Hotel Montbrillant

I was in Geneva on business during a very busy period and got priced out of the nicer hotel I stayed in for the rest of the week. Montbrilliant is literally next to the train station and on a busy road so it is noisy and busy (my room overlooked the street). Hallways are a bit dark. The rooms were small and a bit musty smelling. It has been a while since I slept in a twin bed in a hotel room- though it was comfortable! The upside is that the B-fast is really very good. The hotel is fine for a night or two provided you are a heavy sleeper.

I have very mixed feelings about this hotel. First or all, the traveler must keep in mind that this is Geneva. There is no value for money in this town. 200 or so CHF is cheap. When I arrived I was very pleased with how new and clean my little single room was. Nice new bathroom, terrific buffet breakfast and fabulous location for those working in Geneva. Aesthetically, the room was nothing special and certainly not like the nice rooms pictured on the website. But, and this is a big one, the bed was horrific - like one from a VERY cheap hotel The next day the management was wonderful and immediately switched me to an executive single with a bigger and much better bed. The room was much nicer as well (though still not the four stars claimed). So, be warned don't stay in the little singles because I was told that all of the beds are similarly lousy. I still have one caveat, the hotel is right next door to the train station, which is great for commuting but can be noisy. All of the bigger rooms are on the outside of the hotel. My second room was pretty quiet. I was away from the train station and on a higher floor, but I would be very concerned about the noise from the station side. Maybe another reviewer has commented on that....

The only thing missing was a coffee maker in the room. That would have been useful. Otherwise, everything was as expected. No problems. Nothing to complain about. This was my second stay there and it was pleasant as the first one.

Room was too warm and temperature could only be controlled by opening the window to a noisy street.

I didn't know anything about Geneva (it was my first trip), so I was happy to find that Hotel Montbrillant was very conveniently located near a big public transportation hub. The hotel also offered a free bus/tram/train pass for the duration of my stay, making it extremely easy to get around town. My room was a little small (only the bathroom, a twin bed, desk, and a small amount of floor space). However, it was very clean, comfortable, well-maintained, and quiet.