Hilton Évian-les-Bains Review
Hilton Évian-les-Bains ReviewMy mom and I recently had a stay at the Hilton Évian Les Bains, and we had an amazing stay. I’d go as far as to say that this is my new favorite Hilton branded hotel. Let’s dive into this Hilton Évian-les-Bains Review.
Booking
I booked our stay about 3 months out for $140 per night for my parents and I for 3 nights. When our plans changed since my dad couldn’t come, I repriced the booking. To do this, I went on the Hilton Honors app, clicked “my booking”, then edit. I kept the dates the same and just changed the number of people coming. That unlocked more room types, which were at a cheaper price.
For points, the hotel goes for between 59,000 and 70,000 points a night, and it remains pretty consistent throughout the year. For cash rates, they are a bit higher for July and August than June at around $200-250 per night. It can be a bit higher than that on weekdays.
Before Arrival
Our stay at the Hilton Évian-les-Bains had to be cut down to 2 nights because of our flight cancellation. This was unfortunate, but it worked out in the end. Luckily the price per night stayed the same when we had to rework the stay.
When I called Hilton, I spoke with a friendly agent who said they would have to reprice it. After some back and forth she agreed to call the hotel to see if they could eliminate the first night of our stay instead. Our stay was refundable up until 11:59 pm on the day before our arrival date which made it possible. This is exactly why I never book a non-refundable rate, even if the savings are high, especially for international travel. The hotel agreed to the change and we were all set.
I was very pleased with this outcome, but it gets better. When I checked my reservation, I saw they upgraded us from a 2 twin base room to an executive suite, retailing for over $600 per night. This is by far the best upgrade I’ve ever gotten, and this proves that this hotel is excellent at honoring elite benefits. I did email them before our stay to ask about an upgrade in April of 2022 for our stay in June, but they said they’d decide at check-in. So because of that, I don’t think that was taken into account for our upgrade.
Location
The location of this hotel is truly impeccable. It is located in the French spa town of Evian Les Baines. It is perfectly situated right across the street from Lake Geneva and the Évian train station. From there, you can take an hour’s train to Geneva, which is probably one of the three most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited. Geneva (GVA) is also the closest airport to Évian and has flights to the US. There is also a Hilton located about a mile away from Geneva Airport (GVA), but it is usually about double the cost of the Hilton Évian Les-Baines.
It is also possible to take a ferry to Lausanne which takes about 30 minutes, and costs $26 for two people. If you are coming in from the South or East, Geneva is going to be the best train station, but from the North or West, it is best to take a train to Lausanne. We were coming in from Basel, so this saved us both a ton of time and money.
Things To Do
As for things to do in the immediate vicinity, there is one thing, in particular, that’s incredible: free Évian water! You read that right. There is a free funicular that is located about half a mile from the hotel, which you can take to the top of the town. But, halfway between the bottom stop that’s closest to the hotel is a stop where you can fill up a water bottle with Évian water from the source.
The second free activity you could do is rent electric bikes. You can rent 2 hours free by simply asking the front desk. They are located right next to the entrance, and couldn’t be more convenient. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to take advantage of this, but it would have been super nice to do.
Finally, another great attraction in the area is Les Thermes Évian. This is run by the Évian water company and has some excellent spa treatments.
Hilton Évian-les-Bains Review – Check-in
After taking the ferry across Lake Geneva from Lausanne, we walked the 0.3-mile distance from the ferry port to the hotel. We walked around to the main entrance, and we were greeted by a very friendly front desk agent. We provided our documents, and he gave us a very thorough walkthrough of our benefits. For diamond members, you can get free breakfast at the indoor/outdoor restaurant, along with executive lounge access regardless of the floor you are on.
Hilton Évian-les-Bains Review – Elevators
There is a set of three elevators that are across from the front desk, along with a single elevator that “lands” in the spa area. All four elevators require room keys to select a guest room floor, but it is possible to access any floor once a room key is scanned.
Hallways
The hallways at the Hilton Évian-les-Bains are quite long. From the elevators, if you turn right, you’ll go through a sun-filled bridge, which can get quite hot. But, this is only on the first through fifth floors. Straight ahead, you can also walk through another room-filled hallway, though you don’t have to walk through a bridge.
Suite
Our room, 613, was located at the end of the hallway and right next door to the executive lounge. When you enter the room, there is a small powder room. This just has a toilet and a sink. Further away from the door is a couch, along with a desk on the left. The desk also has an ethernet port and a telephone. “Inside” the desk is information containing how to connect to the hotel Wi-Fi. When you look straight ahead, you are greeted with stunning views of Lake Geneva. This balcony spans the length of the room and was an excellent place to watch the sunset.
There are two “closet” doors that separate the living room from the bedroom, and this made for a very quiet night’s sleep. In the bedroom, there is a television, and a bed, along with a bedside table on either side of the bed. To the left is a bathroom. This bathroom has a large bathtub, two sinks, along with a shower. The amenities were Crabtree and Evelyn, which is the standard for Hilton hotels worldwide.
Thoughts On Our Suite
Overall, we had an excellent time in our suite. In fact, we didn’t want to leave! The views were gorgeous, and the room was also so large. There were a few drawbacks to the room. First, the room is quite dated. The couches were purple, which is a color that is long out of style. There was also a large number of scuffs in the room. Second, there were not a lot of power outlets throughout the room.
The third issue is likely quite costly to fix and is also specific to this suite. For some reason, the bathroom with the shower and the bathtub has no toilet. This means that if you need to go to the bathroom, you have to use the powder room. It wasn’t a big deal for my mom and me, but if you have a big family, it may be an issue. Overall, these issues didn’t impact our stay, but they are definitely some important things to know.
Hilton Évian-les-Bains – Public Spaces
This hotel has a lot of public spaces, and there are plenty of things to do on the hotel grounds. There is a large number of seats by the lobby, which also has a pool table. Although I didn’t get a chance to use it, I’m sure it would have been a lot of fun. There were also a lot of chairs outside where I saw many people reading books, talking, etc. With the weather being as nice as it was in the summer, it was a beautiful place to be.
Amenities
For a European hotel, the Hilton Évian-les-Bains has some of the best amenities I have seen. There is an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a sauna, and a hammam. They never got quite crowded, but you can only access the spa area if you were staying in a non-base room (which also means executive rooms get access). This wasn’t the biggest spa area I’ve ever been in, but it was still very nice. In the locker, there was a robe and slippers.
There was also a very large gym, but it was empty for the length of our stay. I don’t think gyms have caught in Europe as much as they’ve had in the US, so I think that’s why.
Hilton Évian-les-Bains Review – Club Lounge
One of, if not my favorite amenity at hotels is a Club Lounge. Unfortunately, many of them closed temporarily or even permanently, but this hotel had a great club lounge. You could access the lounge all day, but they have appetizers from 6-8 PM. These are definitely not meals, but I found them to be great quality.
At times, the lounge got very crowded. It never lasted long though, after about ten minutes the crowds usually died down. The lounge is open from 8 AM to 8 PM daily. In spite of that, on our first night, the lounge manager was gone for some reason, and the lounge stayed open until 9:30. I, along with a couple of other people, were in the lounge watching the sunset, but he came around 9:30 to tell us we had to leave. It is a shame people can’t stay later since the views from this lounge are some of the best I’ve ever seen.
Food and Beverage
Other than the executive lounge, the Hilton Évian-les-Bains has three restaurants: Cannelle, Cosmopolitan Bar, and Riva Restaurant & Bar. We ate at Cannelle for the two days we were here for breakfast, and the food was great. We ate there for free thanks to my Hilton Diamond status, which can also be earned with the Hilton Aspire Card. The buffet was expansive, and there was no need for a separate menu to order from. On the first day, we ate outside, and although the weather was gorgeous, there was a large number of pigeons. Because of that the rest of the stay we ate inside.
Otherwise, I found the buffet to be great, and I thought the quality was excellent.
Hilton Évian Les-Baines Review – Service
I found the service to be great at the Hilton Évian-les-Bains. The staff at the restaurant were very friendly, as were the front desk staff. The spa receptionists were also very friendly. When I emailed the hotel, they sent quick and kind responses as well.
Check out
When we checked out, we just asked a front desk agent to make sure there were not any extra charges. After that, we said our goodbyes to this wonderful hotel and took a train to Frankfurt.
Hilton Évian-les-Bains Review – Final thoughts
Wow, what a hotel. Other than the older rooms, there is nothing I would change about this property. The amenities and service were excellent, and there was also an open executive lounge. I think I would even go as far as to say this is my favorite Hilton that I’ve stayed at thus far. I can’t wait to this return to this property, and if you get a chance to visit the Hilton Évian Les-Baines, I highly recommend it.
What are your thoughts on the Hilton Évian Les-Baines? Do you have a favorite Hilton? Let me know in the comments below!
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Spelling error, it’s “Evian Les Bains”.
Thanks for letting me know! The typos have been fixed.