Schweizerhof Bern – the Grande Dame is back

Goethe once praised Bern as the most beautiful city he had ever seen. Lonely Planet has also recently acquired a taste for Bern and lists Bern in the top 10 European travel destinations 2013. The most beautiful view over the Unesco World Heritage Site, Bern’s old town, can be enjoyed from the Catinaccio. The summer programme also includes a dip in the refreshing Aare, which meanders around Bern with its glittering green. I have presented other Bernese “summer places” here.

If you really want to indulge in the charm of Bern, you can’t miss the 5-star superior Hotel Schweizerhof. For 150 years, the traditional hotel has stood for luxury, culinary delights and lavish celebrations in a central location. In the summer of 2011, after a 6-year renovation phase, it was reopened in new splendour. The effort seems to have paid off, this summer the Schweizerhof Bern was named one of the 100 best city hotels in the world in the Robb Report.

After 25 years of admiring the Schweizerhof only from the outside, I now wanted to catch a glimpse of the inside and was very happy that I got this opportunity. After all, what could be better than a little luxury at home?

The hotel has been renovated in accordance with monument protection requirements. On the outside, the appearance has hardly changed. With the new interior design, however, the Schweizerhof Bern shows that it has arrived in the 21st century. The interior is peppered with exquisite products and materials such as Murano glass. This was appreciated by those responsible for the International Hotel Awards in London, who awarded the Schweizerhof with the Interior Design Prize.

As soon as I passed the front door, I was fascinated by this successful combination of modernity and tradition. A striking anchor is the reception made of onyx, where I received a welcome drink in addition to the check-in formalities. Since I got a little too much of the hot sun that day, I was extremely pleased about this refreshment. In the lobby, don’t miss the opportunity to gaze up at the ceiling. There, a huge screen shows the formation of the black hole in a kind of homage to Albert Einstein.

The attention to design detail, which runs through the entire hotel, is evident in the use of the furniture – again a successful mixture of modern elements and pieces from the Belle Epoque.

The rooms are also decorated in a classic, modern style. You will find amenities such as a Nespresso coffee machine, international sockets and the latest consumer electronics. I was particularly impressed by the beautiful parquet floor and the bathroom with phenomenal rain shower. The view from the window shows impressively how incredibly centrally located the Schweizerhof is – you overlook the Bahnhofplatz.

But before I could jump into bed, the movie More than Honey was on the program at the OrangeCinema. From the hotel to the cinema area (which is located above the train station) it takes just under 5 minutes on foot. Fits perfectly.

After an emotionally charged evening at the cinema and the following relaxing night in my beautiful hotel room, nothing stood in the way of breakfast in Jack’s Brasserie. Jack’s is as much a part of Bern as the Federal Palace and, by the way, was never closed during the entire renovation phase. However, you shouldn’t expect a breakfast buffet. Breakfast can be ordered from the à la carte menu and is served in pretty étagiere. Be sure to try the muesli – super delicious!

Afterwards there was a look behind the scenes for me. On the first floor is the so-called Bel Etage. At 800 m², the Schweizerhof provides state-of-the-art infrastructure for meetings, conferences and celebrations. The centrepiece here is the magnificent Salon Trianon. A further three salons can be used flexibly. The walls and ceilings are decorated with pictures and chandeliers from the Royal Savoy Hotel in Lausanne, which is currently being renovated. Together with the Bürgenstock Resort, the three luxury addresses are part of the Bürgenstock Selection – which is also explained by the B in the logo (which does not stand for Bern, as I first suspected).

Since February 2012, the Schweizerhof has also been offering a wonderful oasis of relaxation. An exquisite city spa has been created on 500^m2, which attracts visitors with a Finnish sauna, hammam, pampering pool with jacuzzi, experience showers and a beautiful relaxation room. I was particularly impressed by the dark shade that runs through the design of the spa area. No kitsch, but stylish and reduced restraint in the design of the rooms. Very pretty. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to stay longer in the rooms. But since the cold days are coming up soon, I have already made a note of an afternoon in this wonderful spa world.

After the spa in the basement, the discovery tour took us high up to the highest serviced roof terrace in the city of Bern. That’s right. For a year now, the Sky Terrace on the roof of the Schweizerhof has been offering a Far Eastern ambience and a unique panorama of the city of Bern.

In terms of culinary delights, guests at the Hotel Schweizerhof are offered a journey around the globe anyway. Meze-style fare at Sky Terrace, sushi at the Lobby Lounge Bar, and French brasserie cuisine at Jack’s. Smokers can also enjoy all these amenities in the new Cigar Lounge. I also ended my journey through the history of the Schweizerhof in style at Jack’s (where plaques on the benches remind us of all the famous visitors) with the legendary Wienerschnitzel.

Well, it was worth it after 25 years to finally have found the way to the Schweizerhof. The Grande Dame is back and offers the perfect ambience for a visit to Switzerland’s most relaxed big city.

Note: This stay was supported by Schweizerhof Bern – thank you very much for this. As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm here.