Royal Savoy to reopen June 2015

KATARA Hospitality, a global hotel owner, developer and operator based in Qatar, is investing around CHF100 million ($113.6 million) in the remodelling and rebuilding of the Hotel Royal Savoy, Lausanne. The work will ensure that this traditional establishment in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, which dates from the time of the Belle Epoque, is restored to its former glory.

In June 2015 a new five-star establishment is set to emerge offering 196 rooms, a 1,500-sq-m wellness spa and a multifunctional conferencing centre featuring a range of banqueting rooms.

At the turn of the 19th century, Switzerland was witnessing a massive boom in tourism. Throughout the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, hotels testifying to the golden age of tourism were built with lofty ambitions and amenities to match. Lausanne’s Royal-Savoy was one such hotel erected in 1906, and has since left an indelible imprint on the town to this day. The traditional history of the hotel is now more prominent than ever.

“Katara Hospitality has set themselves the task of returning to their former glory three pearls of Switzerland’s culture of hospitality, notably the Royal-Savoy, the Schweizerhof in Bern, and the Bürgenstock Resort near Lucerne – as much for the discerning traveller as for their local patrons,” emphasises Bruno Schöpfer, managing director of Katara Hospitality Switzerland AG.

The wholesale renovation of the hotel is creating a blend of venerable traditions and responses to the demands of modern-day travellers. The former restaurant, the Savoy, was a legend in its time and has now been granted a new lease of life. Its terrace is set to become a popular meeting place for the people of Lausanne, as well as for visitors from further afield. While the historical part of the hotel offers 101 rooms, to its south a brand new wing comprising 95 rooms is emerging. The new building will also house the new 1,500-sq-m wellness spa with its indoor and outdoor pools, eight treatment rooms, two private spa zones and a gym equipped with state-of-the-art machines.

The two parts of the hotel will be linked by a walkway. The intermediary building and a section of the original structure will house the conferencing and banqueting facilities.

“The view from the roof terrace on the seventh floor of the main historical building will be spectacular. It will offer guests a 360-degree panoramic vista of Lake Geneva, the town and the Alps,” adds Schöpfer.

The large 5,000-sq-m garden is also to be subject to renovation.

The Hotel Royal Savoy in Lausanne is a member of the Bürgenstock Selection. Katara Hospitality Switzerland AG, headquartered in Zug, is the Swiss office of Katara Hospitality, overseeing the development and implementation of innovative concepts for the legendary hotels owned by the group in Switzerland.