Review: Four Seasons Geneva Hotel Des Bergues

During our trip to Geneva, we spent our first night at the 115-room Four Seasons Geneva Hotel des Bergues. We pass through Geneva at least once per year (since it’s a popular jumping off point for ski trips), and we like to try a different property each time, as the city has several great luxury hotels.

The Four Seasons Geneva is such a cool, historic property. It was Geneva’s first hotel, as it opened in 1834 (at the time it was named “Hotel des Bergues,” and that name has been maintained), and has been operating ever since. The property has a charm that newly built hotels simply can’t replicate, and in that sense it reminded me of some of the brand’s other top properties in Europe, like the Four Seasons Florence, Four Seasons Paris George V, etc.

The Four Seasons Geneva has nicely appointed accommodations, a central location, a beautiful spa and gym, excellent dining, and impeccable service. I highly recommend this hotel, though I will say, I also love The Woodward Hotel Geneva, an Oetker Collection property.

Booking the Four Seasons Geneva

First let me say that in the interest of full disclosure, Ford is a Four Seasons Preferred Partner travel advisor, and received a travel advisor rate for our one night stay at the property. Opinions expressed are my own, and of course you’re welcome to skip this review if these kinds of hotels aren’t up your alley.

With that out of the way, rates at the Four Seasons Geneva vary seasonally and based on the day of the week, and are more or less in line with what other luxury properties in the city are charging. For the date we were staying in March, the cash rate would have been right around $1,000 per night. Obviously rates fluctuate quite a bit, and on many dates the property goes for over $1,500 per night.

The best way to book any Four Seasons hotel is through a travel advisor affiliated with the Four Seasons Preferred Partner program. When booking through Preferred Partner you pay the same rate you’ll find directly on Four Seasons’ website, but you’ll receive extra perks, including the following:

• A room upgrade, subject to availability
• Complimentary daily breakfast
• A hotel credit to use during your stay

Four Seasons Preferred Partner is generally combinable with promotions being offered directly through Four Seasons, including advance purchase rates, free night offers, and more. Note that booking Four Seasons properties through Preferred Partner is usually better than booking through programs like Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. Why?

• With Preferred Partner, you have the option of room service breakfast in place of restaurant breakfast
• Upgrades are prioritized for Preferred Partner bookings, given that it’s Four Seasons’ own proprietary program (and the value of an upgrade can be significant)
• You can combine Preferred Partner perks with virtually any rate on Four Seasons’ website (other programs don’t allow you to stack promotions in the same way)

You can’t beat getting all of these extra perks just for booking through an eligible travel advisor. Ford and his team are happy to help book Four Seasons properties through Preferred Partner, and can be reached at [email protected].

Four Seasons Geneva location

The Four Seasons (which from the outside is just branded as “Les Bergues”) is located on Quai des Bergues, and has a central location, as it’s right on Lake Geneva. There’s all kinds of dining and shopping within a short walking distance of the hotel.

So no matter for what reason you’re in Geneva, I think it’s safe to say that the Four Seasons has a desirable location.

If you’re arriving by air, Geneva Airport (GVA) is about a 15-20 minute drive from the hotel, so it’s easily accessible.

Four Seasons Geneva lobby & check-in

The Four Seasons Geneva’s lobby sets the tone for what to expect from the property. You can immediately tell what a historic yet flawlessly maintained hotel this is. Seriously, look at the attention to detail along the ceiling, with the pillars, etc. Then you have the fresh flowers, which act as the centerpiece of the lobby.

The reception and concierge desk are located inside the lobby and to the right.

Just off the lobby is a large sitting area where you can relax. I feel like many luxury properties nowadays don’t actually have much lobby seating, so I love the amount of space here.

Our check-in process was efficient, and within minutes we were escorted up to our room. The hotel has historic elevators (which are compact), as well as a gorgeous staircase.

Four Seasons Geneva suite

The Four Seasons Geneva has quite a few room categories, and we were assigned a Suite Mont Blanc. This room category is marketed as being 657-689 square feet (61-64 square meters). Specifically, we were assigned room 426, on the fourth floor (the hotel has six floors).

The Suite Mont Blanc is a “proper” suite, which is to say that it has a fully separate living room and bedroom. The living room was a good size, and featured a couch and two chairs facing a TV, as well as a desk with a chair. Interestingly there was no formal dining area in the living room, even though it seems like there would have been space for that.

Waiting on the living room table was a lovely welcome amenity with a bottle of champagne, fresh fruit, a variety of nuts, and some delicious chocolate tarts.

The living room had a minibar setup with a Nespresso coffee machine and a selection of tea, plus a variety of drinks and snacks for purchase.

Then there was a separate bedroom with a signature Four Seasons bed, a desk with a chair, and then a chair in the corner for relaxing.

The bathroom was off the bedroom, and boasted double sinks, a bathtub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet.

Toiletries were in reusable containers, from Diptyque.

Arguably the highlight of the room was the views, facing in the direction of Lake Geneva. The sunny day didn’t hurt either!

Wi-Fi in the room was fast and free, and turndown service was provided, as is standard at Four Seasons.

Four Seasons Geneva pool & spa

Spa Mont Blanc is the Four Seasons Geneva’s spa, and it’s located on the sixth floor. The entire spa complex is roughly 30,000 square feet, and has seven treatment rooms, a hammam, and much more. I didn’t get any treatments, but you can find the spa menu here.

The only aspect of the spa that I did use is the indoor pool, accessible through the spa, and located on the seventh floor.

The heated pool is large enough for laps, and there’s also a separate vitality pool with jets. I’m always impressed when historic properties can pull off such gorgeous pool areas.

Four Seasons Geneva gym

The Four Seasons Geneva has a gym on the sixth floor, which can be accessed by guests 24/7. This was a solid gym, with a good variety of modern equipment, for both cardio and strength training. Some Four Seasons properties have over-the-top gyms — this isn’t one of those properties, but I don’t think this gym will disappoint anyone.

Four Seasons Geneva Bar des Bergues & breakfast

Le Bar des Bergues is the Four Seasons Geneva’s bar, located on the ground floor. It’s open for breakfast from 7AM until 10:30AM (11AM on weekends), and then it transforms into an all-day venue for food and drinks. This bar is very much a scene in Geneva among locals in the evenings, so this isn’t some quiet hotel bar that no one visits.

You can find the lunch menu here, and find the dinner menu here. Fortunately priority is given to hotel guests, so we had no issues getting a table for drinks in the evening. I had an excellent dirty martini, which was served with some almonds and olives.

Then we returned for breakfast the next morning, and you can find the breakfast menu here. While there’s an extensive selection of a la carte options, we went with the buffet, which also includes drinks and custom eggs. The breakfast buffet was excellent for a European city hotel, with a high quality selection.

Cold buffet options included a huge selection of freshly baked pastries and bread, yogurt and various parfaits, veggies and fruit, cheese and cold cuts, and an adorable station for kids.

Then hot options included scrambled eggs, sausage, breakfast potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, and more.

The espresso-based drinks were excellent, and I had a tasty cappuccino, which even had the Four Seasons logo as art. Hah.

Note that for early risers, there’s coffee, tea, pastries, and some fresh fruit, available in the lobby starting from the early hours of the morning.

Four Seasons Geneva Izumi Restaurant

Izumi is one of the Four Seasons Geneva’s restaurants, serving Japanese fusion cuisine, and it’s open for lunch and dinner on most days. You can find the lunch menu here, and find the dinner menu here.

It’s located on the sixth floor, and has an interesting setup, as it’s quite an intimate restaurant, with part of it essentially being in what feels like a library.

While it was closed during our visit, Izumi also has a rooftop area that’s open during the summer. This is an absolutely epic space, and I wish we had been here in summer to experience this.

We had a delicious dinner here, and enjoyed a couple of the crispy rice dishes (salmon and crab), the salmon tataki, and the black cod, along with a couple of other dishes.

Four Seasons Geneva Il Lago Restaurant

Il Lago is the Four Seasons Geneva’s Michelin-starred restaurant. It serves Italian cuisine, and is open for lunch and dinner on most days. You can find the lunch and dinner menu here. We didn’t have the chance to eat here, but the restaurant looked beautiful, and is a popular spot in the city for high-end Italian dining.

Bottom line

The Four Seasons is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a historic luxury property in Geneva. The hotel has a lot of history, while still being beautifully maintained. On top of that, the property is very much a social scene for Geneva, with some popular restaurants and bars. The hotel also has an excellent spa and pool, plus a solid gym.

I’d absolutely recommend the Four Seasons, if you’re a fan of the brand and historic hotels. However, I think on balance if I had to choose, I’d probably still prefer The Woodward Geneva. It’s an all-suite property, and it feels quieter and more boutique. However, that’s just because I like quiet spaces — if you like more of a social vibe, the Four Seasons will be more your vibe.

What do you make of the Four Seasons Geneva?

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