Riffelalp Resort 2222 m

The hotel has a unique situation in Zermatt, being truly ski in & out on the slopes on the Gonergrat. It is a pleasure putting your skis on & being on the slopes immediately. Most of the staff was very pleasant, especially the French maitre D & most of the members of the front desk team. The outdoor pool was small but pleasant with a nice view of the matterhorn. Unfortunately the hotel falls short on multiple things which are unacceptable for the 5 star rating & the price. I made a booking last minute during peak season, the first "natur classic" room I stayed in was not up to standards expected, it was small, extremely dark, the furniture was not practical & outdated, the bathroom was nowhere near the standard of any 5 star hotel. The housekeeping fell short forgetting to replenish basic necessities like shower gel, even when I purposely left the empty bottle in the middle of the bathroom. I asked for an upgrade & was put in communication with "Patricia", the woman was beyond unpleasant for no reason, seemed to have a problem with the fact that I asked for a quiet room, ideally away from any rooms with kids or connecting doors, claiming this was a "family hotel", although the romantic pictures of the couples in the outdoor jacuzzi aren't exactly screaming family friendly on the hotel's website; she also seemed to have a problem with the fact that I was alone, for god only knows what reason she felt the need to lie & say that I had warned them a friend of mine would be joining me, which I never did, I guess she wanted to keep her last premium room for a couple to make a few extra hundred francs in dinner bills; the website booking.com showed a room of the matterhorn view category available for the remaining duration of my stay but she told me that was not the case & it required a room change - that is simply not possible as booking.com does not have the capability of showing a room available over a period of time which requires a room change, either way, she wanted to be difficult & being thanked for doing her job which tarnished the experience. When I finally was given the upgraded room, I was shocked to realise the magical matterhorn view was completely ruined by a ridiculously large inflatable highlighter-yellow duck in the middle of the garden right under the matterhorn & facing all the most expensive rooms. That's whes I realised this was indeed a "family" hotel, god only knows why they chose to ruin every single photo any paying customer may wish to take from their matterhorn view room with such an absurd & ugly artefact. The room was more spacious & the bathroom was up to the 5 star standard, however it was still dark & the most shocking aspect was the unbearable noise of the doors being slammed shut from all the rooms nearby & the floor above. For a few hours daily, every morning and evening, while guests went on to breakfast and ski, same thing at night when they left for dinner & came back to sleep, the hotel floor turned into a complete nightmare, the vibrations & sound of the doors slamming made you jump out of bed, it is beyond shocking that no member of staff has realised this & done anything about it. There was no kettle & no tea in the room. I stayed in the hotel for a week, whilst it was possible to go to the village for dinner, the train times to come back were very limited which it made it impractical & risky. There were 2-3 restaurants on site, whilst the food was good, the options quickly became boring & the number of "healthy" options were extremely limited, the menu for the room service was equally disappointing with a single "healthy" ish option available. Bills for the same things ordered were different depending on the staff, some staff at the Alex restaurant seemed to expected guests to greet them first which was surprising for a 5 star hotel. On my last day, I asked for a late checkout even if I had to pay an extra fee, the "shift manager", i guess Patricia, granted me 30 min extra.

This hotel is incredible and even better than the pictures show it to be. First of all, there’s the Matterhorn and the view of it. Upon arriving at the hotel, it’s seemingly right there with clearly a superior view than you would get from down in the valley at Zermatt. It’s an experience just watching it over the days you are there as the clouds roll in and out and give you so many different versions of it. I’m a semi-pro photographer and it made capturing a photo worthy of printing easy.|Upon arrival in Zermott by train cross the street to the second train (there are arrows) and ask the ticket folks for the Riffelalp porter. He takes your baggage and provides with you a train ticket to go up the mountains and arranges for it to be sent ahead and it’s in your room on check-in. Check in after a quick lunch in Zermatt was easy (we were using the American Express package) and our room at first seemed non-view but on stepping out on the balcony had a lovely view of the mountain(s). The room was beautifully styled in “mountain chic” with lots of wood and green textures and original art on the walls). The bath area was separated from the toilet and had a lovely soaking tub. Provided in the room were bottle of sparkling and plain water and a complimentary bottle of local wine. There was ample closet space and dressers for storage. There were blackout blinds that we didn’t need but you might in June/July with the longer days.|The breakfast buffet was sumptuous and the service at it incredible but friendly and helpful servers. We ate one dinner in the restaurant across from the lodge and one in the lodge and they were both very good— a bit pricy, but it’s Switzerland where everything is expensive. Some folks chose to go down to Zermott for finer cuisine, but we were happy with the 3 days we were there to just stay up on the mountain.|There’s ample opportunities for hikes from the property or to take the train further up (it runs every 20 minutes most of the day and a schedule is posted in reception) to more trails— or to go down to Zermott for many opportunities. For our taste, we were looking for more of a get away from crowds experience so stayed close to the hotel. |In summary, take the opportunity to experience the Riffelalp if you’re in Zermott or planning a trip through the Alps. It may be the best hotel we’ve ever stayed in and we travel frequently.

An amazing resort with five-star accommodations, service, and incredible views... simply breathtaking! Many thanks to the staff for helping to make our anniversary one to remember for a long time. Cheers to Stefan (and David for the warm welcome on the resort tram) from the Concierge Team for the excellent communications and assistance, to Raymond as well as Toby and Mauro for their kind service at Restaurant Alexandre, and to Katrin for taking wonderful care of us at Ristorante Al Bosco. We want to go back already!

So it bugs me that anyone would rate this less than 5. I had to travel for work so I know a little about hotels and food. My Lifetime Marriott profile shows 2397 nights with Marriott and Starwood. There is not a Marriott hotel in Zermatt (rumor is they are building a Ritz to open in 2026) so we looked at the Omnia and Mt Cervin but I am so glad we stayed here. We traveled late June 2024 right after a flood. We heard reports while in Chamonix that Zermatt was closed so we contacted the resort. They were so helpful and professional and assured us everything was copesetic. There are very few places in the US that have fresh squeezed orange juice (included with free breakfast) so I would recommend just for that. Oh did I mention if you like to hike this place rocks! Food at the restaurants was also very good. I was worried about the Gornergrat but with the Peaks Pass this was seamless. If I return to Zermatt it will be here and not at the Ritz! Oh and someone said something about the Cigar lounge. That is a very cool room to visit even though I don't smoke. I NEVER smelled smoke outside that room and the Check-in and game room are right next door to that room. Hmm?

Hotel is nice like a chalet style hence not modern style with usbs etc but still nice & clean. Amazing location. Albosco restaurant is amazing. Hotel need to work on things like : 1-providing the right instructions prior to booking especially that upward / Congrate train tickets are to be paid by the guest & are not included in the room rate which is surprising as this is the only way to reach the hotel ! 2- No bottled water provided for guests at all during the stay which is not what is expected in 5* hotels in all hotels for example in Italy you find tons of bottled water given to me for FREE as a guest ! No one told me that the 11:30 pm train is free until I asked the reception to book me the ticket then he is required to tell me it is free , why not before ! Overall the hotel & food are nice but the hotel staff need more training on hospitality, sharing essential information or simply how to deal with guests in 5 stars hotel ! I booked another Zermatt hotel which is 4 * & found the service way better. I do not think I’ll come back.

We loved our stay at the Riffelalp resort!! All of the staff were exceptional from getting help upon arrival in Zermatt up until our departure. The food was great throughout our stay and we especially enjoyed our time at the bar after dinners especially with the amazing bartenders Lukas, Thomas, and Juancarlos. They made us feel so welcome and gave such helpful information for our stay!

Our stay at the Riffelalp was nothing short of marvelous! Our suite was so comfortable and spacious and the view of the Matterhorn from our balcony was spectacular. More than that, the entire staff was warm, friendly, and went above and beyond in every detail to make sure everything from our breakfast to our room was amazing. They are top-notch in every way! The entire resort oozes comfortable elegance. We definitely will return.

My wife and I had an absolutely amazing experience at Hotel Riffelalp this past week. We were on our honeymoon, and the previous week, we had spent mostly indoors dealing with awful illness (What a way to start!). When we headed to Zermatt, we were finally on the mend, and the moment we arrived in Riffelalp, the attentiveness and kindness of the staff immediately turned everything around for us. To start, the ride up to Riffelalp has amazing views, and then the hotel has their own little train (think Disneyland) that takes you up to the resort- very charming. We were greeted with an excellent room upgrade and even some super nice "happy honeymoon" decorations and such in the room! I had barely even mentioned my honeymoon when asking for a spa appointment, and was incredibly surprised at this level of detail and customer service- Truly 5 stars (Thank you all!). The resort itself is in the perfect location. It's away from all the hustle and bustle of Zermatt, and you can truly feel relaxed and like you can slow down. Want an amazing view of the Matterhorn? No problem- look out your window, swim at the pool, or dine at one of the restaurants (all of which were delicious, by the way). Beyond that, Riffelalp is right in the middle of some of the best that the Zermatt area has to offer. We went on multiple hikes that originated on trails literally right outside our hotel. For example, I did the 5 Lakes Hike (beautiful) and hiked right out of my hotel room to get there. In summary, everything here felt like a luxury, 5-star-worthy experience, and my wife and I had a wonderful time. Experiences and little "extra details" like the honeymoon stuff really made this special. We will recommend Hotel Riffelalp to anyone and everyone traveling to the area, and will for sure be back one day. Thank you!