I travel to Geneva every few weeks on business, having stayed in most hotels - I have to say this is one of my favourites.

Cannot fault location, rooms, reception, staff or food.

I would recommend asking for a room NOT overlooking the road - this is a very busy road in Geneva and can keep you awake all night if you are unlucky enough to be facing it!

The Royal was a good choice for location, room quality and attractiveness. Breakfast is expensive, but otherwise ample. The surprise was that the front desk staff seemed indifferent. Nearly all Geneva hotels rely on young hotel school students/graduates, and in my experience they are uniformly helpful, polite and impressively bilingual. Sadly, the reception staff at the Royal was the exception. It was sometimes hard to get their attention. They gave us some wrong information about bus connections to WHO, and were just not smiley or attentive. Some of them seemed uncomfortable in both French and English. Could there be some weakness in the management and supervision?

Stayed at Manotel for work. This hotel advertises itself as business friendly but really needs to work out some kinks, particularly in service.

Pros: Central location. One bus right in front of hotel and others steps away at the Gare. Many restaurants nearby. Lobby is quite attractive. rooms are fine and clean.

Cons: low on air conditioning (though I suspect this is likely across Geneva as many offices I went to were not air conditioned); no iron in room - have to go to another floor to iron; missing normal business services such as shipping (a lovely porter ended up agreeing to send some materials home for me but it required quite a bit of discussion); real serious lapses in service.

some nice staff but some not so helpful, a couple of examples: we were told breakfast was "included" but then were charged 30 CHF ( a lot for me since I only wanted a croissant and coffee). When we inquired about this, they said they meant "included" as in we didn't have to pay cash - it would be billed as part of our hotel bill to our business. Even if I'm not paying for it out of my pocket, that's still not "included". the 30 CHF charge was eventually removed but not until after some arguments. then my last day, they did my wake up call an hour earlier than I'd asked for and barely apolgized.

I've stayed at the Manotel Royal twice - once in a regular room since it was renovated (12 months ago), and once in a suite before it was renovated.

General:
The Royal is almost next door to the Manotel Auteuil. It is probably twice the size, and a bit more upscale. It is decorated in a traditional style, with carpet in the rooms and marble bathroom counters. The lobby in the Royal has a great sitting area for meeting people, and two computers with free internet access. There are some nice touches (like a jar of Swiss chocolate and snacks sitting on the checkin counter). Staff are very courteous and go out of their way to help in a prompt manner. My room was clean, the bed good, fittings good, bathroom decent, amenities very good.

Two of my pet peeves with European hotels are the lack of bar soap (instead of slimy body wash) and not being supplied with wash cloths. On the first count, the Royal passes with flying colours (actually, the same soap is used at all Manotels and it is quite good). Wash cloths were supplied.

I had a non-smoking room and it did not smell at all. Air conditioning and heating worked well. The Manotels offer free WiFi, just ask for a username and password from the front desk. The signal was strong and it worked well. One note - if you will be connecting more than one device (e.g. laptop + PDA) be sure to tell them when you get the password. Electricity outlets were not very accessible, but at least I didn't have to unplug other stuff to plug in my laptop.

View from the Manotel is nothing spectacular. The rooms are typical European size (i.e. small by US standards).

To be honest, I expected a bit more from my room since I knew the Royal had been renovated 12 months ago. The carpet didn't look new, nor did the tiling in the bathroom. I noticed that TVs have been upgraded to LCDs, the elevator is completely new, and the lobby has been upgraded.

Location and transport:
The Royal is located about 150m from Gare Cornavin (main train station). When you exit the train station, just turn left. It is a very easy, flat, paved walk. If you are mobility challenged, take the number 13 or 15 tram for one stop to Molle, directly outside the front door.

If you are coming from the airport, just get a one-hour ticket (3 CHF) and take the number 10 bus or the train to Gare Cornavin. ALL trains departing Geneva airport stop at Gare Cornavin so just take the first departing one. Most hotels including the Royal have started giving guests free TPG (public transport) passes, so don't worry about buying a full-day or multi-day TPG pass.

Take the tram towards Nations from Molle (outside the front door) to get to the UN in about 5 mins.

Restaurant:
The Royal has a restaurant, and the food was good. About an average price for Geneva, starter + main + dessert for around 60 CHF. No complaints, but I've had better meals for less in the old town. The Royal has a breakfast buffet for 30 CHF. I didn't take it this time, but when I stayed there before, it was really superb.

Laundry:
You'll find that laundry charges are outrageous at all Geneva hotels, the Royal no exception. If you're looking for a local cleaner, there's at least one near the Vidollet bus stop (take number 8 bus towards Appia/OMS from Gare Cornavin). Royal has an ironing room on the 2nd floor.

Value and miscellaneous comments:
Since I had stayed at the Royal before its renovation, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't more "sparkling new" this visit. However, don't get me wrong - I would highly recommend the Royal. Good staff, good clean rooms, great location, and decent value. Generally you should find rooms for around 180-240 CHF; I paid 280 CHF on a busy weekend. Having stayed at both the Manotel Royal and Manotel Auteuil a few times, I think I'd lean towards the Auteuil for business travel and the Royal for a weekend retreat. Overall, the Royal is a great place to stay, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.