B2 Boutique Hotel + Spa

Rooms and decor

Picture a red-brick brewery from the 1900s in the middle of the Enge district on Zurich's south side, where the smell of malt once filled the whole street. Today it's a 4-star, roughly 60-room boutique called B2 Boutique Hotel + Spa, restored with its steel framework, red brick walls and original industrial detail from the old Hürlimann brewery left intact, mixed with contemporary furniture and warm lighting. Step into the lobby and your eyes go straight to the Library Lounge — a two-storey room with all four walls lined by more than 33,000 old books, gathered from a Swiss professor's private collection, with a black steel staircase up to the mezzanine and dark round tables under classic lamps. Plenty of reviewers say they reached for their phone to photograph it before even checking in. The rooms run warm tones of walnut and dark grey, with soft beds and clean bathroom design. If you like a hotel with a story and details to explore, this one delivers.

Food and amenities

The stay comes down to three distinctive things. The first is breakfast in the Library Lounge — served among those 33,000 books, with a buffet of homemade bread, several Swiss cheeses, ham, fresh fruit, eggs cooked to order, yogurt and fresh juice. Reviews land on the same phrase, that it's like eating breakfast inside a novel, and many say it pays for half the room rate on its own. The second is the heated outdoor rooftop pool on the top floor of the old brewery, open all year even in winter; soaking in the warm water looking out over the Zurich skyline at sunset, or on a cold snowy night, is something people remember. The third, and the city's legendary highlight, is Thermalbad & Spa Zürich, set in the underground beer cellars of the original brewery. Architects turned the old stone basins into a Roman-Irish natural thermal bath, with saunas, steam rooms and a rooftop infinity pool looking over the city; hotel guests can walk straight through without leaving the building, though you book ahead and buy a separate ticket. A small wine bar in the lobby rounds it out, pouring Swiss wines and cheese boards in the evening.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits in the Enge district on Zurich's south side, a zone tourists reach less often than the Altstadt or Niederdorf to the north, but one locals love for being close to Belvoir Park and Lake Zurich and a good deal quieter. A few minutes' walk gets you to the Brunaustrasse tram stop, and from there it's about 10 to 15 minutes to Zurich HB central station and the Bahnhofstrasse shopping street. If you'd rather walk north along the lake, it's a scenic route several reviews recommend. Zurich Enge S-Bahn station is about a 10-minute walk, and from there the train into the central station takes just 3 to 4 minutes; from Zurich (ZRH) airport a direct train runs about 25 minutes. The charm of the spot is being able to wander the neighborhood without elbowing through crowds — small cafes, local restaurants and a walking path along the river Sihl.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the thing to weigh most is the location. The hotel is on the south side, not within walking distance of the Altstadt or Bahnhofstrasse, so you'll rely on the tram or S-Bahn for about 10 to 15 minutes. Anyone wanting to step out the door straight into the sights, the way you can in the old town, may find that inconvenient — though in return you get the quiet and the lower-tourist feel of the neighborhood. The other recurring point is room size: some rooms, especially the Classic, run a little smaller than the Swiss 4-star standard because of the constraints of the restored old brewery, and many reviews mention that the desk and luggage space are tight. For several nights or more room, moving up to a Junior Suite is worth it. Last, the Thermalbad spa connects to the building but works as an add-on — you book ahead, and in high season the slots fill fast, since it isn't reserved for hotel guests. If you're set on the spa, reserve it when you book the room.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real reviews, B2 Boutique Hotel + Spa is a hotel that sells itself on the story of the building and a set of experiences you won't find elsewhere — an old brewery turned boutique, a 33,000-book library for a breakfast room, a heated rooftop pool with city views, and a direct link into a natural spa in the old beer cellars. If the trip in your head is soaking up Zurich away from the crowds, weighting atmosphere and design over a central address, this fits beautifully. It's best for design-minded couples, working travelers who want somewhere quiet and stylish, and solo travelers after an experience they'll remember. But if the heart of your trip is shopping Bahnhofstrasse and touring the old town every day, the south-side location adds a little travel time. Overall we give it 9.0/10 — high because of a character that can't be copied and service that stays consistent.