Baur au Lac – Expression of a Lifestyle
You will have to believe it – this is the hotel where Bertha von Suttner convinced the Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel to create an international Nobel Peace Prize. Six generations of the Baur-Kracht family have run the Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich since its opening in 1844. Prominently located within Zurich’s financial district of Paradeplatz with its own park, the hotel grounds extend along the banks of Lake Zurich. The 166 year-old privately owned Swiss Deluxe hotel still commands a presence and has been managed by the Rey family for 55 years.
Family loyalties aside, Baur au Lac, which used to be the choice destination for Kings, religious dignitaries, heads of state and everyone mighty, is now swamped with the elite in business.
No shareholder would begrudge the company for choosing a destination that can weather the storm for its Annual General Meeting – its gives such a positive statement.
Bedrooms
Spread over four floors, the Baur au Lac has 120 rooms and suites designed by Frédéric d’Haufayt. The spacious luxurious bathrooms set the hotel apart from most hotels. Its founder Karl Karacht had something to smile about in 1905; he is known as one of the first hoteliers to provide rooms with their own sanitary facilities and running water.
Wining and Dining at the Baur au Lac
There is something fascinating about Baur au Lac when it comes to wining and dining. Rumour has it that it in 1875, it was one of the first hotels to offer Bordeaux wines on Platz Zurich. The hotel has its own wine century old wine cellar which stores over 700,000 bottles. This follows that tradition when in 1902; it opened its “Bonne Ménagière” store, now called “Shop Vin Hotel” offering fine wines and spirits for sale. The shop’s cellar is now home to a rare collection of over 120,000 bottles made up of 1,000 wines and spirits.
The hotel has three restaurants and bars together with the hotel hall which serves doubles as regular meeting place for business leaders. The oldest restaurant if the Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar which has now been joined by the newly designed Pavillon Gourmet restaurant and the Terrasse Bar and Restaurant.
Baur au Lac
Talstrasse 1,
CH-8001
Zurich
Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)44 220 50 20
Email: info@bauraulac.ch
www.bauraulac.ch
Explore the Baur au Lac in full colour in this month’s Digital edition