Review: Marriott Geneva Hotel, Switzerland

Review: Marriott Geneva Hotel, Switzerland

NAME: Marriott Geneva
LOCATION: Geneva, Switzerland
DATE: March 2024
REVIEW RATING:
BEN SAYS: The Marriott Geneva is a modern and well appointed hotel, with friendly staff. While the hotel is convenient if you're hoping to be near the airport, it's not ideal for tourists looking to be in the city.
16

During our trip to Geneva, we spent our last night at the 263-room Marriott Geneva. We had an early morning flight out of Geneva, so staying at the Marriott seemed like the best option, given that this is sort of an airport hotel.

While I wasn’t able to check out everything (due to our early departure), I was generally impressed by this hotel. The Marriott Geneva only opened in 2022, so it’s one of the newer designed Marriotts, with modern rooms and nice public spaces. While I wouldn’t stay at this property with the intent of visiting Geneva, I’d absolutely return in a similar situation, with an early morning flight.

Booking the Marriott Geneva

We paid cash for our stay at the Marriott Geneva, and it wasn’t cheap (which isn’t surprising, given how expensive Geneva is). Our one night stay cost ~$300 all-in, which is of course a lot to spend for what’s ostensibly a nice airport hotel, but I didn’t see any better options that were still decent.

Of course I could have redeemed Marriott Bonvoy points for the stay, though the requirement was 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for the night we were staying. I value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, so I’d rather save my points for another redemption.

Marriott Geneva location & airport shuttle

The Marriott Geneva is essentially located in a business park not far from Geneva Airport (GVA). It’s an area that has clearly seen a lot of development in recent years, and it’s also not far from the Palexpo International Exhibition and Convention Center.

I got the sense that most guests at the hotel were business travelers with commitments in the immediate area, with only a minority of passengers using this as an airport hotel. Fortunately the hotel offers a complimentary hotel shuttle, which is a treat in Europe.

Marriott Geneva airport shuttle

The shuttle runs every 20 minutes on a set schedule from 4AM until 12AM, so we found that to be super handy. The drive to and from the airport only took a few minutes.

Marriott Geneva airport shuttle hours

Let me emphasize that I wouldn’t stay here if your goal is to actually go into town, as it’s not well located for those purposes (though there’s always public transportation, if you don’t mind the commute).

Marriott Geneva lobby & check-in

The Marriott Geneva has an open and modern lobby. Just inside the entrance to the lobby and to the right is plenty of comfortable seating, in a variety of configurations.

Marriott Geneva lobby seating
Marriott Geneva lobby seating
Marriott Geneva lobby seating

The hotel’s restaurant is the main part of the lobby, as there’s no real separation between that and the other areas. It makes the lobby a bit more lively than you’d typically find in a hotel.

Marriott Geneva lobby seating
Marriott Geneva lobby seating

Reception was located inside the lobby and to the left, and consisted of four separate desks. We were quickly checked in by a friendly associate, who acknowledged my Bonvoy Titanium Elite status. While there were no suite upgrades available, we were upgraded to a king premium room, and we were granted access to the club lounge.

Marriott Geneva reception

Within minutes we had keys in hand, and headed up to our room. Note that the lobby also has an area with drinks and snacks for purchase, which is open 24/7.

Marriott Geneva lobby drinks and snacks

Marriott Geneva guest room

The Marriott Geneva has 11 floors (plus a rooftop), and we were assigned a room on the ninth floor. The hotel has five sets of elevators, located in the back far right of the lobby.

Marriott Geneva elevators

We were assigned room 910, located down the hall on the ninth floor, and to the right.

Marriott Geneva hallway
Marriott Geneva room exterior

The king premium rooms at the hotel are marketed as being 291 square feet (27 square meters), so they’re compact, but still modern and well designed. The room featured an entryway, with an exposed closet area to the right and the bathroom to the left.

Marriott Geneva room entryway

The room then had a king size bed with a bench at the foot of it, a sofa of sorts, and a desk with a chair.

Marriott Geneva room layout

I found the bed to be comfortable, and appreciated the outlets on each side (as you’d expect for a new hotel).

Marriott Geneva room king bed

There was also a wall-mounted TV across from the bed.

Marriott Geneva room TV

With so many hotels having eliminated desks, I was happy to see that this room had one. However, there wasn’t really an ideal setup if two people wanted to eat in the room, since the only other seating was on the couch.

Marriott Geneva room desk
Marriott Geneva room sofa

The room didn’t have much in the way of views — it just looked at another hotel, and at nearby roads.

Marriott Geneva room view

Waiting on the table at the end of the room was a welcome gift of sorts. This consisted of two reusable bottles that were intended to promote sustainability. The catch? These were plastic bottles… oy, what an odd “sustainability” effort.

Marriott Geneva welcome amenity

Back near the entrance was the in-room coffee and tea setup, which included a Nespresso machine and a kettle. I believe only premium rooms at the hotel have a Nespresso machine, so that’s one difference between the rooms (as the premium rooms aren’t larger).

Marriott Geneva in-room coffee & tea

The bathroom was back at the entrance, and had a sink, a walk-in shower, and a toilet. Annoyingly, it was one of those showers with half a glass shield, which I’ll never fully wrap my head around.

Marriott Geneva room sink
Marriott Geneva room shower
Marriott Geneva room toilet

Toiletries were in reusable, wall-mounted containers, from thisworks.

Marriott Geneva room toiletries

All-in-all, I thought the room was perfectly nice. It was modern and functionally designed, though definitely a bit compact.

Marriott Geneva restaurant & bar

The Marriott Geneva’s main restaurant is called Moments Social Eatery, and it’s an all-day dining restaurant located in the lobby. The restaurant has all kinds of seating options, from high-top communal tables, to couches, to standard dining tables.

Marriott Geneva restaurant
Marriott Geneva restaurant
Marriott Geneva restaurant
Marriott Geneva bar

The hotel serves breakfast in this restaurant from 6:30AM until 10:30AM, and this is also where club lounge guests can eat in the morning. Unfortunately because of our early flight, we weren’t able to have breakfast here, but below is part of the buffet setup (without any food).

Marriott Geneva breakfast buffet

Then the restaurant has an a la carte selection from 10:30AM until 11PM. We ended up having a late lunch (or early dinner, really) here, as it was raining outside, and we were exhausted after being at a wedding over the weekend. Below you can find the restaurant’s lunch and dinner menu.

Marriott Geneva restaurant menu

Ford and I both ordered the vegetarian burger. At 32 CHF (~35 USD) it was super pricey, but Geneva does have high costs for just about everything. At least it was tasty.

Marriott Geneva restaurant meal

In addition to the lobby restaurant, the Marriott Geneva also has Suite 1201, which is a rooftop bar on the 12th floor. It’s open from 5AM until 12AM on Wednesdays through Saturdays. We were staying one of the days where it was closed, so we weren’t able to visit.

Marriott Geneva club lounge

The Marriott Geneva has a club lounge (referred to as “M Club”), located on the ground floor. It’s at the back of the lobby, and there’s a door to the right — you could easily miss it if you’re not looking carefully. The lounge is open 24/7, and can be accessed by those who pay for such a room, as well as Bonvoy Platinum Elite members and above.

Marriott Geneva club lounge entrance
Marriott Geneva club lounge entrance

The club lounge was small but quite nice, with dining tables, sofas, and other chairs for relaxing. There was even an outdoor area where you can sit, though that wasn’t an option, given the rain.

Marriott Geneva club lounge seating
Marriott Geneva club lounge seating
Marriott Geneva club lounge seating
Marriott Geneva club lounge seating

I briefly checked out the club lounge in the afternoon, before the evening reception.

Marriott Geneva club lounge buffet

There were light snacks available, like candy, cookies, nuts, and chips.

Marriott Geneva club lounge snacks
Marriott Geneva club lounge snacks

On top of that, there was a coffee machine, as well as a selection of soft drinks.

Marriott Geneva club lounge coffee machine
Marriott Geneva club lounge drinks

Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the happy hour, as we went to bed super early due to being tired.

Marriott Geneva gym

The Marriott Geneva has a 24/7 gym on the second floor. The gym was quite large, with a variety of modern weight and cardio equipment.

I always try to photograph gyms when they’re empty (to respect the privacy of others), but despite visiting literally eight times to get pictures (including at 3AM), I didn’t once manage to get the gym completely empty. So below is a picture of part of the gym from the hotel’s website.

Marriott Geneva gym

Bottom line

The Marriott Geneva is a modern and comfortable hotel, and it’s probably one of the better Marriott branded properties I’ve stayed at in some time. The hotel has a convenient location if you want to stay near the airport, or if you have business in the immediate area. However, I definitely wouldn’t recommend staying here if you want to sightsee in Geneva, or be right in the heart of the action.

The hotel is definitely on the pricey side for what’s basically an airport hotel, but then again, that just reflects that Geneva is an expensive city.

What do you make of the Marriott Geneva?

Conversations (16)
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  1. iamhere Guest

    I really do think you need to expand your vocabulary for these reviews. It appears that your stay in this hotel was fine and as expected but nothing special or impressive. I also really dislike lounges like the one in this hotel because they are generally not staffed during the day and therefore the items there are not refilled as often as it should be. It appears that it is a standard Marriott hotel in Europe.

  2. Anthony Guest

    We have found Switzerland to be "tight", not just expensive, but not overly giving.
    Its no surprise of the lack of upgrades to a suite. I wonder if the Regional manager is the same one in Zurich.
    We won't stay at the Zurich Marriott any longer. Its just too "tight" on everything and we being Titanium Elite Lifetime, you don't get treated well.

    1. Always Flying Somewhere Guest

      The Marriott Basel is the opposite. Stayed two years ago and we received an upgrade. M Club was well stocked throughout the day. Breakfast was amazing also.

  3. ChrisGVA Guest

    A lot of reviews of this hotel show that nobody get upgraded to suite.

  4. S Diamond

    "Annoyingly, it was one of those showers with half a glass shield, which I’ll never fully wrap my head around."

    Not just you. I don't understand why so many hotels in Europe are obsessed with this design. It's awful.

    1. InternationalTraveler Diamond

      They are easy to clean.

  5. Walt Guest

    Agree, this is not the best hotel for Geneva sightseeing, but as a transit hotel it rocks. I stayed here last month. I love the custom, reusable water bottles and the local specialties at breakfast including regional Swiss cheeses. The club lounge was a nice quiet oasis with local beers and wines. As a place to catch up on Zzzs after an evening flight into GVA and an early drive out to snowboarding in Valais, this hotel exceeds all my expectations.

  6. Cedric Guest

    Ben, I've been reading OMAT for years now, the one thing I would like to see is reviews from something else than chain hotels. Its my opinion that boutique hotels are now much better in general than Marriott and such...that are all very generic.

  7. Santastico Diamond

    I can't even tell how much I hate those wall-mounted containers in the shower. There has bene so many instances where the bottles were empty and I had to call housekeeping to bring new ones and many times they ignored the request. Most of the housekeepers basically ignore checking if they have products inside.

    1. Daniel from Finland Guest

      I never use them after I read some story online about teens who amused themselves by urinating into them. They are easy to open and almost never tamper-proof.

  8. Alexandre Guest

    Tampa isn't that pricey yet the Whole US have globally become very expensive even for the small UE bourgeoisie which used to go to NYC/The US almost every year.

    COST OF LIVING

    1 Hamilton, Bermuda 137.4
    2 Basel, Switzerland 120.2
    3 Zurich, Switzerland 118.3
    4 Lausanne, Switzerland 117.7
    5 Bern, Switzerland 110.5
    6 Geneva, Switzerland 109.8
    7 New York, NY, United States 100.0
    8 San Francisco, CA,...

    Tampa isn't that pricey yet the Whole US have globally become very expensive even for the small UE bourgeoisie which used to go to NYC/The US almost every year.

    COST OF LIVING

    1 Hamilton, Bermuda 137.4
    2 Basel, Switzerland 120.2
    3 Zurich, Switzerland 118.3
    4 Lausanne, Switzerland 117.7
    5 Bern, Switzerland 110.5
    6 Geneva, Switzerland 109.8
    7 New York, NY, United States 100.0
    8 San Francisco, CA, United States 92.5
    9 Honolulu, HI, United States 92.4
    10 San Jose, CA, United States 90.5
    11 Boston, MA, United States 89.2
    12 Reykjavik, Iceland 88.5
    13 Seattle, WA, United States 87.7
    14 Canberra, Australia 87.5
    15 San Diego, CA, United States 86.4
    16 Trondheim, Norway 86.3
    17 Los Angeles, CA, United States 85.1
    18 Washington, DC, United States 84.8
    19 Bergen, Norway 84.5
    20 Sacramento, CA, United States 83.7
    21 Stavanger, Norway 82.5
    22 Portland, OR, United States 82.3
    23 Tampa, FL, United States 82.0

    1. UncleRonnie Guest

      Cost of living index on Maui: 160. 2. Game over.

  9. Jerry Kokesh Guest

    My current favorite Marriott, always spend a night there when flying out of GVA. Like the spacious well-lit rooms. Lounge breakfast always has a nice variety and always sit on patio...weather permitting! Shuttle seals the deal!

  10. Chris Guest

    I'll be visiting Geneva for a week or so this Summer and yeah, the costs of everything are eye-watering even for a guy who spends time in Scandinavia and lives in California. This is one of those times where points (with the assist of a transfer bonus) actually got me decent value- just not in the Bonvoy ecosystem.

  11. Ra Guest

    I don't know about location but the hotel itself looks lovely.

  12. Jim Baround Guest

    I stayed here this week, I would challenge that it's not a good hotel to stay at if you're visiting in town. Yes it is an airport hotel, but GVA is so close to downtown (literally a 6 minute train right from GVA to central station) that airport hotels in Geneva can be good tourist hotels. It is a short 5 minute walk to the tram and then a maybe 10 minute tram ride into...

    I stayed here this week, I would challenge that it's not a good hotel to stay at if you're visiting in town. Yes it is an airport hotel, but GVA is so close to downtown (literally a 6 minute train right from GVA to central station) that airport hotels in Geneva can be good tourist hotels. It is a short 5 minute walk to the tram and then a maybe 10 minute tram ride into center city. Plus the hotel gives you a transit pass good for all Geneva's trains, trams, and busses for the length of your stay.
    Also, the view definitely depends on which room you're in. We overlooked the main runway, seeing every plane taking off with the mountains as a backdrop.
    Couldn't quite figure out how to get the air conditioning to work though.

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Jim Baround Guest

I stayed here this week, I would challenge that it's not a good hotel to stay at if you're visiting in town. Yes it is an airport hotel, but GVA is so close to downtown (literally a 6 minute train right from GVA to central station) that airport hotels in Geneva can be good tourist hotels. It is a short 5 minute walk to the tram and then a maybe 10 minute tram ride into center city. Plus the hotel gives you a transit pass good for all Geneva's trains, trams, and busses for the length of your stay. Also, the view definitely depends on which room you're in. We overlooked the main runway, seeing every plane taking off with the mountains as a backdrop. Couldn't quite figure out how to get the air conditioning to work though.

3
S Diamond

"Annoyingly, it was one of those showers with half a glass shield, which I’ll never fully wrap my head around." Not just you. I don't understand why so many hotels in Europe are obsessed with this design. It's awful.

1
Santastico Diamond

I can't even tell how much I hate those wall-mounted containers in the shower. There has bene so many instances where the bottles were empty and I had to call housekeeping to bring new ones and many times they ignored the request. Most of the housekeepers basically ignore checking if they have products inside.

1
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