Eastwest Geneva

At first blush a Swiss luxury hotel seemingly named after a series of trade agreements might not sound like the most thrilling proposition. But Geneva is a town of subtler charms, and the same can be said for the Eastwest Hotel — which, to be fair, is rather more likely to have got its name from its conjunction of European and Asian design elements than from anything else.

To that end, behind that classic facade, there’s a bit of black lacquer and red velvet in the fashionably minimalist guest rooms, and some deluxe rooms are divided with shoji-style wooden screens. Style aside, it’s essentially just a smaller and more intimate 41-room alternative to Geneva’s bigger luxury hotels — business travelers are well cared for, without any of the sterility that can alienate younger and more adventurous leisure customers.

And for a small hotel it’s got its fair share of luxuries: there’s a fitness center and sauna, a smart little courtyard and patio, and the Eastwest Restaurant imports some distinctly Asian flavors to liven its menu of seasonal produce. And it doesn’t get much more central than this — you’re a ten-minute walk from the old town, and even closer to the lake.