Bern, Switzerland
When you travel a lot, as many of us here at Hotel-Scoop do, hotels can start to seem the same. A room with a bed, a hot (we hope) shower, a morning cup of coffee. But sometimes, what stands out isn’t the rooms or the pool or the breakfast buffet. It’s the welcome that the staff provide and the friendly atmosphere that they create. During my recent stay in the Swiss city of Bern, this hospitality is what made the strongest impression at Hotel Bären am Bundesplatz.
Here’s the scoop:
Hotel Bären am Bundesplatz, Bern, Switzerland
Dating back to 1850, this four-story hotel is located in Bern’s historic center, less than ten minutes’ walk from Bern’s railway station. The majestic Parliament building and the city’s famous clock tower are both a short walk as well.
At Hotel Bären am Bundesplatz, the multilingual reception staff goes out of their way to be helpful. During my short stay, I heard different staffers offer advice about local running routes, help a guest figure out how to get online to watch movies on her iPad, and make sure that everyone had the city’s transit pass, which Bern hotels all offer free.
Guests can help themselves to welcome drinks at Hotel Bären am Bundesplatz.
Welcome to the WohnBar
Staff also direct arriving guests to the common area in the lobby, dubbed the WohnBar, where they can help themselves to a complimentary welcome drink. You can pour yourself a beer, have a glass of juice or sparkling water, or fix yourself a cocktail, and help yourself to a light snack as well. The WohnBar is open 24/7 for complimentary coffee, tea, and water.
The hotel’s WohnBar serves as common area, breakfast room, and library.
In the morning, this same space becomes the breakfast room, where staff set up a buffet that has a surprisingly large number of options, given its compact size.
There are yogurts, chopped fresh fruits, nuts, dried fruits, granola, and muesli. There’s a selection of cheeses, smoked salmon, hard boiled or scrambled eggs, bacon, and sliced ham. You can choose your juice and make your own java drinks at the espresso/cappuccino machine.
Updated guest rooms have touches of Swiss style.
Guest Rooms and Amenities
Upstairs, my room wasn’t large, but it was efficiently designed. The bed under the window had reading lamps on both sides, a work desk, and a compact modern bathroom with a narrow stall shower. A large eco-friendly squeeze bottle of a combination hand soap/body soap/shampoo was provided both at the sink and in the shower.
A shelf that slid out from under the desk held an espresso machine, and there was a tea kettle in the closet. I would have liked a luggage rack, but the closet had both shelves and hanging space.
The hotel’s 70 guest rooms come in three different sizes, though all are typically European-compact: XS, which is only 183 square feet; M at 237 square feet; and L, measuring 291 square feet. If you’re traveling as a family, you can book connecting family rooms.
The Federal Palace, Switzerland’s Parliament building in Bern
What’s Nearby?
Hotel Bären am Bundesplatz has a great location for exploring Bern. You can walk throughout the historic city center or along the river, and a network of trams that stop near the hotel can take you farther afield.
I took a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the Zytglogge, Bern’s clock tower; learned about Swiss history at the Bernisches Historisches Museum; and explored Zentrum Paul Klee, a contemporary museum devoted to the work of this Swiss artist. Lunch at Jul, a hip bistro in the old city, and a sunset dinner at Restaurant Rosengarten, outdoors in the city’s rose garden, were other highlights.
And each time I returned from my adventures to the Hotel Bären am Bundesplatz, the staff made sure that I felt at home.
Rates
Double room rates at Hotel Bären am Bundesplatz start at about CHF210/night (currently US$240), including a buffet breakfast.
Hotel feature by Vancouver-based travel, food, and feature writer Carolyn B. Heller. Photos © Carolyn B. Heller. Switzerland Tourism and Bern Welcome hosted my travels in Bern.
