COMMITTED TO

QUALITY

Swiss Deluxe Hotel

Swiss Deluxe Hotels, one name says it all. This unique worldwide group of 39 Swiss five-star hotels unites the prestigious names of the Swiss luxury hotel industry. The hotels are exclusive in the quality they offer, in the pride and prestige they radiate and in the personal touch which characterizes their excellent service.

Since 1934 Swiss Deluxe Hotel Group has centralized and coordinated the top hotels in Switzerland, ensuring that through the offering and quality of these establishments that the standard of the industry as a whole remains of the highest echelon. Synonymous with exclusive quality and superior forms, the standard of personal service is unique. Over 4500 members of staff are dedicated to the comfort and wellbeing of guests who are also indelibly accustomed to luxury in service.

“Service Excellence is not only one of our guiding principles,” says SDH Chairman Jan E. Brucker during a recent interview, “It is also an essential element behind all we think and do.”

These high standards are also appreciated by guests, who delight in the exclusive ambiance of the hotels. As one third of the visiting guests are Swiss themselves, with the remaining being made up of international guests from the USA and Germany travelling either on holiday or on business.

“We are also experiencing a growing pull from Asia, Brasil and Middle East,” Stefan indicates, “Which is new territory for us and has influenced a shift in our approach. Altogether there is a recorded annual total of over eight hundred and fifty thousand overnight stays.”

“And, with an average annual investment volume of CHF 300 million, Swiss Deluxe Hotels continues to provide every exclusive amenity in the superior quality that has always

Standards separate and when it comes to luxury you won’t find anything that compares with the Swiss standard of luxury. Centuries of refining has developed a benchmark appeal for anything Swiss, a unique approach and certain reliability and trust that have become the hallmark slogan for this country. I spoke with the Head of Media Relations Stefan Mathys regarding the importance of standard upkeep and the historic origin of winter tourism at the Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz.

Endeavour Magazine • January 2013 •

Swiss Deluxe Hotel

epitomized the Swiss luxury hotel industry.” - Stefan.The Swiss preoccupation with excellence is something

we take for granted. Their enviable reputation is seen in all facets of the culture and landscape, with the tradition of first class hospitality, breath-taking natural beauty and the rich array of cultural attractions, this country has long been a magnet for the most discerning of visitors.

But Swiss Deluxe Hotels were the first to introduce “Standards of Excellence” in 1993, which has 850 different criteria. All services are covered with this mode of performance from the concierge through to room service, which are tested and evaluated. It has always been in the

little details and even things like language and mannerisms in addressing guests and eye contact are examined.

It is precisely this attention to the smallest but crucial details that makes a stay at a Swiss Deluxe Hotel one to treasure.

“The grandeur of the hotel, the antiques, precious works of art and the opulent contemporary comfort will satisfy a guest’s taste for luxury,” Stefan illustrates, “But it is the way in which they are treated by the staff that will have them returning every year.”

It is here that an interesting development has occurred regarding the staff:

Swiss Deluxe Hotel

“As there is a growing influx of visitors from Asia and further abroad,” Stefan says, “We have had to train our staff in the proper etiquette expected from these cultures and find the best manners in which to introduce them to ours.”

Winter holidays and tourism was once something that the population living away from mountains and winter wonder lands balked at and the turning point occurred over a hundred years ago at the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz.

“Winter tourism began when Mr. Johannes Badrutt, owner of Kulm Hotel, bet some guests the price of their stay that they could sit outside the hotel in the snow and winter sunshine in T-shirts,” Stefan reveals, “That was all it took

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Swiss Deluxe Hotel

and a hundred years later a winter holiday is on everyone’s to-do-list.”

The Kulm Hotel St. Moritz stands right at the centre of St. Moritz, and affords the best views over the nearby lake accompanied with the latest creature comforts and a warm-hearted welcome. Within its noble walls awaits an incomparable aura that is founded on 150 years of traditional hospitality merging state-of-the-art infrastructure and late 19th century elegance.

In 1856, when the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz opened its doors for the first time, its founder, Johannes Badrutt, he initiated a tradition that is very much alive today, to provide each guests, young or old, with a cherished and unforgettable memory.

Taking this into account, the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz is characterized not only by style but also by originality and following on from inventing winter tourism; it was at St. Moritz where the first electric arc light in Switzerland was lit, and fittingly, where the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympic Games were officially opened.

Pride is vital and one of the reasons why the hotel has been opened for 150 years. The lovingly preserved original décor and the state-of-the-art infrastructure sets them apart and the distinguishing mark of the decorative art of their building is the combination of late 19th century elegance and

local, Engadine elements.A 173-room hotel of our stature wouldn’t be complete

without a Presidential suite and a selection of Luxury and Junior suites. Many rooms interconnect as needed – a feature much appreciated by families and every room faces their impressive views. For the south-facing rooms it is the jewel-like Lake St. Moritz and for those facing north, the spectacular south flanks of Piz Nair and other enticing parts of the Corviglia region.

Not only tourists wanting to enjoy the scenery, hospitality and winter sports but businesses flock to Kulm and all of the other 38 hotels in the Swiss Deluxe catalogue. Nothing makes an impression like a corporate function, meeting or stay than extreme luxury and service, all the hotels come with functional venues and the staff are particularly well trained in this regard. There is another reason why businesses enjoy these hotels as a venue of choice:

“Our discretion”, says Jan E. Brucker, chairman of Swiss Deluxe Hotels, “Protecting the privacy of our guests is one of our hotel traditions.”

In conclusion, whether you are a tourist wishing to try your skiing legs or a business leader wanting to make a lasting and memorable statement to your partners or staff then one of these thirty nine hotels simply have to be on your list of destinations.

Pure delight

… in quality has defined the philosophy of «Läderach – chocolatier suisse» since the family-owned business was first founded by Rudolf Läderach in 1962. In a bid to simplify the chocolate-maker’s craft for his fellow confectioners the passionate chocolatier Rudolf Läderach invented the hollow truffle shell. This semi-finished product vastly improved the quality of truffles and simplified the manufacturing process, much to the delight of his colleagues in the trade.

The foundation stone to a success story had thus been laid. Today, an impressive production facility specialising in genuine Swiss confectionery stands at the foot of the Alps of Glarus in Switzerland.

Finest Swiss chocolate at its best

at ChocolaterieBahnhofstrasse 106, Zurich

ShopVille RailCity Zurich, Passage Löwenstrasse, second basement floorShopping Center Glatt, Neue Winterthurerstrasse 99, Glattzentrum/Wallisellen

Swiss Deluxe Hotelwww.swissdeluxehotels.ch+ +41 43 243 71 40

Written by Don Campbell

www.littlegatepublishing.com