There are places, just like people, which leave an indelible mark. They somehow touch you in a way that a parent’s embrace or a best friend would.
Thanks to my job, I get to experience places and meet people very few in this world are previewed to and I don’t take any of it for granted. Each time I am invited to review my experience, I pinch myself to make sure it is real and not a figment of my imagination! I feel truly blessed.
And since I get to see a lot of different places, I have built resistance to inauthentic, unfit messages fed to clients using the number of stars displayed on the wall. I have also built major immunity to those arbitrary accolades and have learned to pay close attention to the details that matter most to me when it comes to hospitality:
Heart. Soul. Service. Details.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I had never been to Gstaad and it had been on my bucket list for a while, so imagine the thrill I felt driving there. And since Switzerland has been hit with an unusually hot summer so I was also eager to save a couple of degrees by being in the mountains!
The landscape became increasingly lush and beautiful as we got closer to our destination. Gstaad is one of five side valleys in the region. Legend has it that these valleys were created while God’s hand was having a rest.
Once we reached Le Grand Bellevue Hotel and parked our car, we got greeted by a smiley and talkative Bellman. He genuinely seemed happy to see us! He walked us inside and wished us a great stay. What a good start 🙂
As we walked in, I truly felt surprised by the furniture and overall style. I had expected a traditional Alpine style decor reminiscent of most five-star mountain hotels with lots of brown, burgundy, and yellow. Le Grand Bellevue took the traditional and created its own flavor – an absolute delight for anyone into interior design or just style. The colors are vibrant, the fabrics and furniture carefully crafted and made to measure for those of us in love with understated, artsy luxury. The type of luxury that doesn’t need to be loud and over the top to make an impression, but is comfortable enough to make bold and funny statements (i.e Leonard the Camel!)
Needless to say, it was love at first sight 🙂
Once I got past all my initial “Awe” moments, I was taken by the level of care and attention the guests were receiving from the staff, myself included. And the detail which took it to the next level for me was to have the owner of the hotel, Daniel Koetser, greet us and show us around. He is young, casual and seems to have found his bliss while maintaining a childlike sensitivity, which adds another layer of personality to this already great hotel. Wherever I was, no matter the time, Daniel was there, talking with his guests and cracking jokes.
Those details are what create the Magic.
OUR ROOM
What a treat. Once again all the details (almost) were taken into consideration. from the wooden floors, to the bedding, the earthy and warm colors, the amount of natural light entering the room and of course the views – pure bliss!
I say “almost every detail” was taken into consideration because in the bathroom they did not think of us shorties! I had to step on my tippy toes each time I wanted to look at myself in the mirror and apply my make-up. But small detail which would not deter me from going back! Actually I am visualizing myself there in the winter time 🙂
THE SPA
To be fully honest, the temperatures were so high that going to the spa was not the most appealing at the time but I’m glad I got passed that and went. OMG! I don’t recall a spa which offers so many wellness options – 17 different wellness zones (infra-red sauna, herbal sauna, hay sauna, Finnish sauna, Turkish steam bath, salt inhalation grotto and so much more). A total sanctuary!
I loved going for a swim first thing in the morning to get my day started on a high note.
DINING
Le Petit Chalet
I must admit that I wasn’t jumping of joy when I realized that we were having fondue on a sizzling summer night. The thought of melted cheese when I was already melting myself was not appealing at all. Having said that, I was looking forward to discovering one of the hottest spots in Gstaad. Everyone and anyone goes to Le Petit Chalet – from Hollywood celebrities, to Politicians to local socialites and farmers.
Lucky for me, the wind started blowing and helped cool down the temperature (by 2 degrees!) and I got to enjoy my fondue. Although the restaurant wasn’t pumping when we were there, I can imagine why it would be so successful in the winter time. It’s just really charming, quaint and offers delicious fondues.
LEONARD’s
A Michelin-starred restaurant in the spirit of the understated luxury style I previously touched upon. No dress code, no pretension, just excellent food and atmosphere. The menu has something for everyone – meat lovers, vegetarians, vegans will each find their palate pleasing dish.
NOW MEET THE MAN BEHIND THE SCENES – DANIEL KOETSER
Tell us about your journey and how you got here
I was a hotel developer. We had several hotels in Eastern Europe and I was partnering up at the time with Tommy Hilfiger to turn all of our hotels into Hilfiger hotels. Long story short, we were all keen to doing the hotel projects but I didn’t want to share the real estate and he didn’t want to put money down just for the operations. So we decided to call if off. Then my wife and I looked at this hotel. I had been coming to Gstaad my whole life and always felt that this beautiful structure in the best location of Gstaad wasn’t quite positioned right. We decided to just do it. So my wife and I teamed up and decided on what we wanted to achieve – on one side we wanted to staying true to the classic beauty of the hotels, recognising its architecture, the period of construction and on the other side, we wanted to created an informal five-star experience, which I think is missing in Switzerland. A lot of people compare us to the SoHo House. Le Grand Bellevue is obviously very high-end but not in your face. The idea is that we are very relax, very low-key. If you know materials, you’ll know! And if you don’t know, you won’t enjoy any more or any less.
We want to be “Understated luxury” but exceptional in terms of service, facilities and room size. For my side the team is very important. You can have a beautiful facility but if your team is not right, it will fall flat on its face. What is important for me is that the team members are not robots. First of all, they have to be absolutely Five Star. They have to know what they are talking about, know what they are doing but they have to be themselves. If a Barman has tattoos and an earring because he’s an artist, that is fine, as long as he knows how to respect the clients and speak to them correctly. We are a lot about expression and finding one’s spot in that expression.
Vision for the future?
We are planning to build a very big event center behind the Yacht club, into the rock. We also plan to maybe extend to very long stay suites.
How about the seasons?
We have the same number of booked rooms in the summer as we have in the winter (different rates). Summer is definitely growing. Gstaad is very special and unless you come, you cannot really appreciate all that it has to offer. Gstaad has the reputation of being a super high-end, untouchable location, which is a good thing because this way it stays beautiful, authentic. But it is small. People compare it to St.Moritz, Verbier, Zermatt. These places have thousands more people than we have. We have no buildings, no constructions.
I think people who come here see that we have amazing gastronomy for such a tiny village. We have four of the finest hotels in the world. We have a high street (Hermes, Moncler, Louis Vuitton, etc..) merging with local shops.
A few words to define your philosophy about this hotel
Understated elegance. “In the Know” place. Definitely leaning toward the imaginary. It’s beyond home. It sets you free. Humour.
Describe your typical clientele
I would say we don’t have a demographic but a line that you can pretty much draw across all the people who come here, like it and come back, is a glimmer in the eye. They’re curious. They can afford anything but are looking for something which is slightly extraordinary. I think what they get here is this very unique merging of a Palace type product and five-star hotel with the “Maison d’hôtes” personalisation. The team knows your name, where you are going, what you have for breakfast, the name of your children, of your dog. People come here because they want privacy in a cozy and open environment.
About 60% of our clientele is Swiss but it is slowly changing and we are getting more recognised by the international circuit. We just got nominated Condé Nast’s Gold list 2018. We’ve had some seriously interesting people coming to our hotel, from all over the world (from actors, politicians and others..)
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