsy, designer spaces, opened this 160-room hotel complete with a lively bar, bakery, and canteen in 2019 in a 1950s building. There are several SocietyM meeting rooms and a lofty reception area. Rooms come in just one category; they are compact with large, fluffy beds and big windows with blackout blinds.
Smack in the middle of Niederdorf, this is a smart, state-of-the-art hotel where, from the gleaming lobby to the sleek, modular rooms, the ash-and-granite decor makes the most of tight spaces. There are nice touches, too: all rooms have AC, which is unusual for the city, and hand-painted murals of local landmarks remind you that you're in Zürich. The restaurant off the lobby, Swiss Chuchi, is known locally as a great year-round place for fondue.
Away from the throb of downtown but only a 15-minute walk back, this is the best deal in town for anyone on a budget and willing to share a bathroom. Each room has its own color scheme, inspired by a local liqueur (the Kirsch room has a mural of cherry trees on one wall). Beds are very comfortable, with down quilts and soft pillows. The café downstairs doubles as the reception area and breakfast room.
This no-nonsense base in Zürich has modern interiors accented in the brand's signature plum color and a convenient location for visiting the universities. Rooms come with box-spring beds and coffee machines, but not all have air-conditioning—a point to check if you're booking for the summer. Zürich main station is within walking distance, a journey made quicker by heading three stops north on Tram 7 or 15 to Central. It has no restaurant, but snacks are available.
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