REVIEW | Hyperion Basel

October 2022. As we wanted to test Trenitalia‘s Frecciarossa 1000 service from Paris to Milan, we planned a rail trip around it. From Antwerp to Paris with Thalys, the ‘Red Arrow’ to Milan and once in Italy continuing to Trieste and Bologna. The return trip took us to Basel in Switzerland to enjoy SBB‘s panoramic coach and Germany‘s Rhine route to Cologne. From there we got back to Belgium.

After our wonderful stay at Hyperion Leipzig we decided to stay at their property in Basel for the final night of our stay. The hotel is located in the Messeturm, a big glass tower building right next to the Basel Messe or fair area. At the time of our visit there was a big fair on the square around the Messe and our hotel was smack-bang in the middle of it. Luckily the hotel had a splendid sound isolation, so we didn’t really hear too much of it.

We were swiftly checked in and headed to our room. The elevators use a pre-selection system on which you press a central screen on which you tell on which floor you want to be and then get assigned an elevator. For a lot of people this is rather confusing as there are no buttons in the elevator. I don’t see much advantages in using this system either, it didn’t give us shorter waiting times or anything.

Our room was located in the corner and had a panoramic view over the fair below. The bed was located centrally in the room. A desk and minibar area with integrated closet where located to the side without windows. The window shades and curtains could be controlled by switches near the bed.

If you walk around the room to the rear there is an open bathroom with big windows and a huge sink area. The walk in shower is located behind the wall.

As Timothy and I are just friends we aren’t too keen on these types of bathrooms as we both like our privacy. Luckily the toilet was located in a separate room with a closing door near the entrance. The toilet however was still dirty from the previous user, which was a big fail from housekeeping. If I pay good money for a hotel room I expect it to be clean, especially the toilet.

The toiletries used where still small individual bottles, but they weren’t consistent in the brand used as they mixed brands.

As we booked a club room we had access to the club lounge on the top level, providing a panoramic overview of the city. The location was excellent, the décor wasn’t very nice. Just like the hallways it looked rather dated, probably still dating from the time it was a Ramada hotel.

When entering there was a separate meeting room to the left, straight ahead you had some high backed seating while to the right was the main area with tables and chairs and a catering area.

While the drinks on offer where ok with a good selection of soft drinks, hot drinks, beer and wine the catering was disappointing. During the day there was some sad looking fruit and a few biscuits.

In the evening there some small bowls of noodles or Alpen macaroni and a cheese board. But the portions where so tiny and refills very few in between, it was a battle to have anything to eat at all.

We just headed downstairs to the main restaurant where we had a simple meal, as Swiss prices make everything expensive. The presentation and quality of the food in the restaurant was excellent however.

In the morning the lounge served a very basic continental breakfast, but at least it was still better than the offering the rest of the day and we could have a small breakfast there.

In the end we where a bit disappointed by our stay at the Hyperion in Basel. Our stay at the Hyperion in Leipzig might have set the bar too high, or Basel has to up their game.

The hotel looked dated and tired, the lounge was rather sad, probably the saddest we have seen. A next time we stay at a Hyperion we might just skip the lounge altogether as it really isn’t worth the additional cost and hope the rest of the hotel is more like in Leipzig.