Hotel Saratz Pontresina

Great alternative to nearby 5 star hotel. Fireplace at the lobby is very cozy. Nice spa area, decent rooms.

When we arrived at the hotel we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful views and design. The staff at reception were cool but efficient. We had 20 minutes before the conference and were hungry and thirsty after four hours travel. The bar was unmanned but reception said someone was on their way. 15 minutes later with no staff on duty I spotted a cake in the middle of the sitting room with plates and serving cutlery with Serven written on a card above it with Swiss words in a smaller script beneath. Believing that like Austrian skiing hotels, guests were being offered snacks, I took a slice each to eat and my husband went immediately to work. On my third visit to the bar a male member of staff was present. He was extremely rude and berated me for taking cake. He said they went to the trouble of writing above the cake in Swiss that guests must ask to be served, and they expected compliance. I apologized and pointed out that although I speak French, English and Italian, I don’t speak Swiss German so didn’t understand. He continued to be very rude when I ordered a decaffeinated coffee telling me it was lunchtime and he was very busy, so I waited and took the coffee to my table myself. After I had finished my coffee the waiter was pleased to come over and let me know the coffee I had just drunk was caffeinated, which provokes migraines for me. Whilst I was present he complained about me to other staff. He made me feel so unwelcome I stayed away from the living room areas whilst he was serving, which unfortunately was all day for the three days I was there. The evening barman was by contrast wonderful. Breakfast was poorly organized and disappointing. There were plenty of staff but they seemed disorganized and no one explained that breakfast was a buffet laid out in another room. We joined the confused guests searching for cutlery , food, hot water etc. The second day I was able to help new elderly guests orientate themselves. The rooms were spotlessly clean and the cleaner was lovely. My policy is generally to only write positive reviews, but my stay here was so upsetting that I have written honestly about it .

It is not the first time we stayed in this hotel and as before we were fully satisfied with the service and the room. The hotel offers excellent breakfast and delicious dinner. It has a reasonable size pool and nice wellness area.