I arrived late and left early so this review will be limited, but the Hilton Zurich Airport is conveniently located near ZRH with dated common areas but modern rooms.
Shuttle service is complimentary from the airport to the property…but be warned. We waited 10 minutes for the shuttle, during which time others arrived after us. When the 12-seat shuttle eventually pulled up, those in the back of the line made a mad dash onto the shuttle and John and I ended up with no seats.
The driver was apologetic and said he would be back in 20 minutes, but we just ordered an Uber—something you might think about doing also.
On the way back to the airport, there is normally a charge of 5CHF each to use the shuttle (so petty), but the front desk did not charge when I explained what happened on the way out. For your reference, here is the airport schedule:
Let’s deal with the billing issue here too. Hotel rates are rather high by most standards in Zurich, but I booked this hotel for only $140 on Hotwire (it was a masked bid for a five-star airport hotel). My credit card was pre-charged for the night’s accommodation.
A few days after checkout, I saw the hotel had also directly charged the room to my credit, not just the snack we had in the hotel’s lounge. I never signed for it at check-out.
Upon check-in we were assigned a room on the fifth floor. The hallways did not look promising, but the room itself was refreshed and even smelled new. Most importantly, the internet worked well and the beds were comfortable, though we ended up working all night before our early flight the next morning.
Hilton Zurich Airport Guest Room
The room featured twin beds, a desk, and chair with ottoman. A fully-stocked mini-bar was available along with several universal outlets.
The bathroom was also recently renovated with attractive black and while tile. The usual Peter Thomas Roth toiletries were waiting on the counter.
At check-in, I was presented with a coupon good for two free drinks at the hotel bar. It had been a few hours since we ate, so John and I went down for a snack. The bar was so pakced there was not even a single table open for us. We took a seat in the adjoining (closed) restaurant instead. Although there were no restrictions stated on the voucher except for “vintage champagne and spirits” , the overworked waiter explained it was good only for soft drinks, beer, or wine.
Hilton Zurich Airport Dining
John and I split a pizza and he had some French fries as well. We just used the voucher for two bottles of water. The waiter was so clearly stressed—he must have had 20 tables he was contending with. I felt bad for him.
When we returned to our room, the beds had been turned down and Swiss chocolate left on the pillow:
Hilton Zurich Airport Fitness + Spa
Before bed, I availed myself to the hotel’s sauna and steam bath, which was on the lower level. It was supposed to close at 10pm, but that’s about when I arrived and no one showed up to throw me out during my half hour stay.
Despite noble plans for an early-morning workout, our all-nighter meant I did nothing more than examined the equipment.
We left the hotel at 6am and breakfast had not even begun, though a small table offered complimentary croissants and coffee—a very nice.
CONCLUSION
The hotel served its purpose nicely—a comfortable airport hotel for a short overnight stay. It’s not the nicest Hilton airport property I’ve stayed at, but it was a great deal on Hotwire.
Is that a vintage 1980’s cigarette machine next to the ATM? Awesome. Who says the 80’s are dead? What luck on getting the double charge credited back?
Yes, that appeared to be a smoking room. You’ll find cigarette machines like that all over Switzerland and Germany.
In countries where shops are closed for the most part during weekends, I guess having a cigarette machine can save a lot of lives… 🙂 (I’m not a smoker myself)