Initially I wanted to write, a fair to good review about the Hotel Excelsior but what happened towards the end of the stay is just totally unacceptable.
Arriving: very good experience, friendly reception and I even got an upgrade to a premium room. Premium because those rooms are renovated but still small as the other rooms.
Evening / returning to the room after work: the receptionist did not understand the questions I have asked her in French. She could answer, when I have repeated questions in English. I perfectly understand that it is not a high-class hotel, but someone could expect that the front desk employees would speak at least the language of the city they are working in.
Night: I have already seen that several guests have complained about the room temperature, while other guests had issues with a room that was too hot, mine was freezing. It was windy and 5 degrees outside and the heating system was off, so it was a rather cold night (even with closed windows - yacks).
Morning / check-out: check-out time is supposed to be 1200. For reasons that I still do not understand, the hotel has decided that this is not valid for me.... while I was in meetings in town, they have given themselves the right to enter my room and squeeze all my personal belongings which I still had in the room, into my travel bag. The hotel did not even take their time to fold my trousers, shirts and other belongings and have just thrown everything in my bag... awesome! When I came back to the hotel, to relax for another hour or two, I was told that my stuff is not in the room anymore. Certainly, they have excused themselves, by saying that they thought that I have already left. It is just extremely difficult to me to understand how can someone think that I am not coming back, if all my stuff was still all over the room? I do not know how many customers just leave and do not pack / take their entire personal belongings with them. Meaning that the excuse, “we thought you already left” is rather insulting and doing any good. Besides the excuses, they offered me, if I would really still needed the room, I could have it until 1200. So they are still putting themselves as they would be generous by giving me what I have already paid for….. At 1200 I wanted to check-out, the front desk person told me that they have already charged my card the day before. Funny is, that they even not gotten this right…. The price for the room was expected to be CHF 217, plus city tax and VAT, the total would be CHF 220.30, unfortunately they have asked the credit card company to charge CHF 230. At this point, everything was too much for me, so I haven’t even argued about the CHF 9.70 they have charged too much.
In a nutshell
Positive was:
- the room upgrade
- room was clean
Room for improvement has:
- the non-French speaking front desk employee in a French speaking area;
- how cold it was during the night – without any working heating system;
- that the hotel has permitted themselves to put their hands in my personal belongings;
- the fact that they have just thrown and squeezed my personal belongings on my travel bag before I was supposed to leave the room
last but not least, that they have overcharged me...