Grand Hotel Dolder
Encyclopedia
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Built in 1899, the hotel is located on Adlisberg
Adlisberg
Adlisberg is a wooded mountain overlooking the Zürichsee , neighboored in the northwest by the Zürichberg.- Geography :Adlisberg mountain is located to the east of the city of Zürich, between the Glatt river valley and Lake Zürich. Its highest point is about above the Lake Zürich...
hill, spreading out over 40'000 m². The hotel offers 173 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a bar, 13 conference rooms and a 4'000 m² Spa.
The hotel is connected to central Zurich by road, and by the Dolderbahn
Dolderbahn
The Dolderbahn is a long rack railway in the Swiss city of Zurich, and is owned by the Dolderbahn-Betriebs AG. The line was opened in 1895 as a funicular railway, and converted to rack operation in 1973...
rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
, which has its upper terminus next to the hotel complex.
History
The hotel was opened originally as a health spa ("Curhaus") before it became a luxury hotel. In 2004 it temporarily closed for an extensive renovation.On April 3 2008, the hotel was reopened. The renovation and enlargement were led by Norman Foster
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....
, costing SFR 440 Million according to the major shareholder Urs Schwarzenbach
Urs Schwarzenbach
Urs Schwarzenbach is a Swiss-born financier based in the United Kingdom.Schwarzenbach set up Interexchange, the largest foreign exchange dealership in Switzerland. Through its success he has bought well over £300m of property in the UK, in Australia, a palace in Morocco, £17m of assets in the...
. The restoration maintained the original appearance from 1899, and several buildings that were added in the 1920s were removed. Additionally, there were two new wings added, adjancent to the old building. Under the old foundations there were two additional floors added. Not only the architecture, but also the hotel concept went back to its origins - now it is positioned as a luxourious spa hotel.
Before the hotel opened for guests, it had free Open Days when the public could visit the hotel on predefined paths. The people were waiting up to 3.5 hours to enter the new rooms.