Hotel Recommendations in Zurich

I’ve stayed in Hotel Alexander in the old town section and Limmathof just across the river from the rail station and a short walk to old town. Alexander is a couple steps up from Limmathof. Neither are fancy but I usually don’t care as long as they’re clean and convenient. I spend maybe 8 hours in a room sleeping - otherwise I’m out exploring.

I didn't get a chance to stay there last Sep for obvious reasons but had booked a couple of nights at Hotel du Theatre by Fassbind which has since been renamed Zurich Swiss Chocolate by Fassbind. It looked like a good option. Decent price, features, close to the train station/tram to the airport. Only negative I could find was noisy which is might be in Aug. I wasn't worried since I figured I wouldn't have the windows open in Sep. There were very good at canceling the reservation without hassle or charge.

We stayed at the Hotel du Theatre in June 2019. Here is my email to Mr. Fassbind and his reply.

Dear Mr. Fassbind,
My husband and I spent the night of 10 June 2019 at Hotel du Theatre and I must say it was a very unpleasant experience.
Check-in was fine, the room was fine, and it was quiet. We appreciated that. The next morning, there was no hot water. I called the front desk and was told "Yes, I know. At this moment I have to call the company because it is not working." This told me that there was not going to be hot water any time soon. I had to take a cold shower.
Later, when we went to check out, there was no one at the front desk. Another person was waiting to check out as well, so I went up to the breakfast room in search of someone. I saw the woman whom I thought was the front desk clerk sitting out on the terrace smoking a cigarette and talking on her cell phone. I asked the breakfast room server to please ask her to serve her guests at the front desk.
When she arrived, I spoke with her again about the lack of hot water and asked for a credit on my bill. She offered us a free breakfast but I said no, that it was too late for that (almost 10:00 a.m.), She then offered 10% off our bill. I suggested 50% because a hotel room is primarily a bed and a hot shower and we did not get the shower. She finally gave us a 15% credit.
I am still angry about this and I hope you can understand.

Dear Ms Sims,
I feel so sorry that your stay ended badly at the Hotel du Théâtre in Zurich.
I was not aware of the problem of hot water and I need to investigate. I'm also very confused that my staff was outside the balcony smoking a cigarette during work hours. Sorry about this too.
I will have a very exact debriefing with all the person present on that day at the hotel and make sure this doesn't happen again.
Please accept my appologize.
Shall you return to Switzerland in Lausanne or Zurich, please contact me directly. I will make sure you get a free upgrade and a discount.
Thank you for sending me your comment.
Yours truly
Eric Fassbind

You may want to increase your budget for Zurich. It's an ultra expensive city, though prices may be slightly lower in August due to summer vacation time. More than half of the hotels there cater to the business expense crowd. Pre-Covid, I visited Switzerland and, particularly, Zurich several times annually. However, I always stayed with family for leisure or had my employer pay for my hotels. Whenever I checked hotel prices, I was always stunned. I had not had a hotel stay below CHF400 per night, despite having corporate discounts.

We enjoyed our stayed at the Leoneck hotel. It isn't too far from the bahnof but it is up hill. We walked to it from the train. There is an S-bahn stop directly in front of the hotel if you'd rather not walk up the hill with luggage. The S-Bahn was a direct ride to the airport for us the day we departed.
Price is in your range and it isn't too far from the old town if you don't mind walking.

Pro Hotel Alexander: location and air conditioning. Con Hotel Alexander: Rooms facing the street deal with loud party noise all night.

Thank you - these are helpful!