“Mandarin Oriental Geneva is a good choice for the business minded traveller.”
The Mandarin Oriental Geneva (click here) is located on the bank of the Rhone and is renowned to be a historical heritage landmark within Geneva. Ideal for those travelling for business, being just across the road from the financial district and a mere 5 minutes from the central train station and 10 minutes from the airport.
The hotel itself was originally home to the American Embassy in 1950’s to correlate with the arrival of the UN headquarters in Geneva. In 2008, the hotel’s public areas were redesigned to reflect a more modern feel which was followed by another refurb in 2013 for all 189 rooms.
Check’n In
We arrived late in the evening from Paris via train (a very lovely way to see the countryside & just as easy as flying). It was an easy taxi ride to the hotel, with the staff expecting our arrival in the lobby. Switzerland being the world capital of watches, there was no surprise that the lobby was littered with different high end timepieces.
Our check-in was done in our room and only took a few minutes.
I would like to make special mention to Raphëlle of the concierge team, who was extremely helpful and very, very welcoming.
The Room
Walking in to our room, there was a very cute little “welcome fondue” waiting for us (a nice little welcome to Switzerland!) which is always a plus after you have been travelling that day, which is just another reason why we love our Kiwi Perks (read more here).
We stayed in the Deluxe River View Room, which has a nice view of the Rhone River. In total there are 189 rooms, with 27 guest suites. The river room was a decent size. There was a walk-in wardrobe from the entry corridor to start. Our room had a coffee table/sitting area and desk.
The marble bathroom was spacious, with his and her basin, shower and separate bath.
The room itself was nice with hints of Swiss charm, albeit a little unexciting.
Food & Beverage
Full disclaimer here: everything in Geneva is expensive, down to the bottled water (especially coming from Australia with a terrible conversion rate at the moment!).
Within the hotel, there are 2 restaurants and 1 bar.
The main Mandarin Oriental Geneva restaurant is the Michelin Star venue Rasoi by Vineet (gastronomic Indian). Café Calla offers all day dining along with Mo Bar. We didn’t get a chance to eat at Rasoi which was unfortunate as it is booked out way in advance, but we did eat at Café Calla.
While our meals were nice at Café Calla (The truffle risotto was especially good and my partner liked his food), but for me they were extremely overpriced for what they were especially when you do the currency conversion.
And the day after we left was the beginning of the Mandarin’s seasonal pop up ‘Le Chalet’ which looks super cute inside.
Pool & Gym
There is a 24 hour gym which is quite spacious, along with male and female sauna and hammam!
There is no pool within the hotel.
Pros:
- Lovely view over the Rhone River
- Great location
- Ideal for those that are travelling for business
Cons:
- A little dated
Overall:
Mandarin Oriental Geneva is a good choice for a business hotel. It’s great accommodation for those that are looking for somewhere central with enough space to stretch out in while being close to everything.
Mandarin Oriental Geneva,
Quai Turrettini 1, 1201 Genève,
Switzerland
+41 22 909 00 00
(website)
