Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern

I should live in the hotel. My stay was amazing. Did I mention that I would not be opposed to spending everyday there. Best service on the Planet. If a peaceful lakeside small city vacation is on your radar, look no further. Did I mention the black out shades, cleanliness, staff of my dreams, location and a view.

Upon arrival I walked to the check in desk. Where I was greeted by this lady who the first thing she told me (even though it was 1415) that the room is not ready. Which is standard behavior by hotels that pride on semantics. She made me review the reservation and then she said they have to add 300 CHF per night (3 nights) as a deposit. When she gave me the POS machine I discovered there was 1000 CHF over the total amount of the bill plus the 300 CHF/ NIGHT deposit. First I told her and she said it is correct Sir; at which point I was bothered she did not even care to review; so I hit back by telling her my background in numbers. At which point she apologized politely and charged me the correct amount. Then immediately she said housekeeping informed her that the room will be ready in 45 minutes - take note she made no call or used the intercom systems; housekeeping communicated with her telepathically. I was like no worries we will go see the center and back at 1500. We went back to the hotel and this time we were greeted with Emily. Who escorted us to the elevator. At this point we asked about the Japanese and French restaurants in the hotel. She said she will check and get back to us. We were assigned room 421. Upon walking in the room (again given my background in numbers) I immediately found out the size has nothing to so with the Deluxe Lake View Room advertised on the website. I am attaching a picture of the floor plan and putting a circle around room 421. As the floor plan shows this room is literally shoved behind the service elevator and stairs and a big chunk is taken so that they can fit another room next to it and make a side entrance and bathroom. I decided to go down again to the check in desk. This time I was greeted by Cristina. I politely told her I got the worst deluxe lake view room. She started by saying well you got what you booked. At this point I pulled the floor plan and asked her to explain how the room 421 is similar to the 20 rooms on the same side. She said again that is a deluxe lake room view but let me see what I can do. She took 10 minutes then told me she needs time that I should go to the room and she will call me. After 36 minutes exactly she called me and told me she has 3 solutions. I asked her to show me all 3 so that we can decide. While showing me the 3 solutions on 2 occasions we spotted on the floor cleaning cloths. At which point I also explained to her I started my career at a hotel inspection firm. To make a long story short we chose the solution but the room was not made by housekeeping. She said they need time and we ended up getting the solution room at 1800 - completely voiding the hotel's claim that they are strict by their check in and check out time policy. So we wasted 3 hours due to a room called 421 who is forced to exist in the Palace's floor plan. May I also mentioned we settled for a partial lake view room. I would like to point out that during the solution tour we did ask Cristina again for the French and Japanese restaurants and she said she will get back to us. We chose the Japanese; she called us to the room and said she will check or put us on the waiting list. Sadly we never heard back from her or Emily. She did send us a nice prosecco bottle to the room. Which is a 10 for effort. The note on it was lovely specially with the phase of my life I am going thru. Now for a hotel that charges over 1K CHF a night one detail I need to give you is that during breakfast if you want to upgrade your breakfast to like lets say Egg Benedict you will be charged 20 CHF. Do not ask me why but they do. Breakfast is good but not wow. The service here I have to say impeccable. Furthermore for a hotel of this caliber do not expect a barista made coffee; they use the machines you can find in any 4 or 5 star hotel. Lastly the staff tries way to hard to show they are elite. Like if you ask where are the restrooms they will say something like it is located right next to the beautiful bar. Or if you ask for the elevator they would say in front of the gorgeous stairs. Beauty does not need to be announced; it draws attention automatically. One last thing is if you order any main course from the all day dining room service; the sauce itself is 8 CHF. My one sentence summary is for a ultra luxury hotel; they lose such title with ultra concentration on insignificant charges and the staff trying ultra hard to show they are elite; they are so busy in such useless details that they forget clients' request like my reservation at the restaurant. If it was not for Cristina partially solving the horrible room I would have given them a zero not even a one star.

We had a five night stay with a room overlooking the lake. The room we had was perfect allowing us to have wonderful nights sleep and enjoying relaxing times sitting on the balcony over looking the glorious lake . We took advantage of the spa (amzing) , the gym (everything you need for a decent workout) , room service (brilliant) and most of the dining options. We were fortunate that the weather was great so the outside terrace (Quai 10) that faces the promenade and lake was open so we had a few long and lazy drinks socking up the graceful and elegant atmosphere. Breakfast is taken in the main restaurant , Mozern , and the variety and selection of food available is large so that you can start your day in the best possible way. It is a relaxing and experience with no need to rush. We also ate there for dinner and there again is a varied and large menu so we had plenty to choose from. And as always the food we had was excellent. We also had dinner in Colonnade, their fine dining restaurant with two Michelin stars, and that was an amazing dining experience. Every member of staff throughout the hotel was kind, thoughtful and helpful. We cannot thank them enough.

If I had to characterize MOLZ by only 2 things this is what I would keep : a fabulous terrace view over the lake of Luzern and a fantastic Omakase dinner at the Michelin starred Minamo. If you stay at MOLZ, you should not hesitate to book a room with a lake view. It is so beautiful. And if you can, I would even recommend one with terrace on the first floor. I have enjoyed so much seating there, looking at the lakescape while savoring a drink. The room is well-equipped and well-furnished, with all the necessary amenities. My only criticism would be the size of the room, too small and narrow, with a tiny bathroom. MOLZ has 3 restaurants, of which 2 are Michelin starred. The first one is Minamo, an “8 seats at the counter” authentic Japanese restaurant. The cuisine is delicious, fresh, and refined. The chief is very friendly, he explains each and every dishes to the guests. A real fantastic experience not to miss. In the contrary, the 2* restaurant Colonnades, serving French cuisine, is disappointing. Most of the plates are too heavy, greasy or creamy, to the point that my stomach felt not comfortable that night after the dinner. And this was not my sole experience since my 3 other guests did feel the same. Final word about the service, up to expectations for a 5* hotel, but lacking somehow a personal touch that I’ve experienced in other hotels including MO ones.

Review for Mandarin Oriental Palace Luzern - Family Emir Our stay at Mandarin Oriental Palace Luzern was truly memorable and reflects what great hospitality should feel like in Switzerland. From the moment we arrived, the welcome was exceptionally warm. The team at reception unfortunately we do not recall the name was genuinely kind, attentive, and made us feel immediately comfortable. Throughout the stay, every staff member we interacted with was friendly, helpful, and clearly motivated to provide the best possible experience. The location of the hotel is outstanding. Directly on the lake, with beautiful views and a very calm atmosphere, while still being within easy reach of the city center of Lucerne. You can walk along the lake promenade, reach the old town within minutes, or explore landmarks such as the Kapellbrücke or take excursions towards Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi. The overall atmosphere of the hotel, especially in the evening by the lake, is very relaxed and elegant. It is a place where you can truly slow down. The culinary experience was excellent. We tried several dishes from the menu including fish and everything we ordered was of very high quality. The consistency across the dishes was impressive. There are also a few smaller points we would like to mention, more as suggestions: One aspect we noticed in Switzerland in general, including here, is that terrace areas tend to close relatively early. Extending the opening hours slightly especially in the evening or even offering breakfast outside more consistently would significantly enhance the overall experience, given the beautiful lakeside setting. At breakfast, while the quality was good, the à la carte selection felt slightly limited compared to other Mandarin Oriental properties or similar high-end hotels. That said, these are minor observations within an otherwise very strong overall impression. What stood out most to us was the genuine effort of the entire team. There is a clear sense that people care, try to help, and want guests to have a great stay. This makes a real difference. We would absolutely return and it is also worth mentioning that the level of service fully justifies the tipping culture at this hotel.