Having had excellent previous stays as a family at Mandarin Oriental (MO) properties in Madrid, London, and Tokyo, we were eager to kick off our month in Switzerland with a night at the MO Geneva before traveling onward to the Swiss Alps. With an excellent connecting room setup and comfortable beds, generous welcome amenities for adults and kids, signature hospitality, and excellent dining, our stay at MO Geneva was brief but a delightful and restorative start to our journey. While we would certainly stay here again for stopovers in Geneva, families should note that there is no pool or true spa setup and the nightly rate here (and in Geneva in general) can climb quickly with two rooms required for families of four.

Overview

At-a-Glance

• Date of stay: July 2024

• Length of stay: 1 nights / 2 days

• Trip type: Family city stop while exploring Switzerland

• Property type: Family-friendly city hotel

• Tailor-made for: Business travelers, but also especially family-friendly

Highlights

• Incredibly spacious interconnecting family room setup with suite-style, single door entrance leading to two separate doors, accommodating up to six people

• Well-designed and well-appointed rooms with elegant furnishings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and updated technology

• Lovely welcome amenities for both kids (flavored popcorn, fresh juices) and adults (fresh fruit, cake, flowers)

• Kids robes and slippers provided in the room upon arrival

• Located directly across from the Rhone River and near the lakefront promenade

• Geneva airport is about a 10 minute drive from the hotel, making this an ideal stopover hotel when arriving in Europe from overseas

• Fast room service with high quality menu items for both adults and kids

• Lovely open-air riverside bistrot for seasonal outdoor dining

• Generous breakfast spread with a wide variety of high quality items and a la carte hot dishes (though pricey)

Good to Know

• While there is a fitness center, hammam, sauna, and beauty suite, this hotel does not have a pool or full-service spa facilities

• This building lacks some of the charm and history that many of the European MO hotels have and feels a bit dated

• Most rooms have views of the city or interior “garden”, not the river (it is essentially an open space with grass)

• Lac Leman and the lakefront promenade are about a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel

• Traffic on the street in front of the hotel can get pretty bad at certain times of day - plan accordingly

• With three people maximum per room and a high price per room, accommodations for families of four or more can be pricey (here and in Geneva in general)

Rating Detail

OVERALL RATING 💛💛💛💛+

LOCATION & SETTING 💛💛💛💛+

ROOM 💛💛💛💛💛

SERVICE 💛💛💛💛💛

DINING 💛💛💛💛💛

ACTIVITIES 💛💛💛

FAMILY SERVICES & AMENITIES 💛💛💛💛💛

WELLNESS 💛💛💛

WOW FACTOR 💛💛💛💛

VALUE 💛💛💛

Rating Legend*

💛💛💛💛💛 Exceptional

💛💛💛💛 Notable

💛💛💛 Standard

💛💛 Substandard

💛 Unsatisfactory

*All ratings are relative to similar-class properties