Hotel UTO KULM car-free hideaway in Zurich

The view gives this hotel its 4 star rating. It's expensive and doesn't offer a transfer from the station that was stated in their confirmation email. It's an uphill walk (not a leisurely stroll) and they will transfer your bags only. When we finally made it to reception we were advised that only people with mobility issues are able to be driven up the hill and the Government doesn't allow transfer of anyone else? I questioned why I wasn't told this when I'd called days prior to advise of our arrival time? Our room itself was average compared to other 4 star properties and there was no bath. We also found that when in our room we could hear lots of noise from other rooms. When we arrived we couldn't get into our room so we thought we'd go to the restaurant to have something to eat or drink. It seemed that no consideration is given to hotel guests and the didn't have room for us (1.30pm?) With no offer of anothertime. The surrounds of the hotel are nice but are again populated by people who are not staying in the hotel. Outside in all areas it seems acceptable to smoke. We tried the Wellness Area but it wasn't operational and the curling at CHF50-80PP was ridiculous! The actual curling area was unsightly but I'm sure it looks good when it has snow or ice on it. I couldn't believe you would charge guests in its current state. We ate the most expensive meal of our lives in the Restaurant. It was great though. Australian steaks - I think we paid for their airfare. The waiter on our first night was fantastic- enthusiastic and interactive. The 2nd night it was terrible and we had to consistently ask for drinks and left without getting the dessert we ordered. If you're charging "fine dining" prices the service needs to match. The breakfast, which we only ate on one day was very disappointing. No fruit platter, bacon was oily, croissants stale, poor selection of juices. There was a food stand outside the hotel where there were cheaper food options, however, none of them healthy. I'm sure the cost of the hotel and restaurant is acceptable if you're earning CHF but if you're not you're best to stay in Zurich and day trip here if you want to check out the view.

First of all, I don’t think you could get any better bird’s-eye view of the city and its lake from any other hotels in Zurich itself! It’s definitely gonna be from the Top of Zurich! It’s spectacular. We booked the Panaroma Room with Mountain and Lake View - it didn’t disappoint us! The room looks exactly like how it was advertised. I’m not good at describing but y’all, they have super soft and snuggly bed - definitely the best thing after a long day. We topped up for 1 morning’s breakfast at CHF30/pax - not the best brekkie in Swiss but they do deserve a shout-out for their soft & creamy scrambled eggs! It’s chef’s kiss. Oh and I love their choice of soap and shampoo so so much. Do look up Soeder, a Swiss-made natural care product. UTO KULM is also selling them, but most importantly, at retail price, so worry not, no markup “hotel premium” price. I’ve seen quite some negative reviews which I find quite unfair, so please hear me up. Regarding rooms having no air conditioners, you’ll be able to notice this if you do enough research, so maybe avoid summer, as simple as that. This didn’t come off as an issue to us as the weather was cooling enough (Oct-Nov) to ventilate the room so all was good on our end :) I don’t think it’s fair for UTO KULM to be blamed on hiking the way up and/or the trains’ schedules… It’s literally written everywhere (on their official website and all their booking platforms) mentioning Autofrei/car-free, so you should already be fully aware and well prepared for it, instead of finding fault with it afterwards. Besides, they do contact guests to remind them of the timing of the first and last trains. It’s very clear and straightforward. All you need to do is, plan accordingly. Also, upon request, they do provide transport for your luggage and persons with mobility issues both ways up & down the hill, FOC. And nope, we didn't encounter any rude/unprofessional staffs! They were actually extremely friendly and accommodating. To summarise - it was a pleasant stay :)