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4.5
#1 of 64 hotels in Lucerne
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Hotel Des Balances - a superior property – is located in the beautiful heart of Lucerne’s Old Town. The ideal starting point for shopping and sight seeing.It has 56 tastefully renovated rooms and suites with a view of the famous Chapel Bridge, Jesuit Church and Mount Pilatus.Enjoy market fresh creations in our Restaurant Balances with lounge, bar and terrace directly at the river Reuss. 14 Gault Millau points stand for culinary art.Individual premises impressively combine tradition and modern comfort and provide the perfect framework for your unique event.Treat yourself to insBrational moments at the Hotel des Balances.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is officially classified according to Hotelstars Union standards.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled in a prime tourist hotspot, Hotel des Balances wins hearts with its top-notch service and friendly staff, as many travelers can attest. Guests have called out the clean, comfortable rooms with breathtaking views, despite some noting their compact size. The hotel's amenities, including scenic river-view balconies, contribute to its charm and vibrant atmosphere, with the addition of live music heightening the cultural experience.
While the value is appreciated, a few guests find the pricing steep. Overall, the hotel's cleanliness and provision of conveniences like free transportation passes leave a lasting impression.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Magical
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Well-appointed
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The hotel is located right in the old town of Luzern - at the waterfront. Excellent service and friendly staff. Rooms are nice and clean. The beds could do with an upgrade, the matrassen have seen a lot guest but this might have been just my room. Also the breakfast buffet was a bit on the simple side. The choice was limited and portions are very small. More like an airport lounge buffet. Dinner in the restaurant on the other hand was excellent! Great service there as well.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Raquel Mesa, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel des Balances
Responded Apr 3, 2023
Thank you very much for your excellent rating and for your positive feedback. We are delighted to hear that you had a great stay and we appreciate your kind comments about our staff. It would be a pleasure for us to welcome you soon again.
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We stayed in a junior suite at Des Balances for our honeymoon. For a junior suite, the room was on the small side but comfortable. The chair next to the couch did not fit very well in style or size in the space available, but overall, the room met our needs. The bed and linen were comfortable and the bathroom, while on the small side, was well appointed with l’Occitane soap and shampoo, and a proper hairdryer (not the kind that hangs on a wall with a plastic tube coming out of it). We had a balcony overlooking the river and the old bridge. The balcony was just right for a small table and two chairs. We enjoyed it every day at sunrise and sunset. Given its location in the center of town and in a pedestrian area, coming by car wasn’t very easy, and I think that the hotel could provide its guests a more detailed map, but the reception did a very good job when we called from the car. Parking at the hotel was handy as we needed the car during our stay. Reception welcoming was excellent, valet parking worked well, breakfast was fine if on the expensive side for just tea with bread, butter and jams. Diner was delicious, served on the terrace overlooking the river. The hotel is centrally located which is fantastic and we would have loved to extend our stay.
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Date of stay: August 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Raquel Mesa, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel des Balances
Responded Sep 3, 2020
Thank you very much for your very good review and for your detailed feedback! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed staying with us. We hope we can soon welcome you again for another stay in our hotel.
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My husband and I stayed for 3 nights for his 70th birthday and totally enjoyed our stay. We had a beautiful suite overlooking the water on the first floor. It was very spacious, very comfortable enormous bed, big sitting area, a jacuzzi bath for two, a separate big bathroom with shower and a second WC. I loved the iPod doc so we listened to our music which was fantastic. The room was cleaned perfectly every day, there was hand disinfect everywhere and the staff wore masks, so did all the guests. The staff were very polite and spoke perfectly other languages. We ate every night in the restaurant and each meal was delicious the tables were well separated. We highly recommend this hotel especially for couples and will be back ASAP and thank all the staff for making our stay perfect.
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Raquel Mesa, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel des Balances
Responded Jan 10, 2021
Thank you so much for your marvellous review and for your kind feedback! We are delighted that you had a lovey birthday stay and we are glad that we could help to make it a wonderful time for you and your husband. It would be our pleasure to soon welcome you again.
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After having spent many nights with other hotels in town (see separate reviews) mostly for trying something else and to be closer to the train station (NB, the distance from des Balances is not far at all, probably only two minutes longer..), I made it back to de Balances again. My favourite in town, all categories. I was rewarded with a room overlooking the river. You should always opt for those rooms, especially if you spend more than one night and most definitely when the outside temp is more pleasant. Sipping a glass and/or reading a book on the (small) balcony watching the mountains, the river and the chapel bridge is worth the few francs more. As I indicated the hotel is not far from the station. You just cross the bridge to the charming old town side and walk along the quay for a bit. It is not a huge place and facilities are not as plenty but it's cozy and I bet it's popular by couples... I chose not to pay the, even for Switzerland expensive, breakfast. So I can't give any reviews and will never be able to as I simply refuse to pay more for a couple of toasts and egg than for a full dinner at a not to simple restaurant. Hotels always decide their own prices so if the room is a few CHF more expensive but includes breakfast noone would notice or argue. You may argue that keeping it optional will save you if you decide not to have it. But that argument could then be used for the shower, tv-set or extra pillows as well. But I haven't seen many hotel charge extra for showers yet... Perhaps something for management to consider (not).
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Balances, Guest Relations Manager at Hotel des Balances
Responded Feb 20, 2020
We thank you for your excellent rating and for your extensive feedback about your stay and our hotel. We are pleased to hear that you had a great time staying with us and we look forward to your soon return.
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A smart, stylish hotel with efficient and attentive staff, centrally located for the old town and an easy 10 minute walk from the station. Our spotlessly clean and tastefully decorated 4th floor room overlooked the river, and had it not been misty during our stay, would have given us fine views of Mt. Pilatus. We loved the bar, with a piano player in the evenings. We didn’t eat at the hotel, but the restaurant and bar both have a riverside terrace. We especially liked: the little touches, such as the chocolates, the bottles of mineral water replaced daily, the complimentary welcome drinks, the helpful staff, the L’Occitane en Provence toiletries. On the down side: twin beds pushed together (and made up with single bedding) instead of a proper double, towels a little on the small side, and a shower in the middle of the bath rather than at one end!
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Balances, Guest Relations Manager at Hotel des Balances
Responded Feb 3, 2020
Thank you so much for your excellent rating and your lovely comments! We are very pleased to hear that your stay with us has been a very enjoyable one. It would be great if we could soon welcome you again at Hotel des Balances.
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I had the double room with the river view (rm408), the view was superb! Although the room is small but it is well thought and bathtub was nice to have.
Awesome front desk staff, check in and check out was easy, did not have their breakfast as the prices are quite high for its menu.
They gave chocolates and it’s nice, so sweet of them!
The only downside is that we suspect the aircon is not working properly, it cools the room too slow and we can’t open the windows otherwise, aircon would be off.
We happened to stay during the carnival period, nice for them to provide ear plugs as couple of nights, the town partied till 3-4am I think! But hotel is really quite sound proof!
Thanks a lot to the Team at Hotel Des Balances, we had a great time :)
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Balances, Guest Relations Manager at Hotel des Balances
Responded Feb 26, 2020
Thank you so much for your fabulous review and for your positive feedback! We are very happy to hear that you were fully satisfied with your stay at our hotel. With great pleasure we would like to welcome you again any time soon.
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his hotel had a great atmosphere apart from the beautiful facade I couldn't stop staring at! The staff were very welcoming and it is also pet friendly. We paid for him Eur20 per night but no bed or treats were provided for him. So we have no idea for what were we actually paying, maybe just for permission. We had a superior suite with balcony and it was quite spacious. The bathroom was well equipped and they supplied it with L'occitane products so I was comfortable in knowing I am not putting any cheap stuff on my skin. What really upsets me is that they do not offer any bathrobes and realizing the price you pay per night I was considering it as a basic need. You should ask the reception for one. Room are supplied with a coffee machine only no electric kettle but can always ask for one. However if you just want some herbal tea you can just switch on the coffee machine without putting any capsule in. There is also an ice and water machine on every floor which we found really convenient. Arriving by car you can par Eur33 per night and they will take it for you to the nearest parking area and get it for you when you need. The hotel is very central, location around shops and restaurants with very pleasant views. The breakfast was really good but if you don't eat too much you could opt for the À la carte option instead it will be cheaper. I always ordered an omelette, pancakes and a cappuccino, I couldn't eat more and the price is cheaper than if I had to pay for a buffet. The bar staff are also very nice and if you don't eat at their restaurant in the evening, we suggest you go for a drink, coffee and a dessert!! It was a nice stay and we would certainly reconsider this hotel! Thanks!!
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Date of stay: January 2023
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Raquel Mesa, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel des Balances
Responded Feb 14, 2023
Many thanks for your good rating and for your honest feedback! We are pleased to hear that you had an enjoyable time staying with us and in Lucerne. We would be very happy to welcome you again when you are next in town.
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Would like to point out a few shortcomings we experienced, which one does not expect when staying in a hotel of this standard and price.
Our suite was very spacious and well appointed, but there were no blackout curtains, even during the night there was light coming into the room. If you, like me, need complete darkness for sleeping, I suggest bringing a sleep mask.
The shower was clogged, we requested it be fixed, they told us it had been done, but the problem remained.
No assistance to help guests with their luggage up a flight of stairs to reach the reception area.
We still had a pleasant stay, the hotel is very well located, the view is amazing and staff friendly.
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Date of stay: December 2020
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Raquel Mesa, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel des Balances
Responded Dec 10, 2020
Thank you very much for your review and for communicating your experiences! We are glad that overall you had a pleasant time staying with us. We regret, however, that your were not totally satisfied. . We will check all the issues mentioned and will take the necessary action to avoid a negative experience for our guests. We would be very happy to soon welcome you again with us.
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Our tiny room, which was charged 400 CHF overlooked the town, not the river. Although I booked the valet service for my car, it was still outside on the street at 1 am when I woke up because of street noise. When I went with the staff member to get it out of the public car park, the car wasn’t even locked ! Dinner was served on the terrace overlooking the river. Whereas my main course was very tasty, the one served to my wife was entirely burned black outside and inside. Which fool authorized this plate to leave the kitchen ? So we returned it and our planned romantic tête à tête wasn’t one at all because I ate my main course alone and my wife’s replacement dish arriving when I had finished. At breakfast, hotel guests were shown to a cramped part of the terrace. When asking about the other fine and spacious tables at the other side, they were reserved for people from outside the hotel who had booked a breakfast ! Wow... paying hotel guests are treated like second-choice guests at breakfast. The buffet costs an extra 45 CHF per person (!), the continental breakfast i believe was 21 CHF just for drinks, bread basket and butter and preserves. Oh wait, you can also choose à la carte, maybe that’s less expensive because we only wanted a small breakfast. Ok, coffee 5.5 plus bread basket 6, ah that’s cheaper... but nooooooo, butter and preserves are another 6 CHF I really wonder which twisted mind calculated and decided all this. Never seen this in a hotel
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Date of stay: August 2020
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Raquel Mesa, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel des Balances
Responded Aug 28, 2020
We are pleased to have had you as a guest at the Hotel des Balances. We are less pleased, however, that your stay was not completely to your satisfaction for the reasons you described. We sincerely apologize for it. We appreciate the time you took to voice your concern, which we value as constructive criticism.
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We managed a short getaway when some things opened in March in Switzerland, traveling from Lake Geneva area to Lucerne for the first time. This hotel is on the river with a beautiful view of the Jesuit church across the way. It was worth it to pay a bit more for the river view. Plus you can sit on your little balcony with some delicious goods from the nearby bakeries and an espresso and enjoy the street scene below. Front-desk staff were friendly and helpful, multi-lingual. The restaurant was very good (open only to hotel guests in COVID era), with friendly waiters and little extra treats before your meal (amuse bouche) and after (Laderach chocolates, the best!). The room was clean and had everything needed, and the bed was comfortable, which was much appreciated because I have found the Swiss to be too fond of very hard mattresses. We would definitely come back.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Raquel Mesa, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel des Balances
Responded Mar 14, 2021
We thank you very much for your fantastic review and for your positive feedback. We are delighted that you enjoyed your litte getaway in our hotel. We are happy to hear that you also appreciated our restaurants very much. We look forward to your soon return.
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There are more places to choose from in the Lucerne area.
PRICE RANGE
₱13,726 - ₱24,209 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
des balances hotel, des balances lucerne
LOCATION
SwitzerlandCanton of LucerneLucerne
NUMBER OF ROOMS
56
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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