Rated one of the top 25 or so hotels in Zermatt on TripAdvisor, we decided to check this property out primarily because they had some availability on short notice in early January 2012. The hotel is a part of the Romatik chain of hotels that seem to be throughout Europe. It is a chalet-style hotel in Zermatt, in other words, a boutique-style hotel in American parlance.
The interior of the rooms were adorable and the floor plans were definitely planned with skiers in mind. There is complimentary ski storage on one of the below ground levels, accessible by lift, and there is a huge Cleopatra-themed (???) spa area with a decent gym (no treadmills) a roomy sauna (the textile free zone may catch some westerners off guard), a tepidarium, a huge indoor pool with a few oversized cabana chairs, a massage area, etc. There is an Apple desktop computer in the lobby and free wireless internet in rooms, though we had to change rooms during our stay and did not have access in our second room. There are no in-room thermostats, so if you want the temperature in your room adjusted, you must call the front desk. Our first room was quite hot and we solved that by cracking the door. The sub-freezing mountain air was quite refreshing and did the trick.
The staff is essentially quad-lingual and was very helpful with any question or need we had. The property is located in the town center but across the river from the main shopping strip (a 3 minute walk away). Fuchs bakery is right across the street, as is Intersport (which provides ski equipment rental). The ski bus stop is a minute's walk to the river and down a flight of stairs. We got Matterhorn view rooms, which are more pricey but provide eye-popping views of the peak on sunny mornings. If you do not want to splurge, you can get rooms that face the other direction but note there is a discotheque that can be lively and so it apparently is more quiet on the Matterhorn side.
Finally, breakfasts here (included with the room rate) were spectacular. Freshly squeezed orange juice, champagne, eggs made to order, all kinds of local cheeses, cured meats, pastries, etc. etc. etc. On our first night, we opted for the half-board option (25 CHFs per person for dinner at the hotel's restaurant) and were essentially disappointed. Aside from one out of this world appetizer, we found the quality to be akin to hotel convention food. There is another "restaurant" in the same the property that is more made-to-order food and my guess is it is better than the half-board option; however it is significantly more expensive.
There were a ton of couples and families at this hotel and it was quite a nice crowd. I would recommend this as a great option for a stay in Zermatt. We found room prices to be in the 450 to 660 CHF range, a little lower than the ultra high end properties in town that go for 750 CHF/night. read more