Hotel Uto Kulm Car-Free Hideaway in Zurich

If you are driving, DO NOT even think about booking this hotel ! If you are looking for friendly or helpful staffs at the hotel, there is NONE ! If you are looking for fresh drinking water refill each day, there is NONE ! Bed bugs on the bed ! This hotel is ONLY suitable for hikers or someone who doesn't have any expectations of services, for a so called "4-Star" Hotel.  ### *Critical Service Deficiencies* 1. *Deceptive Parking Arrangement* - The hotel advertises "parking facilities," yet the actual lot is *5 km away*, accessible only via paid public buses (EV1/EV2 lines). - Despite arriving past midnight on Day 1 (when staff reluctantly provided an electric shuttle), we were later forced to *walk or pay for buses daily*—a cost and logistical burden never disclosed at booking. 2. *Nighttime Abandonment & Staff Hostility* - Staff imposed an *unreasonable 11 PM curfew* for shuttle service, claiming post-11 PM pickups "inconvenienced" them. - On Night 3, when I missed the bus due to this restriction: - I called the front desk *8 times* with no answer. - Upon finally reaching staff, I was *blamed for "missing the bus"* and told to *walk uphill alone at midnight*—despite carrying heavy bags and expressing fear of the dark mountain path. - Only after *30 minutes of argument* did staff dispatch a shuttle. 3. *Check-Out Humiliation* - At departure, staff refused to shuttle us or our luggage downhill, instructing us to: - *Self-load bags onto an unmanned electric cart*. - Walk 15 minutes to the bus stop. - Load our luggage and ride two buses (EV2 → EV1) to reach the distant parking lot, which needed us to pay by ourselves. 4. *Facility Failures* - *No elevators*: We hauled luggage up/down stairs, 3 floors to Room 39. - *Bed bugs*: Evidence of insects in bedding (photos attached). ### *Broader Impact* The hotel’s practices contradict Switzerland’s image as a tourism leader: - *"Zurich’s highest hotel"* is a *misleading marketing gimmick*—only the location has value. - Staff behavior (*blaming guests, refusing assistance) is **un-Swiss* in its hostility. - Without immediate staff retraining and policy reform, the hotel risk both *business collapse* and *damaging Switzerland’s tourism reputation*.

Beautiful scenic location on top of hill. Lovely room. Nice friendly staff. Always smiling and ready to help. Feels like hill station.