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This article is part of a guide to Zurich from FT Globetrotter
This year, the Park Hyatt celebrates its 20th anniversary in Zurich. If you're looking for luxury without any fuss, this is still the hotel of choice in a city where most similar offerings can sometimes seem too starchy, or too over-the-top in their pursuit of greatness.
Before the Park Hyatt – located a short distance from Zurich's financial centre, Paradeplatz, and the most luxurious end of the world's most luxurious shopping street, Bahnhofstrasse – came the Eicherweiss car park. If one were mean, one might say that something of this utilitarian inertia persisted in the building from which it arose. Although I am not an architect, I can say that this is not a five-star hotel where you will see many selfie-addicted influencers posing in front of it. But that's a good thing.
Luxury at the Park Hyatt in Zurich is a process, not a performance. The cavernous lobby, with its angular black marble walls and luxurious beige walls, has been described in several articles as “understated.” I found that he had nothing really to say at all, and was very pleased with himself. But who's hanging out in the halls these days?
And much more important: the staff and service are faultless. The rush of guests with complex check-in requests, baggage convoys and strange complaints were dealt with with unparalleled speed when I visited. I thought I would wait 30 minutes. I was in my room at five.
Rooms
The Park Hyatt's rooms are spacious by European standards. There's no skimping here to squeeze more beds into this old Belle Époque beauty. Instead, guests get massive, sleek designs – large closets, plenty of space for all your suitcases – all with cutting-edge technology and clean, high-quality linens. The rooms have stocked minibars (a rarity in hotels apparently) and Nespresso coffee machines. The bathrooms – also beautiful and spacious, with walk-in showers and large separate bathtubs – come with Le Labo products.
One drawback: Don't expect any views. The Park Hyatt is a low-rise hotel located in a fairly unremarkable central area, as mentioned earlier. The lake is close by, but can only be seen with a bit of a neck lift. Or at least, it would be so if one could leverage it. The windows don't open – a personal annoyance – and while fresh air is available via a large vent, the effect is a bit stuffy (although certainly nothing out of the ordinary for readers outside Europe, perhaps more accustomed to being in high-rise buildings). hotels).
Restaurant and bar
The Park Hyatt's Parkhuus restaurant (referring to that parking lot again?) is an elegant if somewhat echoey place that can't quite escape the cruise ship aesthetic, albeit more so than the QE2 of the Costa Concordia. An open kitchen and two-story glass-enclosed wine library add interest, but the room is still a bit too large to feel like it is: a hotel restaurant. The food is very good, if it's safe. A selection of appetizers pay all the necessary homage to wealth – beef tartare with caviar, lobster, etc. – with a small selection of main courses centered around the kitchen's charcoal grill. There is a vegetarian menu too.
For less formal dining, the Park Hyatt also has a lobby lounge: the club sandwich area.
The bar, Onyx, is a large, moody space, and to me – alone drinking with a book for company – seemed a bit dark. But it has a selection of serious drinks and experienced bar staff. They can mix a decent Vesper Martini – made, without asking, with Cocchi Americano vermouth, as it should be. I once had to spend an entire evening in this bar, and had the pleasure of sampling several other classics from the menu while chasing down an international con man the Financial Times was investigating (we understood he was staying at the hotel). Fortunately, the investigative editor at the Financial Times said I could do a check. We never found this villain.
In a glance:
Good for: Business class atmosphere outside the airport lounge.
Not very good for: Personality and novelty
FYI: Visit nearby La Stanza and Le Raymond for Milan-style café culture: espresso al banco by day with the financial brothers and aperitivo in the evening with their wealthy clientele and gallerist friends.
Spa and Gym: The spa has a Finnish sauna, steam room, and treatment/relaxation rooms. The gym has treadmills, bikes and machines from Technogym
Rooms and Suites: 113 rooms, 25 suites
Prices: Double, from 660 Swiss francs ($750/£595)
website; directione
Sam Jones was a guest at the Park Hyatt Zurich
Tell us about your favorite stay in Zurich in the comments below. And follow the FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
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