At Know-it-all passport we are often asked for recommendations of places where you can hire rooms, either for business functions or private events.
We don’t have a specific section for this in the guide book so thought we would start with making a few suggestions on the website.
Whilst most of the suggestions are for places where you might expect to see rooms for hire, we also have a couple, less well known places to recommend, that you may not have considered.
On the hotel front, two Geneva hotels stand out amongst the rest as offering a professional service, with a wide range of rooms for hire plus optional extras.
Ideally located just 500m from both Geneva Airport and Cointrin Railway station, the Crowne Plaza Geneva currently has a choice of 18 different rooms at their banquet and conference center, ranging in size from 15m2 (for small intimate meetings) up to 188m2 (for larger functions). Whilst it is possible to rent technical equipment for meetings separately, or order drinks as and when needed, you are strongly advised to choose one of the many all-inclusive package options for special events, which cover business meetings, cocktail and canapé functions, buffets, lunches and dinners.
The hotel’s business center provides everything you need to keep in touch with the outside world, including computer, printer, telephone, photocopier and internet access. The recently refurbished hotel rooms are also available to those who wish to extend their stay and make full use of the hotel’s facilities, which include 2 restaurants and a bar, as well as fitness and sauna rooms.
Situated just 8 minutes away from Cornavin train situation, close to Geneva’s main shopping and cultural venues, the Hotel d’Angleterre offers 7 separate function rooms, each tastefully decorated in its own unique style, combining traditional elegance with contemporary comfort. Ranging in size from 25m2 up to 143m2, the rooms are ideal for corporate business functions as well as private cocktail and dinner events.
Technical equipment can be hired to support business meetings and there is a wide selection of catering options including welcome drinks, business lunches, afternoon tea, and finger buffets. The hotel also offers special wine-tasting packages that are ideal for team-building occasions, as well as animations for children’s parties and decorations for baby showers.
It is interesting to note that the annexe to the hotel’s Windows Restaurant can be reserved for private functions. The Observatory is open for breakfast, and their famous traditional afternoon tea, offering wonderful panoramic views over Lake Geneva, the Jet d'Eau and the distant mountains!
Moving away from hotels, and focusing on dedicated business facilities, the new 800m2 SBB Businesspoint center at Cornavin station is an ideal place to start your search. Know-it-all passport used the center recently to host a series of one-on-one meetings with multilingual specialist, Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, and we were very impressed with the service offered. Whether you are looking for a quiet place to work alone for a few hours, or need a comfortable meeting room for up to 48 people, the SBB Businesspoint in Geneva has 20 different rooms and private offices, which should be able to cater for most people's needs!
Prices start at just Fr. 25.- per hour for an individual place in an open working area. The larger rooms catering for up to 48 people can be hired on a half day or full day basis, with prices varying according to size. All prices include coffee, tea, mineral water and fruit, free Wifi, and AV presentation equipment in the meeting rooms. Video conferencing equipment can be rented separately.
The Féderation des Enterprises Romandes Genève offers a comprehensive selection of meeting rooms at preferential rates for members, and reasonable rates for non-members, subject to special conditions. There are 11 rooms in total varying in size from 25m2 for a small meeting room up to 300m2 for a theater-style auditorium capable of hosting 295 people. The rooms are located at the FER offices in the centre of Geneva, on the rue de Saint-Jean.
One place you might not think about immediately for hiring rooms, but which offers an impressive selection of function rooms and support services for business meetings is the Parc Pré Vert at Signal-de-Bougy.
Located in a tranquil setting half way between Lausanne and Geneva, with spectacular views over Lake Geneva, the park offers 5 fully-equipped function rooms, ranging in size from 42m2 (for up to 20 people) through to 240m2 for up to 300 people. When you book a room for business use, be it for a special meeting, training workshop, team-building event or conference, it is possible to pay for a forfait seminar, which ranges from Fr. 51.-/person for half a day including a self-service meal in the newly refurbished restaurant up to Fr. 79.- for a full day event including a fully serviced 3-course meal.
What is particularly great about Signal-de-Bougy is the wide range of activities that can be “added on” to make your event a really special occasion for all participants. Whether you are looking for something to entertain young children at a party or something more challenging to test team-building skills at a business event, Signal-de-Bougy has probably the widest selection of activities to suit all ages in one place. You can choose from playgrounds, minigolf, automated cars, bikes and boats, sports areas, tree climbing, an amphitheater, a children’s farm, and even an 18-hole golf course!
Another smaller place, which was recommended to us recently, is the Active Languages private language school located on the Boulevard Georges-Favon in Geneva. Although most of the rooms are used for language teaching between 12h and 14h and after 18h, the center hires out some of its conference rooms in the mornings and afternoons. All the rooms are well decorated and some hold up to 9 people. There is access to a wireless internet connection and a small kitchen. According to Director Jarina Hasi, they are ideal for an independent coach.
Clearly, there are many more places where you can hire rooms in Geneva, Vaud, and neighboring France. We hope this short list gives you a taste of what is possible and, if you can’t find anything suitable here, then we suggest you take a look at this website, which has some alternative suggestions for room hire: http://www2.salles-geneve.ch/fr/spectacle/index.shtml.
The Business section of the Partybooker website, www.partybooker.ch, featured in an article on www.knowitall.ch last year, also has some great suggestions for venues. In addition to having 3 categories devoted to different room sizes, the website has suggestions on where to look for team building activities, corporate outings, and catering.
Crowne Plaza Geneva
75-77 Avenue Louis-Casaï
1216 Cointrin
Céline Mouny
022 710 30 21
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www.cpgva.ch
Hotel D’Angleterre
Quai du Mont-Blanc 17
1201 Geneva
Valentine Silvain
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022 906 5532
www.dangleterrehotel.com
SBB Businesspoint
Cornavin Station
Place Cornavin 7
1st Floor
1201 Geneva
Rachel Campigotto
0848 888 883
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www.cff.ch/businesspoint
Féderation des Enterprises Romandes Genève
98, rue de Saint-Jean
1211 Genève 11
Magalie Vuarambon
058 715 31 69
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www.fer-ge.ch/web/fer-ge/salles-de-reunion
Parc Pré Vert du Signal-de-Bougy
1172 Bougy-Villars
058 568 31 50
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www.signaldebougy.ch
Active Languages
Blvd Georges-Favon 14
1204 Genève
Switzerland
Jarina Hasi
Director/owner
022 809 49 00
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www.activelanguages.com
