Geneva Marriott Hotel Review – Switzerland
What’s it like to stay at the Geneva Marriott hotel? Is this a good base for exploring Geneva? I liked the Geneva Marriott hotel so much, I’ve now stayed here twice! In fact, this is one of my favorite Marriott hotels!
Both times I stayed here, we stayed two nights at the end of our trip. We were flying home to the USA from the Geneva airport, so this hotel was very convenient. But you might be wondering if this hotel is good for sightseeing around Geneva, since it’s so far from the city center. Well, I’ve got all your answers covered in this review of the Geneva Marriott hotel near the GVA airport. Let’s begin!
Location of the Geneva Marriott Hotel
The Geneva Marriott hotel is located about 3KM from the Geneva International Airport – the free shuttle will get you there within 5-10 minutes. So it’s not in the city center, nor is it very walkable anywhere. However, there is a tram stop only a block away (the tram stop is named “Avanchet”) which takes you right to the Geneva city center (We used the “Bel Air” stop) within about 10 minutes. This tram stop also brings you right to the Geneva main train station if you’re looking to do day trips.
PRO TRIP: If you’re at the end of your Switzerland vacation when you stay here, and you’re wanting to bring home lots of Swiss chocolate, take the tram to the “Blandonnet” stop (it’s the next stop when you go in the direction towards the airport). There is a gigantic Coop grocery store in the mall there, and they have a huge selection of Swiss chocolate brands for great prices!
What is the best way to get to the Geneva Marriott hotel by train?
If you’re not arriving here from the Geneva airport, you might be wondering how to get here by public transportation. Yeah, we were wondering that too!
The Geneva main train station is along the tram line, so it is not walkable, but the tram makes it easy to get to/from the main train station. However, if you’re traveling with luggage, taking large suitcases on the tram can be a pain. Thankfully, there is a much easier way to get to the Geneva Marriot via train, and that is by going to the Geneva airport, even if you’re not flying out.
This is what we did — and what the Geneva Marriott hotel advised us to do — and it worked out perfectly (so good, we did it twice!).
We were arriving to the Geneva Marriott from Zermatt via train, so we took our train to the Geneva Airport stop, got off, followed signs for “Arrivals“, went out the door and walked to the “Hotel Shuttle” area. From there, we caught the free Marriott hotel shuttle.
This makes it incredibly easy if you’re traveling with luggage, as the shuttle has plenty of room, and drops you right off at the hotel door. The shuttle ride is less than 10 minutes.
Rooms
By European standards, the rooms at the Geneva Marriott Hotel are very large – and by American standards, they’re exactly the size you’d expect. Our first time here, we had a regular room, but during our December trip, we were upgraded to a larger room, which had a seating area and a bathtub. Either way, both times we stayed here, the rooms were spotless, modern and overall very nice. The beds were extremely comfortable – these were the best beds we’ve slept on anywhere in Europe — so expect a good night’s sleep!
As far as air conditioning, yes the Geneva Marriott hotel has AC however, like most European hotels, it is not very strong. The room doesn’t cool down much, despite putting the air on full blast, so I recommend bringing a fan, even in winter.
Amenities
The Geneva Marriott hotel is considered a 4-star hotel and thus, has a lot of nice amenities:
Free hotel shuttle
Free “Geneva City Card” – this allows you free use of public transportation within the city of Geneva during your stay. Make sure to ask about it at check in – the lady checking us in forgot about it, so we had to ask. Very helpful if you don’t have a Swiss Travel Pass or are traveling on a Eurail Pass.
Restaurant and Bar
Daily housekeeping
Breakfast: Cost depends on if you booked a room with a breakfast included. Free breakfast in the restaurant for Platinum and above.
Fitness Center: Large gym, high quality equipment
M Lounge: Access with club level room booking or free access with Platinum status or higher
Parking: 30CHF/Night
M Club Lounge
This is one of the best parts about having high status with Marriott — the lounges! So, not only do you get free breakfast in the restaurant, but you also get free 24/7 access to the M Club, which has snacks, drinks and enough free food at dinnertime to call it a meal. Free food in Switzerland? You can’t beat that.
I mean, as long as you’re not too picky. My first visit here in the summer, the evening appetizers were very strange. I didn’t know what most of the stuff was — both times I stayed here, none of the food is labeled. This could be a real issue for those with food allergies, so be warned!
When we stayed again during winter, the food in the evening (while still not labeled) was much better, so they must’ve taken guest feedback seriously in the six months in between my stays here!
Breakfast
The breakfast in the restaurant is one of the best, ever. Seriously! The buffet offerings are insane – there is everything you could imagine offered at breakfast. Plus, made-to-order eggs/omelettes and pancakes/waffles.
Do I recommend the Geneva Marriott Hotel?
Absolutely! Although some might find this hotel inconvenient as it is not in downtown Geneva, I loved staying here. (TBH, I wasn’t all that impressed with Geneva, but it’s a nonstop flight home for me, so it’s a good airport from which to leave Europe). The tram ride was quick and easy (trams come like every 5 minutes). If you’re okay with being outside the main city area, this hotel is great. It makes airport day much less stressful being so close and the shuttle is awesome when you decide you want to check, say, 2 bags, at the end of your trip, instead of one (!).
