The Palace Hotel, a belle époque-era property on Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne that has undergone an eight-year restoration has reopened for meetings and events.
The 113-year-old hotel, one of four on the Bürgenstock Resort, will open to the public in June. The refurbished hotel will feature 108 rooms and suites, a French restaurant, a lobby and lounge, a terrace overlooking Lake Lucerne and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting facilities.
“Our aim was to preserve this iconic ensemble of hotels and the resort’s 30 historic buildings which have more than 140 years of history,” explained Bruno Schöpfer, managing director of Katara Hospitality Switzerland Ltd., owner of the resort.
To bring the Palace Hotel into the 21st century, the 1904 wooden building was taken down to its outer walls. During the renovation, all the original ornamental plasterwork was removed, including the faux marble pillars with classical stucco molding.
Curator Joe Miller catalogued 200 paintings and historic artifacts as well as the architectural moldings and pillars and placed them all in temperature-controlled storage. Stucco marble specialists, Schüpfer und Debon AG, who restore medieval churches and historic buildings, repaired two faux-marble pillars.
The Palace’s restaurant, Ritzcoffier, will feature classic French cuisine à la Escoffier and César Ritz, lightened for contemporary palates. The original fireplace from the Grand Hotel takes center stage, and the antique wooden doors of the Grand Hotel’s original walk-in refrigerator are also featured. Copper pots inscribed by Escoffier hang from the ceiling, and blue and white tiles grace the walls.
In addition to the restaurant, the Salle Palace and its foyer provide 3,552 square feet for conferences or weddings with lake views. The hotel has 14 other meetings rooms with updated technology.
All 108 rooms and suites of the Palace Hotel have floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps. Ranging from 312 to 419-square-feet, the rooms feature contemporary style with soft colors of ivory and beige and oak lining the walls and floors. Marble baths have rain showers and all rooms have the latest in intuitive technology.
