l The hotel rooms are designed so that the views take centre stage
Sophia Loren lived there, Audrey Hepburn was married in the chapel, Charlie Chaplin was a regular visitor and Sean Connery’s James Bond dropped by in Goldfinger. Now the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne has been transformed to appeal to a new generation of visitors passing through the Swiss Alps.
The iconic resort has had a soft re-opening after nine long years of construction and renovations, with its Qatari owners claiming to have overseen “the project of the century.”
The refreshed resort, located 500m (1,600ft) above Lake Lucerne, includes more than 30 buildings, with four hotels, 10 restaurants and bars, a museum, a cinema, a 10,000sq m (108,000sq ft) Alpine Spa and an infinity pool overlooking the lake.
Developer Katara Hospitality has invested at least CHF550m (US$565m, €480m, £426m) in the project, which includes both new build and renovation elements.
The 102-bedroom, five-star Bürgenstock Hotel, designed by Rüssli Architekten, and the Waldhotel medical hotel, designed by Italian architect Matteo Thun, have been built from scratch, while existing buildings, including the Taverne 1879 and the Palace Hotel, have been retained but entirely remodelled.
The former Grand Hotel has been transformed into luxury apartments and the resort’s original chapel – where Hepburn wed actor Mel Ferrer – has been kept, as have the nine-hole golf course, ice skating rinks and Europe’s highest outdoor elevator, the Hammetschwand Lift, which brings guests up from the foot of the mountain.
MKV Design have created most of the hotel and spa interiors, except for the Waldhotel.
Speaking about their approach, MKV Design founder Maria Vafiadis told CLAD: “This resort used to be a destination that everyone in Central Europe knew about – from the aristocracy to cinema stars and politicians, so we had a lot of history to draw from.
“We also took inspiration from the lake and the water. In the Bürgenstock Hotel, the whole design is focused on the view, with all the rooms oriented to look onto the lake. You’re so high up, it’s like you’re in a helicopter – you get this sensation of flying. Because this can be a little bit intimidating for people, we’ve created an inviting, warm feeling of cosiness. The rooms are lovely timber boxes with a stone feature wall and a fireplace. You’re cocooned in the space, but you can enjoy the dramatic view from your sitting room or even from your bathtub.”
The resort’s spa – which will open later this year – has been enlarged by architecture firm Dierks & Sachs to almost five times its original size, with the extra space created by digging into the mountain itself.
The 7,000sq m (75,347 ft) interior space will feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls providing mountain views. Facilities include private bath chambers, a Turkish steam room, a panoramic sauna and a tranquillity room.
The 3,000sq m (32,291sq ft) spa space includes the resort’s famous original swimming pool, protected as a historical monument.
Aiming to introduce leading wellbeing facilities to provide ‘wellness without limits’ to guests, the concept has been driven by Bruno Schöpfer, hotelier and managing director of Katara Hospitality, who is responsible for some of the world’s best-known spas. He has previously said that “wellbeing is as much about the mind as the body, and this ethos is central to the design of the spa, creating a spiritual mountain-top haven.”
Vafiadis described the spa design as clean and modern, explaining “we’ve used local wood and local stone because we don’t want to distract from the location.”
“It had to be neutral and contemporary while making the most of the views,” she added.
The full grand opening of the resort will be held in Q1 2018.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
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l The hotel rooms are designed so that the views take centre stage
Sophia Loren lived there, Audrey Hepburn was married in the chapel, Charlie Chaplin was a regular visitor and Sean Connery’s James Bond dropped by in Goldfinger. Now the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne has been transformed to appeal to a new generation of visitors passing through the Swiss Alps.
The iconic resort has had a soft re-opening after nine long years of construction and renovations, with its Qatari owners claiming to have overseen “the project of the century.”
The refreshed resort, located 500m (1,600ft) above Lake Lucerne, includes more than 30 buildings, with four hotels, 10 restaurants and bars, a museum, a cinema, a 10,000sq m (108,000sq ft) Alpine Spa and an infinity pool overlooking the lake.
Developer Katara Hospitality has invested at least CHF550m (US$565m, €480m, £426m) in the project, which includes both new build and renovation elements.
The 102-bedroom, five-star Bürgenstock Hotel, designed by Rüssli Architekten, and the Waldhotel medical hotel, designed by Italian architect Matteo Thun, have been built from scratch, while existing buildings, including the Taverne 1879 and the Palace Hotel, have been retained but entirely remodelled.
The former Grand Hotel has been transformed into luxury apartments and the resort’s original chapel – where Hepburn wed actor Mel Ferrer – has been kept, as have the nine-hole golf course, ice skating rinks and Europe’s highest outdoor elevator, the Hammetschwand Lift, which brings guests up from the foot of the mountain.
MKV Design have created most of the hotel and spa interiors, except for the Waldhotel.
Speaking about their approach, MKV Design founder Maria Vafiadis told CLAD: “This resort used to be a destination that everyone in Central Europe knew about – from the aristocracy to cinema stars and politicians, so we had a lot of history to draw from.
“We also took inspiration from the lake and the water. In the Bürgenstock Hotel, the whole design is focused on the view, with all the rooms oriented to look onto the lake. You’re so high up, it’s like you’re in a helicopter – you get this sensation of flying. Because this can be a little bit intimidating for people, we’ve created an inviting, warm feeling of cosiness. The rooms are lovely timber boxes with a stone feature wall and a fireplace. You’re cocooned in the space, but you can enjoy the dramatic view from your sitting room or even from your bathtub.”
The resort’s spa – which will open later this year – has been enlarged by architecture firm Dierks & Sachs to almost five times its original size, with the extra space created by digging into the mountain itself.
The 7,000sq m (75,347 ft) interior space will feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls providing mountain views. Facilities include private bath chambers, a Turkish steam room, a panoramic sauna and a tranquillity room.
The 3,000sq m (32,291sq ft) spa space includes the resort’s famous original swimming pool, protected as a historical monument.
Aiming to introduce leading wellbeing facilities to provide ‘wellness without limits’ to guests, the concept has been driven by Bruno Schöpfer, hotelier and managing director of Katara Hospitality, who is responsible for some of the world’s best-known spas. He has previously said that “wellbeing is as much about the mind as the body, and this ethos is central to the design of the spa, creating a spiritual mountain-top haven.”
Vafiadis described the spa design as clean and modern, explaining “we’ve used local wood and local stone because we don’t want to distract from the location.”
“It had to be neutral and contemporary while making the most of the views,” she added.
The full grand opening of the resort will be held in Q1 2018.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Blu Spas, Inc. Blu is a full-service firm offering project feasibility, planning and design as well as operational [more...]
