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The Dolder Grand, Zürich

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NESTLED high above Zürich yet only 10 to 15 minutes away from the city is the renovated new landmark of Zürich – The Dolder Grand. This city centre hotel offers great views of the city and lake and, on clear days, the Alps.

The Dolder Grand Hotel & Curhaus opened its doors in 1899. Following several alterations it shut in 2004 to undergo major reconstruction to a design by London architect Foster and Partners before its relaunch in April 2008.

While large parts of the hotel have been completely re-designed, elements such as the grand staircase, balconies, ceilings and the façade have been preserved to keep the historic feel of the building.

The property has 173 spacious rooms ranging from singles to deluxe rooms and suites.

They are equipped with flat-screen television, remote controlled lighting and curtains and Wi-Fi access.

All rooms in the new wing have balconies and are very contemporary in design, right down to the large marble bathrooms, whereas the main buildings have kept some of the traditional furniture and hand-painted wallpapers and the original ceilings.

For more extravagant guests, the hotel offers four ‘top suites’ ranging from the Rolling Stones-inspired Suite 100 – with its retro feel – to the musical maestro Karajan-inspired Maestro Suite which houses a grand piano and private roof terrace. The Carezza Suite showcases furniture and lighting which is organic in shape and suggestive of works of art and the Masina Suite, inspired by Giulietta Masina, actress and wife of Federico Fellini, has a touch of cinematic glamour from the 1950s.

Dining at The Dolder is a treat for food connoisseurs. The Restaurant, with its fully-restored historic ceilings and walls of silver plate, is open for lunch and dinner, except Sunday evenings, and offers seven-course gourmet cuisine, while The Garden Restaurant is less formal, serving light European cuisine all day every day. In summer, the sun terrace and lounge makes for a perfect alfresco setting. The lobby and bar, also with restored historic ceiling and antique fireplace, are popular for a traditional afternoon tea.

The 4,000-sq-m, 19-treatment room Dolder Grand Spa is a new aspect of the hotel and one of its highlights. With a blend of European and Japanese influences, the spa provides single-sex zones with separate baths, saunas and plunge pools. It offers classic therapies and medical wellness as a key element with specialists available to offer a range of treatments including plastic surgery and anti-ageing and preventive medicine.

For guests staying at the hotel in the summer months, an outdoor swimming pool and mini-golf facilities are available and in winter there is an ice-skating rink. Double room rates start at $780 per night and the top suites are from $4,760 to $12,810 per night.

by Shalu Chandran

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