Badrutt's Palace Hotel is a luxury resort in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The historic hotel, which opened in 1896, has 155 rooms, of which, 43 are suites. Its majority shareholder is Anikó Badrutt.
History
The history of the hotel and the family Badrutt started in 1856, when Johannes Badrutt bought a small guesthouse in St. Moritz and started to rebuild it, to create the Hotel Engadiner Kulm, which is today known as the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz.[1]
He had built an artificial coasting slide and a curling ground for his guests. In 1864, the son of Caspar Badrutt bought the Hotel Beau Rivage in St. Moritz and altered it to create the Badrutt's Palace Hotel we see today. The official opening was in 1896 and two years later the son of Casper Badrutt, Hans Badrutt, took over the management.
Billy Fiske, an American fighter pilot killed in the Battle of Britain, who was a Cresta competitor, and a founder of the Aspen ski resort in Colorado, was well known for jumps from the Badrutt's Palace Hotel's bar chandelier.
The historic house, known as Chesa Veglia, was purchased in 1935–36 and converted into a restaurant. With the death of Hans Badrutt in 1953, the directorship passed on to his wife Helen and her son Andrea Badrutt, who later, together with his brother Hansjürg Badrutt, took over.
The historic tower and symbol of St. Moritz was rebuilt and refurbished after a fire in 1967. In 1969–70, a swimming pool and a fitness center were added to the hotel. After the extension of the Suot-Mulin-Complex between 1981 and 1984, which housed new suites and privately owned apartments, the management of Badrutt's Palace Hotel was transferred to the luxury hotel chain Rosewood Hotels and Resorts. During this period many renovations, extensions and technical installations were made that added to the substance and development of Badrutt's Palace Hotel. In the year 2000 a new spa area and a fitness centre opened. In 2002, the Serletta Shopping Centre, with international stores, opened beneath the hotel, this was later renamed the Palace Galerie. In 2003, the 280 m2 Hans Badrutt suite was completed, as was the 250 m2 Helen Badrutt suite with its marble bathrooms.
Since the retreat of the Rosewood group in April 2003, the Badrutt's Palace Hotel is being run as a private hotel again. In 2004, the hotelier, Hans Wiedemann, took over as managing director, together with Yves Gardiol as general manager. In 2006 (notarially 2008) the childless owners, Hansjürg and Anikó Badrutt (born 1930), bequeathed a two-thirds share of the hotel to Hans Wiedemann in their will. Hans Wiedemann holds the position of Delegate of the Board. As of 2016, Richard Leuenberger has taken over in the position of Managing Director, successfully overseeing comprehensive rooms renovations and adding services and restaurants to the offering. The hotel saw a substantial increase in overall performance between 2016-2023 despite COVID. Making the hotel market leader in revenues and profitablity. The hotel is listed on The World's 50 Best Hotels 2023 as well other significant Awards such as the Forbes 5 Star Award.
References
^"The Badrutt Story : Tower Revue". towerrevue.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
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