Hotels

Switzerland’s reputation as the land that time forgot might not be entirely deserved, but a look around the very traditional Geneva hotel scene is proof that it’s got at least some basis in fact. This is a city that, for all its classic architecture and grand-hotel opulence, could use a small boutique hotel in a contemporary style — something like, for example, La Cour des Augustins.

It’s housed within a couple of mid-19th-century buildings, this still being Geneva and all. But inside it’s as contemporary as it gets, all white walls, wood floors and clean modernist furniture. Rooms start small, as in the 20-square-meter “essential room,” but quickly upgrade, and the “executive suites” and the “loft suite” are apartment-sized. And the common areas and guest rooms alike are liberally decorated with pieces from the Cour des Augustins’ collection of modern African art.

This is no grand hotel, and isn’t trying to be. While the rooms are well-equipped, the services are minimal. There’s a breakfast room and a small interior-design boutique, and that’s about it — for much more than that it’s out into the streets of Geneva, whose old town and central business districts are close at hand.