My recommended way is to buy directly via sbb.ch, which is the official place to check the schedule and buy the tickets.
As the Hotel is very close to the main station, you can just walk there (it would probably be equally as far to walk to the next tram stop and then walk from the tram stop to the station itself…)
Depending on where you will stay for the night in Basel, it might be a good idea to take a tram or bus from the station in Basel to your hotel. You can either enter the hotel’s address or a nearby tram or bus stop directly into the online timetable at https://www.sbb.ch/en.
The quickest trains are the IC3/TGV/ICE trains, running Zürich HB to Basel SBB non-stop in about one hour with a half-hour frequency. The IR36 and IR37 also run without interchange between Zürich HB and Basel SBB, but they take a bit longer. I do not recommend you to take any connection with an interchange. You can buy one ticket for your entire journey including the tram/bus in Basel.
For your ticket, you have the following options:
- Point-to-point ticket: Allows you to take all of the trains (IC3, ICE, TGV, IR36 or IR37)
- Supersaver’s ticket: Only valid on the one connection you chose and not refundable, but a bit cheaper. Possibly only avaliable for certain connections.
Note that the prices given by default are for children and people with a discount card (‘Halbtax’), so be sure to select full fare prices.
The point-to-point ticket is avaliable until the train acutally departs, but it is recommended to buy it a bit in advance (a few days). The supersaver’s ticket’s avaliability can change at any time, and the earlier you buy the cheaper it is.
For your luggage, you can take it onboard free of charge, but
- the maximal size of each piece is 100 * 80 * 60 cm
- you must not block other people’s paths or place it on seats
- bicycles need to be paid for and for some trains also need a reservation.
I hope I could answer your questions.