Hotel Geneva by Fassbind

Geneva by Fassbind is one of those places that makes sense when everything else in Geneva is overpriced - especially in summer. The room was clean, modern enough, and exactly what I expected. Good for a night, especially if you manage to grab a decent rate. A few things to know: parking is underground but limited, and must be reserved in advance. Don’t assume you’ll just show up and get a spot. Also, the hotel sits on a busy road - open your window and it’s like sleeping on a tram platform, especially on a Saturday night. Breakfast? Let’s just say... minimal. Feels more like Ibis than four stars, which is fine - as long as you know it in advance. All in all: clean, practical, nothing fancy. Good choice if the price is right and you need a place to land without surprises.

I travel frequently and have stayed in everything from luxury hotels to budget motels, but this recent stay in Geneva was, unfortunately, one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve ever had. We were a group of five—myself, my wife, our two young children (ages 6 and 2), and my mother—booked into two rooms on the 6th floor. Our designated family room, while small for a group, was sweltering upon entry, with temperatures approaching 100°F (approximately 38°C). The air conditioning had been turned off prior to our arrival, and when turned on, it simply didn’t work. After three hours, the temperature hadn’t improved, and the vents produced no cold air. Our toddler, down to just a diaper and visibly flushed, was clearly uncomfortable and overheated. My mother’s room next door had a barely functioning air conditioner and, worse, a strong sewage odor coming from the bathroom. Attempts to pour water down the drains did nothing to resolve the smell—in fact, it intensified. It was a particularly hot period during our visit, with daytime temperatures reaching 89°F (32°C), so functioning air conditioning wasn’t a luxury—it was essential. We approached the front desk and respectfully explained the severity of the situation, especially regarding our infant child. The staff member we initially dealt with was dismissive and seemed inconvenienced by our request. After inconsistent communication (my mother was told contradictory information), we were eventually moved to another family room on the 3rd floor. This room had working air conditioning, but unfortunately had a much stronger sewage smell than the previous one. Again, we tried to flush the drains, to no avail. Had it not been cost-prohibitive to switch hotels at that late hour, we strongly considered leaving. We stayed because our child was finally able to cool down. However, that second room also had other issues: the floors had clearly not been mopped—our toddler's feet were nearly black within an hour of walking barefoot—and the mattress was thin and springy, offering little comfort. The following morning, we were greeted by a much friendlier front desk staff who, upon further discussion, admitted that the room we had just stayed in needed to be “condemned” due to sewage leaks affecting nearby rooms. This revelation both confirmed our concerns and left us deeply unsettled. We were then moved to a third room for the remaining night of our 3-night stay. This room was the best of the three—larger, cleaner, with a better layout and no noticeable odors. However, it still had issues: several lightbulbs were burnt out, the bathtub drain was nearly clogged (turning every shower into a bath within minutes), and the bathroom floor tiles were loose with missing grout. My mother was also finally moved into a second room, which still suffered from inadequate cooling. Across the entire stay, the common theme was a building that feels neglected—maintenance clearly deferred until problems become unignorable. While most of the staff was professional and courteous (especially in the morning), the infrastructure itself is sorely lacking and not befitting a hotel in one of the world’s most expensive cities. On a positive note, the location is reasonably convenient—about a 20–30 minute tram ride to CERN or the city center, and well positioned between the airport and train station. Bottom line: I cannot recommend this hotel until it undergoes significant maintenance and renovations. For the price, there are far better options, and even many budget motels in the U.S. offer more consistent comfort and cleanliness.

My wife my daughter and me came for a trip around Europe. We love it in Switzerland the people were nice and very accommodating. The hotel on the other hand was not. The toilet seat was broken, the AC was not very good either. Also the fridge was not turned on. Which was a problem for our medication. I guess we were supposed to turn it on ourselves. We left for a trip to see the sights and when we came back our room was not cleaned. The tag that I am sure I put on our room door to have the room cleaned was on bed. Now to be fair that could have been our mistake but I double checked it.This would have been the end but the night manager offered us a free breakfast for our troubles. We get down there had our plates filled up and a lady comes down telling us we had no breakfast and she took pictures of our door and we were wrong. Then she proceeded to argue with us if we talked to a manager or not. We do not recommend this hotel at all.