Switzerland Travel Guide
Hotel Renovations / Hotel News / Swissotels / Geneva Hotels / Switzerland Hotels / Hotel Design / → All Tags
Swissôtel Unveils Its First Signature Rooms at the Métropole
Swissôtels has recently revealed the first of its new “signature rooms” at Geneva's Swissôtel Métropole in the city's shopping and business quarter and close to the Old Town. Twelve rooms in total have been renovated for the launch of this category that focuses on design and comfort, with some pretty nifty tech advances, too.
Naturally, being a Swiss brand, the design follows an alpine motif as inspiration, including parquet wood floors and--the show stopper--a colorful wall that's reminiscent of Swiss Alp mountain flowers. Sounds delightful, doesn’t it? The exclusive wallpapers for this scene were designed for the hotel by renowned Swiss textile manufacturer Jakob Schlaepfer, who supplies luxury fashion houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Vivienne Westwood with material goods.
Then there's the good stuff for hotel tech geeks out there.
Hotel Openings / Switzerland Hotels / Preferred Hotels / Preferred Hotels & Resorts / Ski Hotels / → All Tags
Fondue And A Private Cinema At the New Alpina Gstaad
Ah, Gstaad. Maybe you too have fond memories of swooshing down the mountainside, hiking in the hills, sipping on Glühwein or hot chocolate, and eating fresh raclette cheese. It’s all good. But now, it's even better because for the first time in about 100 years, there’s a new luxe hotel opening: The Alpina Gstaad.
This 56-room Preferred Hotel is a real beauty -- think big stone fireplaces, pine interiors, cozy nooks, timber peaked ceilings and spectacular views of the Alps. No two rooms are exactly alike and, although beautifully-designed, also have plenty of quirk (just wait until you see the cowbell bedside lamps!)
Fantasy Friday / Sweet Suites / Starwood Hotels / Geneva Hotels / → All Tags
The World’s Most Expensive Hotel Suite Is In…
After the world’s most expensive dress, and one of the (if not the) most expensive spa treatments, the world’s most expensive hotel suite seemed like the appropriate topic for this week’s Fantasy Friday. With a total of 1680 square meters (an astounding 18,000 square feet) and 12 (twelve!) en-suite bedrooms, this suite is larger than most homes.
Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted a hint of the location based on the distant view of the Jet d’Eau – one of Geneva’s landmarks, and the home of Hotel President Wilson, where you can find this “Royal Penthouse”, occupying its entire top floor. And yes, that is James Bond staring at you from a 103-inch B&O television.
Let's continue dreaming, shall we?
Bathroom Tuesdays / Hotel Bathrooms / Switzerland Hotels / Historic Hotels / → All Tags
Showering Under the Rafters at Schloss Schauenstein
Tucked away in Fürstenau, Switzerland (about a two hour drive from Zurich), the Schloss Schauenstein Hotel has been passed down since medieval times among bishops, barons, artists and scientists. And in 2003, it fell into the hands of chef Andreas Caminada, who subsequently decided to set up a hotel and restaurant, using the same medieval name—which roughly translates as "lock looking stone," a reference to the original lock and weir system of the adjacent river.
As for the rooms? Simple, spacious, still slightly medieval, and soooo cute.
We were seduced by this photo, taken by a recent guest, of one of the bathrooms in the hotel. The wooden rafter beams reaching just inches above the shower stall somehow combine the hotel's medieval history with a clean, contemporary look. And the simple floorboards, we must say, are a refreshing change from the granite and tile we have become almost sick of in more modern places. No mood lighting here, but no need either. Between the sparse wooden staircase and the see-through shower, the mood is pretty much already set.
Hotel News / Switzerland Hotels / Zurich Hotels / Airport Hotels / → All Tags
Five New Hotels for Zurich Airport, if You Can Wait Til 2017
The Novotel near-ish Zurich Airport
"Airport Hotel" may be dirty words, but thankfully many European cities have understood the need for affordably priced, safe and comfy hotels alongside their international airports. One of the cities lagging behind, however, is Zurich; despite its huge air traveler numbers and popularity with flight crew, its airport-area hotels are loosely located and a surprising few offer free airport shuttles. There's just the Radisson Blu SAS adjacent, with rooms that begin at $255 per night. For an airport hotel. That's Switzerland for you.
Or not. The latest news from Business Traveller gives us major hope for a ZRH future: "Billed as 'the first global location with the ambience of a small town and the synergies of a big city.' The Circle at Zurich Airport will be located adjacent to the airport and will be designed by Japanese architectural firm, Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop."
Celebrity Scoop / Art Basel Hotels / Basel Hotels / Will Ferrell / Roger Federer / → All Tags
Will Ferrell Needs Some Help with His Art Basel Hotel Stay
Funnyman Will Ferrell did what a lot of us do when trying to find a good hotel---he asked a local. But it just so happened that his local friend was tennis camp Roger Federer.
Page Six reports that Ferrell chatted up Federer at the US Open last week about hotel rooms for Art Basel in Switzerland.
A witness said: “Will was telling Roger he went to Art Basel this summer and stayed at the Hilton by the train station. He said he was unimpressed with his room, and then asked Roger if he could get him an upgrade for next year.”
Killer View / Switzerland Hotels / Snow Hotels / → All Tags
Sleeping on a Swiss Alp is Possible at the Hotel Bellevue
The Hotel Bellevue is that little round building
Here at HotelChatter, we frequently talk about hotels with unique pools, hotels that push the limits with luxurious service, and even hotels which claim to be "world's tallest" or "world's fanciest schmanciest," but today we're discussing something else entirely: a hotel precipitously perched atop a Swiss mountaintop.
Sweet Suites / Switzerland Hotels / Theme Hotels / → All Tags
How to Get to Bollywood By Way of Switzerland
If you want to check into a cool-looking Bollywood suite, you'll have to visit, um, Switzerland. The Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken has a new suite dedicated to famous Indian film director Yash Chopra.
It isn't as random as it seems; the director has shot a number of his movies in Switzerland. Bollywood fans will want to stay in the 915-square-foot Yash Chopra Suite—which comes with a living room, bedroom and two bathrooms—to gaze at framed posters from the director's romance Veer-Zaara on its walls.
Switzerland Hotels / Zurich Hotels / → All Tags
A Different Sort of Savoy, in Switzerland
To quote Shakespeare, "What's in a name?" Well, a whole lot apparently, if you take the word "Savoy" as a study. What adjectives do you associate with "Savoy?" Something like luxurious, expensive, opulent, exclusive or classic should come to mind, and most of the blame for that goes to London's Savoy Hotel, a grand dame that's reigned over the city and been known throughout the world since it opened in 1889.
Alas, there are other Savoy Hotels, and we happened across another five-star last month in Zurich, Switzerland. The Savoy Baur en Ville is a good option for the city, with free WiFi and an awesome location right off the main Bahnhofstrasse.
It's not affiliated with the Savoy of London; it's just another hotel that borrows the historic name and makes it work. Luckily this one can get away with it; the Savoy Baur en Ville rooms begin at 400 CHF ($432) per night for a single, or 690 CHF ($746) for a king-size bed. We're quite sure you can find rooms at London's original Savoy for less! But then again, this is Zurich, banking capital of the world and whatnot.
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Hotel Health / Spa Packages / Switzerland Hotels / Bad Ragaz Hotels / → All Tags
If You've Got the Cash, Bad Ragaz Hotels Will Whip You Into Shape
Hands up who overdid it a little on Labor Day? Not just in the way of drinkz but food, too. You did? Then you might like to make your way over to Switzerland, where the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz--which has two hotels, the Grand Hotel Quellenhof & Spa Suites and the Grand Hotel Hof Ragaz--has just launched a new weight loss program.
The non-faddy name--it’s just called the Weight Loss Programme--should give you a clue that it’s more of a medical thing than an airy fairy celeb detox center. Run by doctors from their inhouse medical center, it lasts six days and kicks off with a “body analysis” which will scare you into losing weight by checking your bloods, nervous system, and even your spinal column, and pointing out the health risks you’re facing if you’re carrying a spare tire.
Hotel Magazines / Hotel Amenities / Zurich Hotels / → All Tags
Enjoying The Views In The Baur Au Lac Hotel's Magazine
iPads, be damned, we're loving our stroll through print land and our ongoing look at a dying hotel amenity--The Hotel Magazine. Sure, most hotels stock their guestrooms with the trendy magazines of the day or at least place some localized publication on the desks but there are actually a few hotels out there that still publish their own magazine. We've got our hands on a few copies of these rare breeds and we'll be documenting our finds for you here. Know of a hotel magazine we should see before it goes out of print? Send it to us!
Most of the Hotel Magazines we’ve reviewed recently have been brand-wide publications but not the hefty, glossy Baur Au Lac Views magazine. All 144 pages of this fancy publication are for the reading pleasure of guests staying at the ultra-swish Baur Au Lac in Zurich.
Its $50m renovation is now complete, and the hotel—and its magazine—is keen to strut about and show it off.
Ski Hotels / Switzerland Hotels / Virgin Limited Edition / Richard Branson / → All Tags
Now Is Your Only Chance To Stay At Richard Branson's Private Swiss Ski Lodge
You know that Virgin Group main man Richard Branson owns a British Virgin Island, right? That would be Necker Island, the diamond in the tiara of Branson's Virgin Limited Edition label, which includes several super private, super luxe properties. Now did you also know that Branson owns a ski lodge in Switzerland?
He does! It's called The Lodge and it's nestled in the snowy valleys of the Swiss Alps at Verbier. Usually you'd have to get your rich, ski-happy friends together to get in here, since The Lodge is only available for full rental—no individual rooms are sold hotel-style. That is, until now.
