Le Grand Bellevue

Updated elegance in Gstaad
VERIFIED LUXURY

The only grand palace hotel sitting on Gstaad's chalet-lined main street, Le Grande Bellevue dates back to 1912 and helped turn the town into an alpha alpine ski resort. But when the property underwent a year-long renovation and reopened in 2014, it suddenly emerged as something fresh and inspired.

Now popping with bright colors and exuding an air of easy elegance (with an emphasis on quirkiness), the refreshed luxury hotel is is ready for its next chapter. A newer alpine crowd will be lured by Le Grand Bellevue's high notes of playful humor and its fully stocked 21st-century list of amenities, including everything from a monumental spa to an in-house cinema and club bar.

That doesn't mean the grand dame’s past is buried, though. Traditionalists will still appreciate haute touches like a Murano glass chandelier anchoring the central stairwell, two grand Steinway pianos nudged into the bar and lounge, and the hotel's façade colored a classic buttercup yellow, the shade of just-churned Swiss butter.

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Our Inspector's Highlights

  • Le Grand Bellevue’s Bouquet cocktail lounge and bar offers a DJ pumping out an eclectic playlist Thursday through Saturday evenings, along with regularly scheduled cabaret and karaoke nights. Adding to the amped-up fun: The Lounge, coming by its name honestly, is brightened by signature wallpaper illustrated with pastel blossoms.
  • Le Grand Spa provides a smorgasbord of saunas, including herbal, Finnish, infrared and bio varieties. The most patriotic option, though, is the hay sauna, featuring heated alpine grasses from local pastures, so you come out smelling like a dewy mountain meadow.
  • Playful touches pop up everywhere, from a larger-than-life-sized tweed upholstered camel greeting you in the lobby and the lounge's wallpaper illustrated with a colorful flock of roosting birds to the pineapple light fixtures in the bar.
  • Leonard's restaurant offers a full range of fine-dining options, from a multi-course tasting menu to à la carte grilled specialties and vegetable-centric selections from executive chef Marcus G. Lindner.
  • With only 57 rooms, Le Grand Bellevue feels like an intimate boutique hotel. The Lounge build is off that intimacy by offering hot chocolate by a roaring fire, a seriously curated collection of books, a range of board games and a bright spray of baby blue couches and lemon-yellow lounge chairs.

Things to Know

  • Le Grand Bellevue is a seasonal property timed to high ski season and summer. It is open from mid-December to the beginning of April, and again from mid-June to early October.
  • The attached 75-car garage lets you drive in and park your rental, hassle-free.
  • Half-board arrangements are available during winter months, usually inclusive of a daily multi-course meal at Leonard’s.
  • An in-house ski shop provides a full range of equipment and winter sport experts who can help you plan your day on the slopes.

The Rooms

  • All 57 rooms put emphasis on restrained, quiet luxury — a stark contrast to the fun public spaces. Each unit features pine-wood floors, grey linen duvets, brown leather desks, bespoke lamps and a Bose sound system.
  • Most rooms also offer balconies and all include complimentary mini-bars stocked with everything from apple juice to, of course, Swiss chocolates.
  • There are five room categories, ranging from 344-square-foot Chic Rooms and 430-square-foot Deluxe Chic Rooms to nine supersized suites.
  • The Gstaad hotel's best splurge is its two-story Suite Panorama, which delivers a photogenic view of the surrounding alpine peak and more than 900 square feet of alpine elegance.

The Restaurants

  • The property's signature restaurant, Leonard's, showcases executive chef Marcus Lindner's two menus (tasting and à la carte) that focus on locally sourced dishes, like char roused by horseradish and cucumbers, and roasted venison paired with truffled potato mousseline.
  • The intimate Sushi Bar is parked next to the spa and dishes up largely to-go bites. Creations from sushi chef Takehiko Yoshikawa include red tuna sashimi, crab and avocado hand rolls, and eel hosomaki.
  • Perched on the luxury hotel's front lawn, Le Petit Chalet looks like it dropped out of an alpine folktale. With seating for just 18, this cozy spot serves homey Swiss signature dishes with a cheesy emphasis on raclette and fondue.
  • The Bar offers all-day comfort food (including a bulging Rueben sandwich) and area-inspired cocktails like the Bellevue Smash, a refreshing mix of Hendrick’s Gin, raspberries, blackberries and lemon.
  • The Lounge's antique silver-service high tea lets you tuck into fresh-baked scones and tea sandwiches while you're serenaded by a pianist playing cocktail jazz on a grand Steinway long piano.

Amenities
24-hour room service
Bar
Fitness classes
Gym
Indoor pool
Meeting rooms
Pet friendly
Restaurants
Spa
Getting There
Untergstaadstrasse 17 Gstaad, 3780 CH
TEL41-33-748-00-00
NEARBY AIRPORT(S)
GVA (2 hr)   ZRH (2 hr 30 min)  
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