Courtyard by Marriott Zurich Nord
The Courtyard by Marriott is located in Oerlikon, which is halfway between the airport and the city centre of Zurich. It could be easily reached from the airport or the main station by public transportation, as the hotel is only 200 metres from Oerlikon station. You have to leave the airport on the back entrance at platform six and take the street at the end of the platform (if you arrive from the airport). The hotel
offers a shuttle every 30 minutes in the morning and every 40 minutes in the afternoon. It is not free of charge, but the fee is reasonable 8.00 CHF. However, if you travel with hand luggage I suggest taking the train, as this is the cheaper and also faster option to reach the hotel.
The hotel is a new building and opened in 2006. The surrounding buildings are office building as well as residential ones. The hotel itself is integrated in a block with apartments. It is a six storey building. Opposite the hotel is a supermarket.
If you enter the hotel, you are in some sort of entrance area. On the left hand side is the entrance to the restaurant. On the right hand side is a small shop / kiosk with food offerings as well as drinks and a small selection of travel related items.
You have to pass this shop and the elevators on the other side to reach the real lobby with some stylish lounge chairs and tables and the check in desk. There are two desks available to check in guest.
Meetings rooms are available in the rear part of the building facing the courtyard of the building.
A small gym is located in the first floor. Treadmills, ergo meters, bicycling machines are available and towels and water is provided by the hotel. The gym might be too small, if the hotel is fully booked and more than the average number of guest want to use these facilities during peak times (morning and evening; it is open 24 hours)
To reach the floors with the rooms by elevator, one needs the keycard.
The ground floor of the hotel with the public areas is rather small and the lobby is not really existing or a place to sit longer than necessary. But on the other hand one did not expect a impressive lobby at a Courtyard hotel. However, the interior is nice and modern.
Stays 23 May 2008
direct link to hotel: Courtyard Zurich Nord
Arrival Date: 23 May 2008
Departure Date: 24 May 2008
Room type booked: Quality Room / Standard (got Superior)
Rate Plan: Weekend rate
Room Number: 616
Room Rate: 169.00 CHF
Status of Guest Program: Gold
I arrived at 17:15 at the hotel and was friendly greeted by the agent working at the check in desk. She reconfirmed I was staying only for one night. I had to fill out the remaining parts of the arrival card like date of birth and passports. I was explained how to use the elevator and the times breakfast was served in the restaurant. I was not told, if I got an upgraded room due to Marriott Reward Gold status. In the end, I discovered
that I was upgraded to an Superior Room on the top floor of this property.
The first time I tried to enter my room I failed, because the keycard did not work. So I had to return to check in. I got a new keycard, which luckily worked.
The style of the hotel is like a typical hotel room. If you enter the room you are standing in a small corridor. There is the central power switch located beside the entrance door, where one has to put in the keycards. A closet with hangers, iron and ironing board and safe is also located in the corridor.
The entrance to the bathroom is also in the corridor. The bathroom with bath, sink and toilet was modern and had a bright lightning. A shaving / make-up mirror was available as well as a hairdryer. Towels were provided for two persons. While the bath towels were okay, I found the size of the regular towels a bit of the small side. There were no slippers and bathrobes offered. Bathroom amenities were by Bulgari, which was surprising and one did not expect this brand in a Courtyard.
The bath had no shower curtain, but a glass wall. As often in hotels, this was really small and you could not avoid flooding the floor of the bathroom. The showerhead was in good condition and was providing a massage function. Overall the bathroom was modern and nice, though a bit cold since there were no heating.
The room was of average size. On the left side was a sideboard. In this sideboard integrated were a small fridge and some drawers. On the sideboard were also the placed the tea and coffee facilities. In the very right part of the sideboard was the working area with a separated movable desk and a comfortable chair. At the desk was a lamp and international power outlets which should be in the hotel, focusing also on the Business Traveller a standard feature.
The TV was a flat TV.
In front of the window – my room was facing the courtyard – were a table and a lounge chair with another lamp. A king bed was on the left side of the room.
The bed was comfortable but one had only one blanket which was okay for me, since I was staying there alone but might be a downside if one is sharing the room with the partner.
The interior design of the room was modern: a dark blue carpet and a beige wall with pictures. The furniture was of good quality and appearance. There were a few scratches at the wall, but no visible scratches or stains in the carpet; I think the dark colour of the carpet is an advantage in this case. However, is was a more contemporary design, had not really a local touch and was the style of the hotel room which one could find around the globe. But chains like Courtyard really have a standard interior design
and usually are not into offering a local touch in the design of the rooms.
The Amenity was a bottle of Red wine and a bottle of sparkling water was in the fridge.
Check out was okay, since a long time I was asked if I had a pleasant stay and if everything was okay. My folio was prepared and everything was okay.
It was a nice room and I highly could recommend this hotel, since it is not in the heart of Zürich, but in Oerlikon. This is not a bad location, since the main station is only ten minutes by train and you do not have to pay the higher rate of the rooms of downtown hotels.
