Help from the experts...Zurich Airport

Well what can I say.... It's Switzerland not Italy!

So if the desk is supposed to be open at 5:00 a.m. you can count on it and if there is a hotel shuttle for the airport then you can expect it will operate as required. Stuff just works - I've lived here for over 25 years and it would never enter my head that it would not.

It is extremely hard to imagine that all the hotels around the airport have bad reviews, which ones have you looked at?

Jim

Park Inn, Raddison's Blu hotel, Holiday Inn express, Movenpick, Hilton at airport, was considering Hotel Allegar.

The Radisson Blu is IN the airport terminal, and is very nice. We stayed there in 2010 and got a really good rate ( the prepaid one). I think they are offering something like 20% off now for the prepaid rate.

I looked at the reviews on Tripadvisor and they are mostly very good. I would ignore the bad ones like "rip off" --- that person was mad because they paid 46 CHF for a sandwich and a Coke! Big deal. We went into Zurich for our dinner and had a great time.

Yes it is expensive but so are all the hotels. It's Switzerland. If you are truly concerned about missing your flight I would just call it the price for peace of mind. You don't have to pay for a private car or worry about timing a shuttle. You just head downstairs and go through security, then board your plane.

We are also flying in and out of Zurich this summer and needed a place near the airport. Cost is important to us so I ended up reserving a room with an airbnb host who lives near the airport. However, I can't remember now about transport to the airport. If cost is important, check the airbnb.com site and ask the hosts about transport to airport in early AM. Julia

They do have taxicabs in Switzerland.

We stay at the Ibis Hotel near the airport. Nice,clean room. The shuttle is VERY reliable. The ride is between 5=10 min.
Never a problem.

I don't see why one should get to the airport 3 hours prior to departure for a flight to London. 90 min. is more than sufficient.
Swiss air opens the check in 2 hours prior to departure and closes the check in 45 min. prior to departure of a flight to London. So as long as you check in 45 min prior to departure, you are onboard. By arriving there 90 min. prior to the flight at the check in counter you have 45 min to stand in line and check in your bags before they close. That's more than sufficient, you'll probably need no more than 15 min in line at the check in for a flight to London. British airways has the same requirements. Get there in line at the check in by 5:30 and you'll be ok.

We stayed at the Allegra one night in 2010 prior to a morning flight. It is very close to a train stop so we arrived there from downtown pronto with luggage in tow. Their shuttle to the airport was very prompt the next morning and we were at the gate before the employees arrived.