The Dolder Grand - Zurich
It was undoubtedly the project of the year when it launched last year, and after much anticipation, The Dolder Grand re-opened to outstanding critical acclaim.
Originally a “Curhaus” – health spa,the former Dolder Grand Hotel closed for conversion back in 2004, and has has transformed itself into a luxury-class city resort with 173 luxurious rooms and suites, two restaurants, banqueting and conference facilities and a 4000-square-metre spa area. The architecture, interior design and spa layout have been completely re-designed, creating a stand alone hotel and resort.
Foster and Partners have combined the Dolder Grand’s historic Main Building with the innovations of modern architecture, and it’s extremely hard to fault the new layout. Upon arrival you are greeted with the long and swooping road which leads up to the hotel, and eventually the impressive entrance.
Inside, new and old elements blend together very well. You are very much aware that you are in an uber modern structure on one side of the hotel, and on the other, you’re in a 100 year old building, but it all works perfectly, with the constant reminder that you’re in a world class luxury hotel.
Overlooking the forest, a huge lake, and an Alpine mountain range, the location couldn’t be any better, and as a destination resort, The Dolder Grand remains untouched.
Only a short distance from the centre of Zurich, it’s possible to discover the city within ten minutes by car, and then retreat back to the hotel for complete relaxation.
As with the original layout in 1899, guests now enter the hotel from the south side, through the restored stone hall. The original architecture remains, and is flanked by a new swooping wing which, although very futuristic, does nothing to spoil the original architecture, cleverly distinguishing old from new at first glance. During the project, any buildings that had been added since 1899 were demolished. Two new wings, the Spa Wing and the Golf Wing, now cling to the Main Building. The 4000 square metre spa area has been designed by the American Spa designer Sylvia Sepielli, and comprises a spacious pool, men’s and ladies’ spa, workout, movement and body studios, and 21 treatment rooms.
The two restaurants and bar are open both to hotel guests and the general public. The terraces afford a magnificent view of the city of Zurich, the lake and the Alps. Perhaps most eye-catching of the banqueting rooms is the great ballroom, topped with its unusual cupola.
When it closed in 2004, a total of 110,000 cubic metres of material was excavated from around the historic Main Building, to reach the necessary depth for the new buildings. During this work the façade, a listed architectural monument, was laboriously propped in a steel corset. The shell as a whole was finished in February 2006. Despite the doubling of the usable area from 20,000 to 40,000 square metres, geothermics have cut the Dolder Grand’s energy consumption by half. This entailed sinking 70 earth probes 150 metres deep into the earth.
Since re-opening, the The Dolder Grand has attracted attention from all over the world, including Wallpaper magazine’s ‘Best new or renovated hotel’. The luxury establishment is listed in the ‘World’s 50 Best New Hotels’ issued by the American website, ForbesTraveler.com, and the spa was named the ‘Smartest Escape’ in the Tatler Spa Award.
The 173 rooms and suites range from single rooms to deluxe rooms and suites. Four of the top suites aim to cater for individual extravagance. Largest of the top suites is the Maestro, housed in the tower of the historic Main Building, covering 400 square metres. The other suites follow individual themes, based on past guests include ‘Suite 100’ which has a 1960s feel, with Verner Panton Chairs, and musical references throughout is inspired by The Rolling Stones, who stayed in The Dolder Grand in the 1960s.
The rooms and suites reflect the Dolder symbiosis of tradition and modernity. United Designers have shaped new living spaces. In the main building, their refined, eclectic configurations instil a sense of history, while
the two wings epitomize the spirit of the modern age.
The Dolder Grand has two restaurants and a bar. The Restaurant offers fine dining, lunch-time and evenings and has 17 Gault Millau points and one Michelin Star. The sophisticated Garden Restaurant is open all day every day.
The overall execution of the work is absolutely faultless. The Dolder Grand’s impressive façade commands great respect, taking the hotel into the next century, and at the same time preserving its heritage. I’m certain there will be purists who would disagree here, instead preferring the quaint old original structure, but these will surely be in the minority.
Timescale: 4 years
Budget: £400 Million
Architect: Foster and Partners Ltd., London
Interior Design: United Designers Ltd., London
Spa Design: SPAd Inc. Sylvia Sepielli, Sedona/Arizona
The Dolder Grand information:
Rooms and Suites
173 rooms; 15 single rooms,
99 double rooms,
48 junior suites, 7 suites, 4 top suites
Dining
The Restaurant
Fine Dining Restaurant with 54 seats and terrace
Web
Site >>
