Hotel Review: Moxy Bern Expo

My time in Bern was short, and although I would have loved to spend more time in the capital of the amazing country of Switzerland, I flew to the Alps to ski, so to the mountains I shall go. 

After arriving in Zurich in the early evening from Lisbon, we took the train onwards to Bern for a one night stop before continuing on to Zermatt in the morning. Not only was stopping in Bern a new location for me, but it got us closer to our final destination so I figured it was worth the stop. 

Additionally, at less than half the rates of hotels in Zurich or Zermatt, it made sense for us to save when we could. For this one night, we stayed at the Moxy Bern Expo, a Marriott Bonvoy property just outside of central Bern. Here are my thoughts on the property:

This article is part of my Trip Report: Skiing in Switzerland including:

• Lounge Review: United Polaris Lounge IAD
• Flight Review: TAP Air Portugal Long Haul Business Class Flight IAD-LIS
• Flight Review: TAP Air Portugal Intra-Europe Business Class Flight LIS-ZRH
• Lounge Review: TAP Premium Lounge Lisbon
• Hotel Review: Moxy Bern Expo
• The Trains of Switzerland: My Thoughts
• Hotel Review: Hotel Schweizerhof of Zermatt
• Skiing Zermatt in March: My Thoughts
• Going to Italy for Lunch
• Hotel Review: Sheraton Zurich
• Lounge Review: Swiss International Lounge Zurich
• Flight Review: United Polaris Business Class ZRH-IAD

The Location

Unfortunately, this hotel was not located in central Bern, but since we were only staying one night, we were perfectly content. 

After taking the train from Zurich to Bern’s central station, we switched trains and got on a train/tram to Bern Wankdorf. It was only a quick 7-9 minute ride away. From there, we were able to go up the stairs and cross the bridge over the tracks.

The hotel was directly across the street and within sight from the small station stop. I was worried that the proximity to the train tracks would be a drawback of the hotel due to noise, but I found very little, if any, sound perpetrated the hotel walls. It was of no disturbance during our brief stay.

A hotel plus, upon check-in, we were told that the hotel offered complementary public transport passes to Bern. With a few steps, we were able to connect to the app and get our unlimited use passes until check-out. It was perfect for our journey to and from Bern that evening, as well as to our train to Zermatt the following morning. 

The Room 

To cut to the point, the room was simple. As with the brand Moxy, the room was on the smaller side with no proper closet or sitting area. 

Upon entering the room, there was the door to the bathroom on the right and on the left were plenty of wall racks with hangers, I presume in lue of the closet. 

A few steps inside the door were two twin beds facing the TV, which was mounted to the wall. Next to the TV may have been a small desk, but there was no chair and it was slanted. 

I appreciated the leather (looking at least) finishes to the headboard and neighboring seat. However, I was disappointed that only one pillow was left per bed. I am sure that we could have asked for more, but, one worked perfectly fine. 

The bathroom was small but not too bad. There was a typical toilet neighboring a floating sink counter. You could have washed your hands while you were going to the bathroom (although, not as small as our cruise ship bathroom).

The shower was quite nice, with clean white tiles lining the sides and a glass sliding door.

Overall, the room was small, but clean and simple. It did the trick, and I was happy with it for the night. 

The Property

The property was simple, but like the room, it did the trick, although it was quirky at times. 

After entering through the front rotating door, we were confused, looking for the check-in desk, only to find that it was the same counter as the bar. 

The lobby had plenty of seating, in addition to the bar, which I believe had a small menu to order from food wise. The rest of the lobby had games spread throughout, including a giant teddy bear. It was quite fun, as we played a game of foosball. 

This area is also where the breakfast buffet was set up in the morning, with tables to eat your meal before heading out for a day of exploring. 

Closer to the elevator were some tables, which I found to be particularly cool hanging from the ceiling. This area would have been a great place to get some work done. 

I also believe there was a gym at this property, but I did not get the chance to check it out. Besides for some chairs just outside, there was really no outside aspect of this hotel, nor were there many, if any, local stores open during our stay. 

Booking

We were able to grab a great rate on our night at this property, especially for Switzerland, which tends to be expensive. The total came to 133 CHF, or about ~$148 USD including all taxes and fees for the one night. 

This made more sense than the relatively high points rate (I forget the exact amount) and we did not think it was necessary to spend more to stay closer to central Bern or in Zurich for such a brief stay. 

We also were given breakfast as Titanium elite members despite the fact that we were supposed to be given 20 CHF towards the 36 CHF breakfast. 

The Last Point

The Moxy Bern Expo was a clean and simple hotel. It did not have all the frills, but the affordable price made up for it. 

I was glad that they included the transit pass in the hotel (something that I did not know when I booked), since it made commuting the short way to the city center much easier. 

If I was ever in Bern again for a quick visit, I would not hesitate to stay at the Moxy again, however, I would definitely consider staying somewhere a little bit closer to the action if my goal was to specifically visit Bern.