On paper, the St Gotthard has it all - good location on the Banhofstrasse (main shopping street), an impressive facade, and a swag of celebrities that have stayed there in the past. However, once you step in, it feels like you've gone back to the 1930s and that the hotel has been stuck in a kind of time warp. That's only the beginning - I've stayed in this hotel quite a number of times, but I am constantly amazed that they always find a way to make the stay not "seamless". From non functioning bathrooms, to broken internet connections, not working air conditioning units, mishandling of laundry ... the list goes on! I think the staff do try hard, but the hotel seems to suffer from a chronic lack of investment - in updating the rooms (the rooms are now being redecorated but in a very cheap fashion) and in staff training (with more uniform standards of service). Overall, I would rate the hotel to be more like a 2 star establishment, rather than the 4 stars that they claim to be. As they charge like a 4 star establishment, this makes them poor value for money.

Stayed here for 1.5 weeks on a business trip, payed CHF 220. The standard room I got was very small but nicely decorated, though less sumptuous than the website suggests. No bath! TV channel selection was limited; TV was tuned badly too, which I hate. Breakfast selection is rather standard and expensive (CHF 20 plus) for a 4 star hotel. No bacon or eggs in the buffet. Had a problem with heating in my room which could not be switched off and was moved to a business room, which was twice the size and cooler fortunately. Not so nice was the fact that the breakfast lobby, located in the court yard's ground floor in a kind of atrium, was used to host a party with live music on Saturday night which kept me awake till 2 am the following Sunday morning. A hotel with 4 star aspirations shoul'n't keep its guests awake I think. Hotel owners, a couple from a presumed Swiss hotelier dynasty, are quite 'present' in the hotel's presentations and seem to enjoy taking pictures of themselves with celebrities. The 'family' feel they seem to wish to emanate is however not really present in the hotel. Staff is very friendly and location is excellent if you need to be in downtown Zuerich. So for the price I paid it's an adequate place.

Great location but rooms overlooking the street are noisy. The rooms were tired and hot and stuffy. They are redecorating but that does not excuse bad standards of higene in the rooms and in the communal areas. We had to move rooms 3 times over the course of a week. The tone deaf band played in the bar until 3 am despite residents complaints who found it hard to sleep due to the noise. Staff were unhelpful with directions and restaurant recommendations. Not the service or quality of rooms that you would expect for the price. It has relied on its old fashioned charm and good location for too long. We felt the Glockenhof offered much better value and a similar excellent location.

ALICIA Y RAUL PACHECO: estuvimos en el hotel San Gotardo en octubre 2007 y nos trataron excelentemente. La habitación que nos asignaron era muy linda pero la heladera hacía un poco de ruido; cuando fuimos a pedir que la arreglaran nos cambiaron inmediatamente a una suite de lujo. Cuando nos retiramos quisimos pagar los gastos y el dueño se negó a cobrarlos. Estamos muy agradecidos por el trato excepcional recibido y deseamos recomendar este hotel a todos los que viajen a Zurich.

Most of the other reviews describe the hotel already in the right way. It is old and badly needs renovation; but the ongoing renovations I have seen are not worth the effort. The whole hotel smelled of glue and terpentine. Luckily not inside my room. The room was so small, that there was no more than 30 cm betwen bed and wall or table left and right. The bathroom was big enough to turn around, but not bigger. And I have seen cleaner bathrooms. The wooden creaking floor in the corridors where covered with old stained carpet. And that for 230 CHF. A robbery. I guess I know, why they had been the only hotel available during that time. And they have so nice room pictures on their web page. I wonder where they are. My power plug didn't fit in the wall socket and there was no adapter left. Reception is not really fast nor slow, not really friendly nor rude, given me an already taken room first . If you have the choise, choose a different hotel.