Where to stay near Geneva

I really like the area between Lausanne and the eastern end of Lake Geneva. There is plenty to see and do in Lausanne itself, Vevey, Montreux, the Lavaux vineyards... very scenic. A day trip to Zermatt is a possibility if the weather is clear.
Vevey itself makes for a very good base to that area, but there are many options really.

Or you could look at Chamonix, France. No wine, though.

Getting to Geneva airport for your flight is easy by train (direct from Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux...), but spending your final night in Geneva is a good idea since Geneva itself is also a pleasant city to explore for a few hours!

Take a direct train from Genève-Aéroport to Lausanne (1h) and sleep in Lausanne. If you want to visit Geneva it’s a 45m train ride from Lausanne so no need to sleep in both places.
Balso didn't mention taking a boat from Lausanne to Château de Chillon one day: https://www.chillon.ch/en/visit/ which is closer to Lausanne than Geneva. To get from Lausanne to Zermatt takes 3h and requires a connection so not convenient as a day trip. To get from Geneva to Zermatt takes 3h 45m and also requires a connection. To get from Genève-Aéroport to Zermatt takes even longer.
From Lausanne you can take a direct 30m train to Vevey and the same with Montreux. You can also take a direct train from Lausanne to Bern (1h 15m).
There are no direct trains from Genève-Aéroport to Chamonix meaning you would have to transfer which is never fun when hauling luggage; especially if you have to climb stairs. But there is a direct bus from Genève-Aéroport to Annecy, FR (1h 45m) and sleep there. You could then take a direct bus from Annecy to Chamonix for the day (1h 45).

I'd stay in Montreux. See the first part of my trip report from this past june to see how i spent my 5 nights there. might give you some ideas.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-my-trip-report

Ditto Montreaux-Vevey area. Vevey has many wine tours, walks among the vineyards, etc.
Good hiking options abound.

Great advice thanks ! Part of the issue honestly is that I want to wait for the new version of ricks Switzerland book but it doesn’t come out until April and I know that I need to find accommodations prior to that!

Keep ‘em coming !

I would not wait that long to book--it's not like there are that many places in these small towns, and even things like hotels do not change drastically. I use Booking.com--all reviews there are verified. Wait to see what your departure time will be so you know if you need to split the stay (and have a night at Geneva), but certainly start perusing the options now. I stayed in Montreux at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, which I would recommend for the fantastic location and breakfast room (get a lake-facing room, obvs), but with the transport being so excellent, any of the towns mentioned would work.

For day trips, we passed through Sion and it looked interesting, with a couple castle ruins and lots of vineyards in the surrounding area. But there is a lot to do just at the lake, you'll be hard pressed to choose with only a couple days. Definitely Chillon, then a visit to Lausanne/Vevey, and at least one mountain hike and you're good!

I want to wait for the new version of ricks Switzerland book but it
doesn’t come out until April

I have 2 different versions of the RS Switzerland and I couldn’t see any differences between the two.

My impression from what I’ve heard Cameron say about the updating process is that they are mostly running around checking to see if places mentioned in the books are still open.

Updates to the guidebooks can be found here:

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/switzerland/guidebook-updates

I also want to add that i often find great deals on hotels by booking super early--11 months early in some cases. So, i'd start checking prices now.

We had very memorable hikes around Gimmelwald and lauterbrunnen. Anything comparable around Lausanne ? Or day trip? Random question- is the cuisine very different in “French” Switzerland? Can we still get fondue and rösti, etc ?!😊

The wine region there is known as the Lavaux. Here are some suggestions for hikes in and above the vineyards:

https://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/G514/panoramic-hikes

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/summer-autumn/hiking/hiking-search/-/montreux-vevey-et-env/

We have not done this ourselves, so I cannot recommend a specific one. But friend who loves the area likes to stay in Vevey.

I would not say the hiking is as awe-inspiring as the Bernese Oberland, but there are mountains surrounding the lake and that's its own kind of special. I was not in town long enough, but my husband was there a week and took a cog wheel train up to a trail--funny story: donkeys tried to push him off the trail! (apparently they guard the sheep).
These pages have some hike info:
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/destinations/montreux-riviera/
https://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/
Google "Glacier 3000" too--it was closed for season when I was there.
I knew I would have opportunity for rosti elsewhere, so I focus on the surprisingly diverse cuisine in Montreux--fantastic Lebanese and Chinese.

There's great hiking and views from Rochers de Naye.

Some info. here:

https://swissfamilyfun.com/rochers-de-naye/

Just note it can be cold up there in June. I was missing my puffer coat when i was there.

Good recommendation from Carrie. We likes Les Pleiades even better. Lovely trains ride and great views over the lake while hiking. https://swissfamilyfun.com/pleiades-narcissus/

I have also done the hike at Les Pléiades, and when the narcissus are in bloom it is quite amazing! All the fields are literally covered in white. Even if you are not really that into flowers this is so over the top that it's quite an experience.

In the link Laurel provided there is a video. It looks like this was filmed in the beginning stages of the season (fewer flowers in bloom). They give the filming date as May 30th. Last year I went around May 18th and it was the peak of the season - every year is a bit different.

If you are interested you can check the blooming tracker to see the status of the fields before heading up.

https://www.narcisses.com/