T RIED AND TE ST E D L A U S ANNE HOT E L
Royal Savoy Hotel and Spa, Lausanne
BE ST FOR Modern and stylish
rooms behind a historic, beautiful façade.
D ON‘ T MI S S
The Sky Lounge and a visit to the huge spa.
P R ICE Internet rates for a
Deluxe room start at CHF314.50 (£239) for a weeknight in October.
C ONT A C T Avenue d’Ouchy 40,
B A C KGROUND After closing for a CHF100 million (£76,000,000) refurbishment from 2009 to 2015, this hotel reopened in November 2015. Owned by Katara Hospitality, it is part of the Burgenstock Selection; three historic Swiss hotels, all now renovated with seemingly no expense spared.
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WHERE IS IT ? Though it’s not on the lakeside like the Beau-Rivage Palace and the Lausanne Palace, it is convenient for town. Across the road is the excellent metro system accessed from the Délices station (line M2). It is only two stops to the main train station from where you can catch the train to Geneva airport. If you are driving, there is a car park of 153 spaces on three levels.
WHAT ’S IT LIKE? The stunning Art Nouveau and Neo-Baroque exterior of the hotel reflects both its origin (it opened in 1909) and the wealth of the guests it attracted. The three original architects, Charles Mauerhofer, Adrian van Dorsser and Charles- François Bonjour, created a beautiful hotel which incorporated architectural innovations that, ironically, caused untold problems when the hotel was refurbished – notably the suspended reinforced concrete floors, which were only two to three centimetres thick in places. In the lobby you can see geometric stained-glass windows created by Lausanne- based glassmaker Drevars.
ROOMS The 196 rooms and suites are split between the historic hotel (101 rooms and suites) and a newly built Garden Wing (95 rooms and suites), which is in the grounds of the hotel and is accessed via a glass corridor.
SEP T E M B ER 2 0 18
The Royal Savoy’s rooms and suites are split between the historic hotel and a newly built Garden Wing
Rooms range from Deluxe (80 per cent
of the total number), which are 30 sqm and available in both the main building and the Garden Wing, up to extremely large suites that are almost residential in size. All rooms have either city or lake views, and, in contrast to the exterior of the hotel, are modern with polished wooden floors, rugs with a geometric pattern along with floral bed throws, flatscreen TVs and contemporary lighting (which can be turned off via a master switch by the side of the bed). My Premium room (36 sqm) had a good-
sized work desk with power points for UK, US, EU and Swiss plugs, free high-speed wifi and a comfortable armchair with footstool by the window. The modern bathroom had lots of mirrors and good-quality fittings including marble, and was equipped with a rain shower (some have Japanese bathtubs). There are Nespresso coffee machines and a free non-alcoholic mini bar (alcohol is paid for).
FOOD AND DRINK The hotel’s main restaurant is La Brasserie du Royal with capacity for 120 covers, split into four rooms – the Great Room, the Buffet, the Alcove and the Veranda. There is also a garden terrace that can seat a further 40. The food in the evening was excellent, but the breakfast in the morning less impressive because the hotel was very busy. There was very little food left when I came down at 0830
1006 Lausanne (hotel entrance on Avenue de
Cour); + 41 21 614 88 88;
royalsavoy.ch/en
and I didn’t have time to wait for fresh supplies. There is also a Lobby Lounge (60 seats indoors and 19 outdoors) and bar with a double-height ceiling and impressive pictures and stained-glass windows, alongside historic paintings of the areas around Lausanne. On the other side of the corridor is an excellent cigar lounge. Finally, on the top floor, the hotel’s Sky Lounge (seats 52) has stunning views of Lausanne and the lake, and is good for an evening drink during the warmer months.
MEE TING S There is 1,200 sqm of meeting and event venues, including five conference rooms, a 269 sqm Royal Salon, a small 106 sqm function room (Petit Salon) and the largest of Lausanne’s ballrooms (574 sqm), which can be split into three rooms.
L EIS U RE The new Garden Wing has a 1,500 sqm spa – including both an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a vitality pool, sauna and steam rooms, eight treatment rooms, as well as a private ladies-only area, two spas for private use and a 24-hour gym.
VERDIC T This is an excellent renovation of a gorgeous-looking hotel, and one where it would be a pleasure to be holed up for a meeting for several days – just make sure you explore Lausanne while you are there. Tom Otley
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
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