Riffelhaus 1853

SUMMARY: Zermatt’s best-kept secret. Nestled in the middle of the Zermatt Matterhorn, this 170+ year old hotel integrates modern amenities while maintaining its historical roots along with breathtaking views. Riffelhaus 1853 does not disappoint and often leaves the guest with a once-in-a-lifetime experience and incredibly lucky for such a hotel to exist. It houses only 25 rooms/suits allowing for the staff to give you more personalized attention. TYPE OF TRAVELLER: This hotel is for those who want to get away from it all, experience a once-in-a-lifetime location. It is for those who want more personalized attention and prefers to leave the crowd behind as there are only 25 rooms available. Less mobile guest may find this location difficult due to the location and high elevation. SEASON VISITED: WINTER (December) RATING SYSTEM: 1-5 with 5 being the highest. RATINGS SUMMARY: -FACILITIES (4.9 stars) -SERVICE (5 stars) -PRICE (4.5 stars) -FOOD (4.5 stars) FACILITIES (4.9 Stars): Unlike most 170+ year old hotels, Riffelhaus 1853 does an amazing job integrating modern amenities. From a comfort perspective, I did not feel the age of this hotel, nevertheless, the property maintained its historical and beautiful aesthetics that made my stay so unique. Rooms: The rooms and bathrooms were very modern with a sense of alpinist style unique to the locality. The rooms were average sized for the price; however, most guest come for the amazing view and location of this hotel rather than the size of the room. My biggest gripe is the inside of the rooms. I stayed on the top floor with Matterhorn views but there are rooms that include balconies. My bathroom was decently sized but looking at the fire escape layout, it appears that other rooms with balconies have smaller bathrooms. However, one should know that the attraction of this hotel is not for the size of its room but for its prime location and wellness center. Lounge/Dining Area: The lounge is very stylish and has panoramic views with numerous and huge windows that allow the guest to feel surrounded by the Alps (because they really are). The dining area is very spacious while the lounge area is sizeable for relaxing conversations or to individually take in the awe-inspiring views. The lounge area also displays paintings of significant personalities that contributed to the hotel’s history. Wellness Center/Spa: The reputation of the Riffelhaus’ Wellness Center and Spa experience is what originally motivated me to book this stay. This may be the crown jewel of the property as there is no other place like this in Zermatt. Their hot tub perched at the top of about 2582 meters overlooking the Matterhorn and the whole of Zermatt is the most beautiful in the entire area. I challenge anyone else to provide pictures of a better hot tub view. People from all over the world travel just for this experience. The large dry sauna faces a wall of glass from the ceiling to the floor that overlooks the Matterhorn and Alps and situates multiple people comfortably. They also have a large steam room, multiple showers, and relaxing room to ensure guest fully enjoy the experience. I enjoyed the amenities multiple times and I did not feel like was one bit crowded as well. It is truly legendary. SERVICE (5-Stars): The staff of this hotel is outstanding. The pride they have in their hotel shows. The morale throughout the staff seems high and their appearance of happiness is contagious the guest. Happy staffs really influence the guests’ experience. From pre-check-in to the departure phase, I received excellent service. I had booked about 3 months in advanced, and I received 3 emails providing instructions and my questions were answered expeditiously. In addition, there was no language barrier that made communication difficult. The staff and receptionists were fluent in multiple languages from English, to German, to French, to Polish as well as Spanish, and Italian. I had Riffelhaus staff members ready waiting to assist with my luggage upon my arrival to the train station. This is important because the slope and ski in/ski out location of the hotel make it extremely difficult to transport luggage on your own. These bell hops/handymen work tirelessly and would bend over backwards to help you. I was always met with a smile from the receptionists (particularly Julie) who always gave me tips about places to see and advised me on the best slopes on the mountain. She also appears to genuinely care about the guests. From the receptionists, to the servers, to the cleaners, the service I received was spectacular. PRICE (4.5 stars): A little pricey but compared to the location and small number of rooms available, it seems very understandable. To compare, I can spend just as much on a hotel at Vail, Colorado, one of America’s top ski resorts but I believe Zermatt offers more. One must consider that the area in general is significantly higher priced as the logistical support to get food and supplies to the area are expensive. FOOD (4.5 stars): The breakfast offered was excellent with a huge variety from sausages, to fruit, to waffles, and cheese. It is what I had expected a Swiss breakfast to be. However, the dinners at the restaurant were average at best and had few options as it was mainly a set mention. I would recommend to the company in expanding their menu options for dinner to enhance guest experience. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE STAFF: -Provide firmer pillows in the rooms as some of the pillows seem too soft. -Expand the dinner menu to enhance guest experience. -Take off the sign at the hot tub so guest can have a full uninterrupted view of the scenery. Guest will already provide a hashtag when they post photos on their social media. CONCLUSION: I highly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to experience something amazing. I am already planning my next trip for the warmer weather to see how different the views will look!

リッフェルホテルからの依頼で宿泊先変更しました。とても良いホテルでしたのでマッターホルンを充分に楽しめました。 予約日1週間前になっても宿泊先から連絡がなかったためリッフェルホテルに確認のメッセージを送りましたが、返信が遅く、どちらかのホテル泊まるのか曖昧なメッセージが来て混乱しました。最終的にHotels.comに連絡をとり宿泊先を確認しましたが、いまだに意味がわかりません。ただお陰で素晴らしいホテルに泊まるチャンスを得たのは本当にラッキーでした。

This hotel was everything I hoped it would be. The location was spectacular.

Of all of the hotels we stayed in during our 10 days in Switzerland, this was by far our favorite. Taking the Gornergrat railway to the hotel is incredible, and once you check in you will never want to leave. Situated at 8200 feet next to the Matterhorn, the views are spectacular, and the hotel room provided to us also had a view of this magnificent mountain. The breakfast and dinner meal were the most delicious meals we had in Switzerland...but the best part was sitting in their outdoor spa pool.

マッターホルンを独り占めできるロケーションのホテルで最高の時間が過ごせました。 スタッフの方も全員とっても親切だった。 夕食はコースで出てきて、少食の私にはボリュームが多すぎたが、食べれないデザートのキャンセルも笑顔で対応してくれました。 メインも選ぶことができて、サラダもたくさん食べることができた。 部屋はとてもコンパクトにまとまっていたが、清潔で心地よく過ごすことができました。 部屋の窓越しにマッターホルンを写真に取ると、まるで絵のように綺麗で一生の思い出になりました。 またサウナもすごいロケーションだった。 時期的に人が少ない時期で、自分たちだけでゆっくり過ごせたのは最高の時間でした。 帰りにFuri経由のゴンドラで帰りたかったが夏の営業期間があったらしく動いておらずだった。 ただ、スイスに行くなら絶対に泊まった方が良いホテルでした！

Astonishing view of matterhorn

景色が良くて、良かったです！

駅から近く便利。 部屋は清潔。 食事も美味しい。

星10 このホテルの良い点は山岳ホテルでありながら、すべての設備.サービスが素晴らしいことです。 マッターホルンを眺めながら、極上のサービスを受けながらゆっくり過ごすのが一番最適ですね。 次は連泊してゆっくりと朝食、ディナーを楽しみたいです。

This was an absolutely amazing experience! The hotel, the staff, the views-blown away!!!!!!