GRAND HOTEL DES ALPES *****

This is a 5-star hotel conveniently located in a pedestrian area of Chamonix. However, the hotel has two major downsides. In the summer, there is no A/C, so the rooms are HOT. Also, the rooms are very small, and it is difficult to organize your belongings. I am accustomed to small European hotel rooms, but my room here was TINY. The hotel staff is welcoming. There is a lift, but there were still some steps to my room. I normally use steps, but the steps in this hotel are the curl-around and around design, so I had to use the lift. My room had a very nice balcony overlooking the river. Breakfast was exceptional with custom coffee and egg choices at no additional expense. Room was clean. I almost had to call the front desk to find out how to turn off my lights. The light switch was behind a side table next to the bed. The only charge port I could find was across from the bed, so my phone alarm wasn't easy to shut off. The pool and sauna were beautiful. There is also a nice big balcony and game room on the first floor. There is a parking garage directly under the hotel. There was a safe and fan in the room. The bed was comfy. The shower worked well and there was a heated towel rack. I think it would be a lot nicer to stay here when the temperatures were cooler outside.

Driving to the hotel was very difficult. Our GPS took us into Chamonix and wanted us to drive on the pedestrian streets. Once we got close we parked the car and walked into the hotel. A young lady came out to the car and guided us to the hotel’s underground parking area. We needed to make reservations for parking before we arrived. The fee was added to our bill. We checked in and found the room to be very small. We barely had room for our luggage. The hotel had no air conditioning and during the heat wave we were told to use a fan and open the window. It was a miserable night. Our river view could be seen at an angle. It was not how I imagined it would be. We were given several restaurant recommendations and once we decided, the hotel staff made the reservation for us.

We loved the quaintness of Chamonix and our stay was just as cozy! We loved skipping the artificial white noise and instead, opened our balcony windows and was lulled to the sounds of the river that was behind the hotel. The location was perfect, and allowed us to see the area and enjoy the Mountain Views. The staff were very accommodating to our questions, concerns and delayed arrival. They were able to provide a shuttle to the train station which was beyond appreciated. We hope we can visit again!!

My husband and I are on a Mt Sobek hiking group tour and this hotel was one of the places Mt Sobek works with. I can see why. It is absolutely lovely with views of the Mont Blanc massif. We had one of the smaller rooms the property offers but it did not feel small at all. We were able to spread out and there was plenty of room to unpack our belongings. We were warmly greeted and the staff was always ready to comply with special requests. I was actually motivated to make time to review this lovely place because of one employee interaction in particular --- Sylvia. Sylvia handles petit déjeuner (breakfast). When we arrive at 6:30 am she is finishing up the touches on a beautiful breakfast buffet. On day two she welcomed us by name and would not finish her final prep until we were comfortably seated with an a la carte menu and coffee. She CLEARLY is all about the guest experience and her smile would brighten anyone's day. She exemplifies what this property is trying to do for its guests.