Palace St Moritz

How the Stage was Set HISTORY IN BRIEF 1896: Opening year. 2006: The hotel was left to current GM Hans Wiedemann, as the hotel celebrated its 100 years of existence. HISTORY IN DETAIL 1856: Johannes Badrutt bought the boarding-house "Faller" (12 Beds) in St. Moritz. 1864: He brought the first tourists in wintertime to St. Moritz. 1883: Caspar Badrutt bought the "Beau Rivage" (original building on the Palace site) from Giacom Rungger. 1892: Caspar Badrutt contracted the architects Chiodera & Tschudi from Zurich for the construction of the main building with its original tower. The foundations were laid that same year. 1896, July 29: Opening of the Palace. 1898: Caspar Badrutt called his son Hansback from abroad to joined the management team of the hotel. 1904: Caspar Badrutt died. His son Hans took over sole ownership and management. 1907-8: Hans Badrutt added two floors to the main building. 1913: Construction of the main dining room and a wing boasting the first indoor tennis courts on the continent and shops. 1914-18: War years with practically no guests from abroad, which resultedin financial difficulties. 1919: The Palace became a joint-stock company. However, Hans Badrutt held complete majority. 1920-28: In the "Roaring Twenties" seasons, both summer and winter, became better and better in terms of business. 1928: Record year, coinciding with the staging of the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz for the first time. 1928: Construction of the Grill-Room and Bar and a Mezzanine Floor above them. 1929: Wall Street crashed. The Palace was seriously affected in the following years. With the dollar and pound devalued, a difficult stretch lay ahead. 1936: The Swiss Franc was devaluated by 40%. London and Wall Street were starting to recover from the depression. 1935-36: Having bought the "Chesa Veglia" in 1928, an original Engadine farmhouse dating back to the middle of the 17th century, Hans Badrutt then sold it, bought it back again and started its transformation to the present-day restaurant. 1936- 39: Short period of boom before the outbreak of World war ll, when all international travel practically drew to a standstill. Andrea Badrutt made his first steps in the business. 1946- 48 First recovery after the war years with the British coming for winter sports, gradually also Italians and Americans returning in strength. 2nd Olympic games in 1948. 1953: Hans Badrutt died. His wife Helene took over the hotel with the help of Andrea Badrutt 1953-67: The house got a revamp. Business was booming, especially in winter, mainly due to the "skiing explosion". 1960: Brothers Andrea and Hansjürg Badrutt got married that year. The two started to run the hotel.which also saw the death of Helene. 1963: Opening of the "King’s Club", one of the first discotheques in Switzerland. 1967: On 7 June the hotel's tower was completely destroyed in a fire. 1968 Tower and west wing reconstructed. 1969-70: Construction of the Acapulco complex with indoor pool, bar-restaurant, health center and luxury apartments. Construction of "Neue Alpenrose" annexe-building comprising shopping arcade, underground garage and staff accommodation. 1973-8: The booming years gradually gave way to a moderate but persistent recession due to the oil crises, dollar devaluation and a too strong Swiss currency. 1979: Return to an upward trend. The hotel was renovated. The kitchen area received a cash injection of 5 Million swiss franc. 1980: Andrea Badrutt retired from the day-to-day running of the hotel, yet remained active as a director of the company. A new board and new management were appointed. 1981-4: Construction of a luxurious extension to the existing hotel, Suot Mulin, designed by Joseph Troxler. 1990-92: Reconstruction of the legendary Palace tower by architect Arnd Küchel. 1984-94: Total investment of 44 Millon Swiss francs went into the hotel. 1995: Installation of a new telephone system. 1996: 100 years of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel. 2006: The heirless Badrutts agreed that GM Hans Wiedemann would inherit the hotel after their death to safeguard its future as a hotel.

The many famous guests to have graced The Palace over the years include Greta Garbo, Prince Charles, Brigitte Bardot, George Clooney, John Lennon, the Shah of Iran, Aristotle Onassis and Alfred Hitchcock