Best Hotels to Book With Points in Zurich

Zurich is a wonderful city. It’s safe, has this classic European feel and is very beautiful. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most expensive cities in the world. Fortunately for us with points and miles in our disposal, there are quite a few great hotels that we can book with points.

But before we start talking about hotels, here’s a personal recommendation. Zurich is chock-full of amazing chocolatiers and everywhere you turn there’s the gorgeous Swiss chocolate. But there’s one standout that you’ve got to try – Confiserie Sprüngli located on Paradeplatz, right in the heart of the city.

In addition to high end, high quality chocolate, Sprüngli also makes and sells tiny, bite sized macarons they call Luxemburgerli. This is truly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten and something you can’t afford to miss when visiting Zurich. And if you still haven’t had enough chocolate after your visit to Switzerland, or want to bring a small piece of this Swiss magic home, stop by the Sprungli store in the Zurich airport. Every time I connect in Zurich, I run to this store before boarding my connecting flight.

Hyatt

Many travelers love Hyatt and its World of Hyatt program. The program is straightforward, rewarding and easy to use. And you can earn a good number of points with the combination of the The World of Hyatt Credit Card and all of the Ultimate Rewards earning cards issued by Chase.

In July, Hyatt will be moving to peak, standard and off peak pricing, so if you are interested in staying at one of Hyatt hotels in Zurich, now might be the time to book.

You won’t find any Hyatt bargains in Zurich and we really wish this beautiful city had some more economical options. But considering how expensive Switzerland is, booking any of Zurich’s Hyatt properties with points will save you some serious cash that you can spend on (what else?) the amazing Swiss chocolate.

Park Hyatt Zurich

Located right in the heart of the city, the location of the Park Hyatt Zurich couldn’t be more perfect. You’ll be steps away from picturesque Lake Zurich, Bahnhofstrasse, the historic Old Town and the shopping district. The rooms are the epitome of luxury and elegance with a modern twist.

This is a category 7 property bookable with 25,000 to 35,000 points when the new award chart goes into effect. Right now it is 30,000 points. With rates in the $600-$800 a night range, this is a great value.

Ambassador Zürich

Thanks to Hyatt’s recent merger with Small Luxury Hotels, we now have quite a few more properties to choose from in Europe. The Ambassador Zürich, one of SLH’s properties, is an elegant, contemporary hotel near Zürich Opera House and close to the lake. The classic facade of the Ambassador and the beautiful tree-lined street couldn’t be more European, the epitome of old world elegance and class.

This is a Category 6 property that you can book with 21,000-29,000 points depending on the season. The hotel is currently closed for renovations and is slated to re-open in 2022.

Cards to Help You Earn Hyatt Points

You can earn the Hyatt points by opening the World of Hyatt credit card. It comes with a generous welcome bonus and great earning rate on Hyatt stays.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of our favorite cards. It comes with a nice welcome bonus and great travel benefits such as trip interruption insurance and rental car insurance. The Ultimate Rewards transfer to Hyatt 1:1 and the transfer is instant.

Marriott

Marriott has quite a few properties in Zurich but we’ll look at the three most centrally located.

Marriott has standard, peak and off peak rates, so consult the award chart to see how many points exactly you’ll need for your stay. The price in points changes with the time of year and the overall demand.

And remember that when you book four nights with points, you will get the fifth night free, so think about extending your stay for an additional night and maybe doing some side trips from Zurich. For example Lucerne is just 50 minutes away by train and has a completely different vibe.

Zurich Marriott Hotel

Nestled downtown along the banks of the Limmat River, the Zurich Marriott has gorgeous lake and river views. It’s just steps away from all of the major attractions, so you’ll be staying in the heart of the city close to everything.

This is a category 6 property. With cash rates in the $300-$400 range, this is a very good deal.

Sheraton Zurich Neues Schloss Hotel

This hotel is located in Zurich’s financial district but still close to the old town and the lake. While the rooms look a little generic and are typical Sheraton, this is Zurich, so you can be assured that everything is going to be clean and the service is going to be super efficient. And if you can’t find award nights you can book at the Zurich Marriott, this is a good alternative.

This is a category 6 property. The cash price is in the $300-500 range, and as expected of a hotel in a business district, the price in both cash and points is higher during the week.

Four Points by Sheraton Sihlcity

Located between Uetliberg and Lake Zurich, this modern hotel is a great option if you want to save some Bonvoy points or use your 35,000 points annual free nights certificates that come with a couple of Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. With the help of the super efficient public transport, you’ll be able to get anywhere you need to be very quickly.

Don’t miss a visit to mount Utleberg for some unforgettable views. And if you want to work off some of that Swiss chocolate you’ve sampled on this trip, a hike up Utleberg is a perfect way to burn off some calories.

This is a category 4 property where you’ll be able to use the 35,000 points free nights certificates even during peak rates times. When the cash rates are $250-$350 a night, this is an excellent use for those certificates.

Cards to Help You Earn Marriott Points

Marriott has partnered up with both Chase and American Express. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card comes with a generous welcome bonus and a free annual night award on nights that cost up to 35,000 Bonvoy points.

If you are a small business owner, then the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (rates & fees) could be a great choice for you. The card has generous bonus earning categories such as U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations and wireless purchases. This card also comes with an annual free night that can be redeemed on stays up to 35,000 points.

IHG

There are a few IHG properties in different areas of Zurich, but, with one exception, they are lower end, such as Holiday Inn Express, and are located far from the city center.

IHG doesn’t have an award chart, so how many points you need for a stay will depend on the overall demand and the whims of this program.

If you have an IHG credit card and use points to book your stay, you’ll get the fourth night free.

Crowne Plaza Zurich

The Crowne Plaza Zurich isn’t very centrally located but with the city’s efficient public transport, you can get to all the attractions in a matter of minutes. And there’s even a small indoor pool and a steam room.

Because there’s no award chart, it’s hard to pinpoint a rate in points, but when I checked, I saw rates from about 20,000 to 23,000 points. This is a decent deal in a city as expensive as Zurich.

Cards to Help You Earn IHG Points

You can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to IHG but we don’t recommend doing this because it’s a poor use of Ultimate Rewards.

The IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card comes with a 140,000 points bonus and a good earning rate at IHG properties. And the card also comes with one free night on your cardmember anniversary. Only the IHG cardholders get fourth night free when they redeem points for any stay of four or more nights.

Chase Travel Portal

As you can see, there aren’t as many chain hotels in Zurich as there are in other cities, especially if you wanted to stay in the city center. However, the Chase travel portal has a good range of properties in all price ranges. You can find charming and affordable non-chain hotels and book the exact type of room you want or need, with the amenities you value the most, like the included breakfast.

This could be especially relevant for families because most chain hotels limit the number of people in the room on award stays. European hotels are a lot stricter on the occupancy limits than their U.S. counterparts, so always book a room that can accommodate everyone traveling with you.

If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card or the Chase Ink Business Preferred® credit card, you can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for 1.25 cents each. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the points are worth 1.5 cents each.

For example, I found this lovely hotel Boutique Hotel NI-MO on the portal that you can book with just 15,000 Ultimate Rewards points a night if you have the Sapphire Reserve.

There’s actually a lot to explore in the travel portal, I’ve even seen some holiday apartments which are perfect for families.

Cards to Help You Earn Ultimate Rewards Points

There are quite a few great Ultimate Rewards earning cards issued by Chase. But to get the best value out of the portal redemptions, you’ll need to have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

And if you are a small business owner, then you can supercharge your earning rate with one the no fee cards such as the Chase Ink Business Cash® credit card or Chase Ink Business Unlimited® credit card. You can then combine the points earned on these cards with the points earned on one of the premium cards (i.e. a card with an annual fee) and use these points for travel portal redemptions.

Final Thoughts

Zurich is a very expensive city, so anything we can do to save on hotels will be a welcome respite from swiping your credit card.

The chain hotels in Zurich actually offer pretty good value for your hard-earned points. It’s too bad there are no Hilton properties but if you have Marriott, IHG or Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll have no issues finding a great place to stay.

Travel well,

Anna