Full disclosure... this is my first review of an establishment in Switzerland, and specifically…read moreLausanne (my birth city) and only my second review outside of California.
I am just coming off of an epic family voyage, and apologize if this review is looking more like a minor blog.
When in the center of Lausanne... stay here.
Unless you can swing l'hôtel de la Paix, but one night at that hotel will cost more than a complete week at l'Hôtel des Voyageurs.
L'Hôtel des Voyageurs is a wonderful little hotel in the center of old Lausanne. Very clean, and professionally run, this hotel has greater value than most you will ever stay in.
The staff is professional, wonderfully knowledgeable, and all speak several languages, including English. We're talking career staff who have trained for their work, with a professional mindset. These are not wanna-be-actors, or comedians stepping their way through a job to get to a better place, like you'll find in NY or LA.
The hotel may be modest, but class is everywhere.
The climate in Lausanne doesn't necessitate AC, but your room will have a Dyson, which is all you need. The old style windows can easily be latched to allow the city's delicious air and sounds to drift into the room. Keep your window ajar at night, lower the shade and you will sleep with fresh air, and total darkness through the night, like a baby... unless you are in town in July during the Festival de la Cité, or the world cup, in which case expect to be up late dancing in the streets.
Breakfast is included - it is copious and you will find everything your heart desires. The hotel underwent a major face lift in 2015, which was done with great care and styling. The owners are still in the process of choosing complementary artwork, which explains the somewhat austere ambiance.
The dining room (breakfast only) was brought down from the first floor to rez-de-chaussée (foyer level for you anglophones), in the last remodel. Sadly, the table-de-poubelle (a small garbage-like cylinder, or table garbage can for your condiment wrappings) have been eliminated. It's understandable as to why. The cans do not fit with the modest as-of-yet undecided aesthetic the current owners, grand-children of the original owner, are pursuing. Yet, it is sad to see such typically Swiss little traits disappear from the culture. One wonders if there could not be some slick - specific to l'Hôtel des Voyageurs - receptacle designed, constructed, marketed, used, and sold as souvenirs to customers, at least as long as we'll be consuming butter, jam and such out of plastic containers that require a home once used on our table.
The remote for the TV is easy, but don't waste your time. Get out there, it's an amazing city,
That said, in your room you'll find a small fridge, stocked daily with glass bottles of mineral water, compliments of the house. There is also a menu for additional beverages you can order as you like. For a small fee, the water bottles are available to take home as souvenirs for that special someone you may have missed on your last shopping spree.
Additional services, such as pressing, shoe shine, and laundry are all available for a nominal fee.
Suffice it to say, at l'Hôtel de Voyageurs you're steps away from restaurants, shops, commercial centers, nightclubs, the FLON, a world famous university, and other popular landmarks this medieval city offers.
Did I mention this is a first class establishment in the center of the old town!? I cannot wait to return.
Don't use a third party to book your stay, reach out to l'Hôtel des Voyageurs directly by phone or email. You'll get the best rate, and should your travel plans change, hotel staff will accommodate you. If you use a third party to book your reservation, all changes must be made through the third party and the front desk will not be able to make the changes.
Outside the hotel is the wonderful walking city of Lausanne, built on a hill, where your inexperienced calves will have you screaming at night, should you forget to massage a little cream into them.
As I stated, I am a Lausannois of origin, and I have been coming to l'Hôtel des Voyageurs since the late twentieth century. Yet, I presume an even older familial connection to this hotel and its family, now in its third generation of running things.
My grandfather, also a Lausannois, aspired to be an architect, and probably admired, or may have even known August Bizot, the architect who built this hotel in 1911, and who was a member of the Baselgia family. If Ernest Baselgia, who started running the hotel in 1945 ever bought flowers for his hotel, there was a very strong chance he did so from my grandfather, a prominent local florist. Anyone remember Joyet Fleurs!?
That's another story....
Merci à tous!