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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 in the heart of the cobblestone streets of Old Town, this boutique hotel smartly blends its 15th-century history with modern minimalism. The rooms vary in size and are individually decorated, but all are done in a pared-down style with lots of white linen and pale wood. Bathrooms are sleek with rain showers and loaded with products by the Swiss natural brand Soeder. Downstairs is IGNIV restaurant.
This youthful hotel in the heart of trendy Züri-West is awash with color and original design elements, and although the address screams hip-appeal, the rooms are fresh and quiet, with smooth, flowing lines and a subtle palette. Behind the refreshment–breakfast area there is even a small park with a playground. Even with a clear design goal, Swiss practicality is not forgotten; the desks provide plenty of space to work, and you are provided with a stylish bag to borrow for city shopping trips. You can even hire one of two Minis to take a spin around the city, and there's a sauna with a view for kicking back at the end of the day.
Quaint and charming, this vine-laced art nouveau villa in a leafy residential area, steps from the lake and a few blocks from the Old Town, charms with pastel tones, candy pinstripes, sculpted ceilings, and shuttered windows. There's also everything you need for a comfortable overnight—soft box-spring beds and blackout blinds—as well as a kitchen for guest use, a roof terrace for yoga, and a lovely rose garden. The property opened as a women’s boarding house in the 18th century and holds true to an impressive social ethos: the parent company provides training and part-time, assisted employment to women struggling to enter the workplace; breakfast is largely organic; and the hotel operates on reduce, reuse, and recycle principles. Bathrooms, for example, are 20 years old but are polished and in great condition. The spa on the fourth floor, offering a steam room, sauna, massages, and yoga, is for women only; access costs CHF38.
Lording over town, this stark hotel tower offers rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, dark-wood floors, separate shower areas, and neutral color schemes with purple accents. Walls are adorned with contemporary art that speaks to the neighborhood's industrial past. Touch-screen monitors in the lobby can direct you to local attractions. A tram station offers direct access to the city's main train station.
