I was staying here for a business trip lasting 4 nights in December - having also stayed here earlier in the year for a similar length of time. The rooms are quite well appointed though a distinct lack of power sockets - I had to unplug one of the lamps in order to plug in my laptop. The hotels has now changed its policy and wifi is now free. I wish more hotels took note!
The room itself and bathroom were always maintained to a relatively high standard and were nice and clean. The bathroom was well appointed but the shower screen over the bath had not been fitted correctly and so any attempt at a shower lead to the floor being flooded. A colleague in another room was having the same problem.
The reception area is very pleasant and has a nice modern feel to it - the over use of a massive plug in airfreshner initially was pleasant but it irritated the nose after a while!
That is the good points - now for the cons.
The hotel is under going a massive refurbishment at the moment - and the communal areas are covered in dust. The noise of drilling and hammering from fairly early in the morning became very irritating and it was impossible to rest in ones room during the day without being disturbed
Just prior to arriving the hotel had had to close the restaurant/bar due to a water leak and the breakfast room was moved to a clinical conference room on the top floor. In itself not a problem. But the breakfast was quite a sorry affair for the amount they were charging and the bacon was only just cooked and the scrambled eggs were totally cold.
The restaurant did reopen and really there was not a great deal of improvement in the quality of breakfast. (When I was there in the spring -
sparrows had managed to get into the restaurant and were eating the pastries!!!) The coffee in the restaurant was poor - you had to pay extra for a decent one. Again this is a change from the spring where there was a machine one good use. On my last morning - I was leaving relatively early - I came down to breakfast to be told there was no eggs that morning - just under cooked bacon!
The staff in general are helpful but the waiting staff are not of a very high caliber and often over zealous in clearing away. The breakfast is a buffet - if you leave your place for too long you will return to an empty place as they will have cleared it!
The hotel has a pride of place position on the lake front of Neuchatel and is by no means a budget hotel. For the amount of the rooms and the cost of the breakfast I would expect much better quality in respect to the general ambiance and particularly the breakfasts.
If you are considering using this hotel - I would enquire as to whether the refurb has finished, as I wouldnt stay there again until it has.
- Beaulac Hotel Neuchâtel
