Badrutt’s Palace is a fairy-tale palace with 125 years of tradition in the heart of St.Moritz
The magic and myth of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz
On 29 July 1896, Badrutt’s Palace Hotel opened its doors in the heart of St. Moritz. This marked the beginning of an extraordinary success story – written by a family whose pioneering spirit for innovation and luxury remains unrivaled in the international hotel industry to this day. In the 125th year of its existence, “The Palace” remains one of the best hotels in the world.
Right from the start, the development of this legendary hotel was inextricably linked with the Badrutt family. The hotel was built and opened by Caspar Badrutt, the second eldest son of Johannes Badrutt – the man who had launched the winter season in St. Moritz based on a bet.
Did you know that…
- Past guests of Badrutt’s Palace include celebrities such as Alfred Hitchcock, Audrey Hepburn and Charlie Chaplin
- The hotel has a history of investing in state-of-the-art technology: In 1920, it installed the first lift and the first telephone booth in the Engadin; in 2006, it put into operation a pioneering heat pump system using water from Lake St. Moritz; and in 2019, it became the first luxury hotel in Europe to install 5G mobile technology
- One of the most famous anecdotes is the story of the guest who asked for his wife’s birthday gift to be presented by an elephant. The Palace staff then arranged for one of the grey pachyderms to be brought from a nearby circus to the hotel lobby and thus made this sensational gift delivery possible!
- With over 30,000 bottles of champagne and fine wines from all over the world, Badrutt Palace’s historic wine cellar is a veritable encyclopedia of good taste.
The renovation of Badrutt’s Palace
In 2021, Badrutt’s Palace reopened its doors with 40 newly revamped rooms and suites after an extensive renovation by renowned New York-based firm Champalimaud. The main idea has been to enhance the in-room experience for the modern guest whilst preserving the iconic heritage of the Palace.
The new room and suite categories include Deluxe Double Rooms, Signature Double Rooms, St. Moritz Suites (including the St. Moritz Two Bedroom Suite), plus Deluxe Junior Suites with stunning lake views and Superior Double Rooms with village views. Aiming at a continuation of hotelier Hans Badrutt’s passion for collections, the Champalimaud team, created color stories for the suites, built around and inspired by the Persian carpets from the Hotel’s collection of rare carpets. Other antiques from Badrutt’s Palace collection are mixed with contemporary furniture that has been custom-made in Italy using locally sourced materials. The spaces are embellished with tailor-made, embroidered fabrics, custom chinoiserie wall coverings, and metallic accents while the headboards were made using custom-dyed premium leather and the embroidery detailing imitates flowers from the region. The renovated rooms also feature elegant bathrooms with references to the old world detail one expects at Badrutt’s Palace.
The experiences of Badrutt’s Palace
The Golden Age of stylish travel never lost its sparkle in Badrutt’s Palace Hotel and always remains right up to date there. In the wood-panelled Le Grand Hall piano music accompanies traditional afternoon tea where delectable creations by the hotel’s world-class pâtisserie indulge the eye and the palate. In the 3-star chef Andreas Caminada’s IGNIV (2 Michelin stars & 17 Gault Millau points), an innovative fine-dining concept harmoniously blends with its historic surroundings. For enchanting evenings in a unique atmosphere, Le Restaurant offers timeless ambiance with international and French cuisine, while in the former first tennis hall in Europe, La Coupole/Matsuhisa (16 Gault Millau points) presents Japanese-Peruvian delicacies by star chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa («Nobu»). Renaissance Bar offers the perfect spot to withdraw for a fine cigar or to indulge in an after-dinner drink. Whereas, guests who prefer urban dining and exuberant dancing should block out several evenings in the calendar right now for King’s Social House by Jason Atherton. A short walk over the street and up a few steps leads you to the centre of the village and 460-year-old Chesa Veglia (15 Gault Millau points). The former farmhouse with regional Swiss flair houses today two bars and three restaurants for lovers of authentic Italian pizza, elegant French cuisine and rustic Swiss specialties. Last but not least: Many of the hotel’s events are already legendary, but the queen of all parties is and always will be New Year’s Eve at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel.
High in the mountains, wellbeing lies naturally in the air and at Palace Wellness luxurious pampering moments are lined up like a string of precious pearls. Guests enjoy a swim at the indoor infinity pool with its grandiose backdrop or go with the flow, out into the heated outdoor pool. The spacious fitness area offers hydrotherapy treatments as well as aroma and salt steam saunas, the only hardship being which relaxing massage to choose from the long list.
This is how Badrutt’s Palace makes its guests to indulge in a whirlwind of style, sport, haute cuisine and wellness and explore the Swiss winter world at a height of 1830 m or discover the sun-soaked Engadin in summer.
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TheHotelTrotter.com is curated by greek journalist and fanatic hotel lover Eleni Stasinopoulou. With the eye of a fashion and lifestyle editor, Eleni hopes to inspire all connoisseurs of traveling, focusing on stylish hotel moments around the globe.
