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Photo: Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich
The 80 million Swiss Franc ($161 million) reimagining of the former Bauer en Ville, the first luxury hotel in the Swiss financial capital, makes the Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich, the oldest and newest luxury hotel in Zurich.
Being the oldest, it’s seen its fair share of change, most notably a change in ownership. Formerly belonging to the now defunct bank Credit Suisse, the hotel was sold to the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) when it collapsed in mid-March 2023 for 3 billion Swiss Francs. When the sale happened, the hotel was already renovated to become the Mandarin Oriental it is today.
So it’s rather ironic that from my room, I can see both the Zurich headquarters of the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) and the now-defunct bank, Credit Suisse. The latter, now a shell of its former glory, will be converted to classrooms for a banking school in the near future.
A rich history
The façade of the Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich. (Photo: Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich)
Located in Paradeplatz Square, one of Switzerland’s most expensive prime real estate areas, the hotel was first opened as Baur en Ville on December 24, 1838, by Johannes Baur as the first grand hotel in Zurich. Famous guests included Charles Dickens, Richard Wagner, and Grace Kelly. In 1859, the Treaty of Zurich, which ended the Second Italian War of Independence between France, Austria, and Sardinia, was signed at the hotel.
In 1908, “Savoy” was added to its name. Over the years, the 170-room hotel underwent a few renovations and incarnations. Its last one was the Savoy Hotel, with 104 rooms. The Mandarin Oriental opened last December with 80 rooms and suites, upping the luxe factor with more sumptuous sleeps, befitting a brand like Mandarin Oriental.
The Savoy terrace is popular for people-watching in warmer seasons. (Photo: Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich)
Zurich, Switzerland’s financial capital, is home to bankers and their clients from all over the world, but the small city has only a few international hotel brands.
Aside from Park Hyatt, which opened in 2004, the top three hotels here are considered ‘old school’ European brands — the Baur au Lac, Storchen, and, a little further from the city centre, The Dolder Grand. The Swiss are, after all, known for their nationalism and self-sustenance.
Asian heart, westward expansion
While Switzerland, the birthplace of elite hospitality schools, has plenty of trained professionals who go out into the workforce and staff local luxury hotels, their service seems somewhat cold compared to what you might get in a luxury hotel in Asia.
Don’t get me wrong. Swiss hospitality can be warm and amicable but lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. Or as Adrian Tan, a banker from Singapore who frequently travels for work, puts it, “The staff in Asian hotels are more willing to go the extra mile and are sensitive at reading what you need.”
Attribute it to a cultural difference or general expectations, but some guests still prefer Asian hospitality standards and service. And that’s the gap in the market that Mandarin Oriental Savoy fills in nicely.
The hotel’s lobby. (Photo: Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich)
Zurich is the third city in Switzerland where the Hong Kong-based Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) has opened its hotels. The brand, whose parent company is the publicly listed Jardine Mathesons, has been steadily gaining a following among Europeans who have experienced Asian hospitality.
“I find Asian hospitality more holistic. The staff remembers details like my name and my favourite drink when I check in,” says Christopher Green, a banker from London.
Old bones, fresh energy
The Presidential Suite at the Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich. (Photo: Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich)
Switzerland’s building conservation laws are known to be among the most rigid in Europe. So it’s no surprise that the hotel’s original neoclassical facade remains the same, with subtle updates and the Mandarin Oriental trademark — the fan.
Inside, however, is another story altogether.
The interiors by Parisian designer Tristan Auer, whose works include the Carlton Cannes and the Belmond Royal Scotsman luxury train, are contemporary. The furniture designed by Auer and crafted by Swiss artisans is timeless and has a high-end residential feel.
The interiors of the rooms and suites at Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich, are simple and elegant. (Photo: Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich)
The layout of the rooms and suites is generous for a hotel in the city. Soft furnishings in textured ecru and sage lend a sense of peace.
The preserved panoramic bay window of my double deluxe suite overlooks the tram intersection in Paradeplatz Square. It’s a great vantage point to people-watch as the city comes alive in the morning.
Pockets of history
Though fitted with a contemporary look, there’s plenty of living history in Mandarin Oriental Savoy if you pay attention.
Amid a cluster of ballrooms and boardrooms is a room marked by an iron sign depicting a boot. This was and still is the headquarters of Zurich’s Guild of Tanners and Shoemakers, where members have been convening since 1920. The room is beautifully preserved with its original stained-glass windows, wood panelling, and the family crests of members from as far back as the 14th century.
Orsini, the hotel’s Italian restaurant. (Photo: Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich)
Orsini, the hotel’s Italian restaurant, considered the oldest in Zurich, is still in operation. It has kept its original name, which was meant to honour Felice Orsini, an Italian revolutionary who stayed at the Baur before his public execution by guillotine in 1858 for his failed attempt to assassinate Napoleon III.
Now overseen by Italian chef Antonio Guida of the two Michelin-starred Seta in Mandarin Oriental Milan, Orsini’s elegant take on classic Italian cuisine still draws a crowd. Definitely order the raspberry risotto, a curious mix of tart and savoury-creamy that is impossible to stop at one bite.
Braised muscat pumpkin, hazelnut, périgord truffle from Savoy Brasserie & Bar. (Photo: Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich)
But one of the dining highlights has to be the Asian food options at breakfast. For the number of high net worth clients from Asia who visit Zurich, there is strangely a lack of Asian offerings in the morning at breakfast at the city’s luxury hotels. And this is where Mandarin Oriental does well, too.
On the a la carte breakfast menu at the all-day dining Savoy Brasserie & Bar, my heart leaps a little to find Chinese congee and steamed dim sum. On a cold, wintry morning, it’s a salve for this weary Asian traveller, and it seems that I’m not the only one.
I overhear a conversation between an elderly Chinese man having breakfast with his daughter at the table next to mine. They are in the city to meet their private banker, and it’s clear that the Asian dishes are much appreciated.
When Johannes Baur opened Bauer en Ville in 1838, his intention was to deliver “the best and most elegant service.” As I slurp down spoonfuls of hot congee and partake in some delicately folded dim sum, I can attest that the hotel, in its latest incarnation, has done exactly that.
