Zurich Airport Hotels

Thanks Connie, I just checked Park and got 375 CHF for family room on our date (7/11/10). The Novotel has a room with a queen and pullout sofa bed for 166 USD. That would work. I don't know if I really need a family room, but if I put 4 people in the form I seem to only get family rooms. A queen and sofa bed should be fine.

I meant 7/11/11

$166 (US) is a very good price for a room for four. You might also e-mail the hotel and ask if ther is a discount for children under 12. I am not familiar with the location, but if they will provide a shuttle to the airport that is all you need. Outside the city, most Swiss hotels (at least the ones we have used) will list rates and then discounts for children staying in the same room (and sometimes dogs too!) but I haven't seen that with the "city" hotels.

I found it through Hotels.com and they have me list the ages. They don't have a shuttle, but their site says there's a tram to the airport close by. I also found a $221 rate at Novotel and they do have a complementary shuttle to the airport. Thanks, R

Sorry, I meant Moevenpick Hotel Zuerich-Airport has 221 and free shuttle. It's funny, I was searching travelocity and orbitz last week and wasn't finding these hotels or rates.

Maybe they just started listing the rates for mid-July? That's still 8 months away. Anyway, I'm glad you are finding places that will work out for your family.

Ricardo, your title says "airport hotel", but unless your flight leaves super-early you don't need a true airport hotel for Zürich. It is a 12-minute train ride from the downtown main station to the train station inside the airport terminal. Take the escalator up and you're there. There is a hotel inside the airport, a Radisson Blu, and we stayed there last time we were in Zürich, but I don't know if they have family rooms. There are also some business-type hotels near the airport in the Zürich suburbs but they are not on the train line; you would have to transfer to a shuttle. And it is difficult to get to reasaurants, etc. other than what is inside the hotel. Our first choice, for a flight leaving 9:00 am or later, is to stay downtown near the train station. We have the downtown sights (Altstadt, riverside walk, lakefron promenade) and restaurants to enjoy in the evening, and in the morning we walk a few blocks to the train station and head to the airport. Hotel Bristol is very close to the main station and has family rooms for 4 people (2 twin beds and a double pull-out sofa) for around 260 to 300 CHF depending on the season. Larger "superior" quad rooms are a bit higher. Hotel St. Josef is about a block farther, above the old town. They also have family rooms in the same price range. We have stayed at both with our daughters. The room at Hotel Bristol was quite a bit larger, with nicer furnishings, but otherwise they are similar hotels.

Thanks Lola, that is good to know. I had been only looking at hotels right around the airport. But, 300 CHF sounds expensive to me. I was hoping for something around 150. We just need a clean room with enough beds. Will that be possible? Thanks, R

Zürich is notoriously expensive and 150 CHF for a room for 4 might be tough. Your chances of a good price are better if you are there on a weekend night. Oddly enough, people have done well with the larger "chain" hotels in Zürich (like Marriot, etc.) by bidding through Priceline. But I don't think that works for rooms for four. I did check the listings under "Inns and B&B's" on Tripadvisor, and for location (close to the train station) and consistently good reviews, this place looks promising: http://www.chreis-4-hotels.ch/pages/en/location.html They only list prices for double rooms (140 CHF on weekends), but they also mention discounts for children. So it is worth e-mailing them to see what they will do. It appears that breakfast is not included in the price. But there is a Coop market kitty-corner from the main station that has a self-service bakery/snack area, and there are also food shops and bakeries in the train station. Eating breakfast at the airport would be expensive. There is also a hostel in the Altstadt area but I don't know if they have family rooms (many do, but I don't know about this one). We always just assume that our hotel night in Zürich will be expensive, and try to cut corners elsewhere in the trip. We ended up at the Radisson Blu last time because they had an "advance purchase" rate of 150 CHF for a weekend night, but that would not be a family room, only a double, and I don't see that rate any more. There is a Best Western (Hotel Montana) right near the train station, so if you have any deal opportunities with that hotel group you might try that.

Thanks so much Lola, you've been very helpful. We will have the same needs in Athens after our stay in the Islands we will need to get back to Athens the day before our early flight. Any recommendations there? Thanks, Ricardo

We stayed at the Park Inn just outside the airport. They have a shuttle. You will need to make reservations for the shuttle to take you to the airport because they fill up. We trained to Zurich, then took a local train to the airport (you get on the local train on the bottom floor of the train station) then got on the shuttle bus to the Park Inn. It was modern, clean, had a restaurant and a McDonalds and was reasonably priced. I show an advanced purchase room costs around $170 US in June 2011. We paid around $150 US but that was a few years ago. I know people say you don't have to stay out by the airport but at the end of our three week trip, I was glad all I had to do was hand my luggage to the shuttle driver and not have to worry about lugging it on the train to the airport. It was a big relief to me when I was tired and just trying to get to the airport and figure that out. http://www.parkinn.com/airporthotel-zurich

I agree with an earlier poster who suggests that you not bother trying to find something near the airport since the airport is such a short train ride from the Zurich main train station. I've got a better suggestion. We just returned from Zurich two weeks ago and we stayed at the 4-star Zurich Marriott which is just a 5-minute walk from the train station. We got a WONDERFUL room... best room of our two-week trip... for only $90 on Priceline. Go for it!

I just checked the Marriott on Priceline and it was $414! Sounds Like you got a great deal.

James and John---in your advice have you considered the fact that Ricardo needs a room for a family of four? As far as I can see, the Priceline bidding process is for a room for 2 adults. They say to contact the hotel afterwards for special requests, but how do you know they will honor the bid price when the real need is for four people rather than two? European hotels generally charge by the number of people, not per room, and if you put four in a room priced for two that won't work. (besides the fact that it could be pretty crowded.)

Thanks everyone, I think we're set on this one. Now I need to post a request for the same help in Athens.

Good point, Lola. But $414, even for 2 rooms on Priceline is high. I've been using Priceline all over the world for 15 years He should be able to get 2 rooms through Priceline's name your own price for less than $200 total! That's all I'm saying!