Mandarin Oriental Savoy Zurich (former Savoy Baur en Ville)
Johannes Baur, born in Austria in 1795, was a visionary entrepreneur who profoundly shaped Zurich’s hospitality industry. In 1837, at the age of 43, he purchased a former rectory near Zurich’s key new post station—an ideal location for his plans. With his wife, Anna Knechtli, and architect Daniel Pfister, Baur transformed the property into a hotel.
At the time, Zurich’s accommodation options were notoriously poor. Murray’s Guide to Switzerland (1837) described the inns as “dirty, high-priced, and poorly managed” while noting two new inns under construction: “one near the outlet of the Limmat and the other near the new post office.” The latter referred to Baur’s project.
On December 24, 1838, Baur opened the Hôtel Baur, Zurich’s first true hotel. For the first time, the term “Hôtel” was used in connection with an accommodation establishment in the city. Advertised with “one dining room, two parlours for dinner and déjeuner à part, manger à la carte, 10 more rooms, stables for 36–40 horses, and a barn by the river accommodating 50 additional horses,” it was a milestone. The hotel also introduced pioneering features like speaking tubes, a dumb waiter, and an orangerie roof garden.
Around 1910, it adopted the name “Savoy” and was known as the Savoy Hotel Baur en Ville until 2022. In 2023, it became part of the Mandarin Oriental Group and is now called the Mandarin Oriental Savoy Zurich.
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Timeline of the Savoy Baur en Ville, Zurich
• 1838:
On 24 December, Johannes Baur (*1795), an innkeeper from Vorarlberg, Austria, opened the Baur en Ville. The Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung described it as a “Riesengasthof” (huge guesthouse), boasting:
• One dining room
• Two parlours for private dining (déjeuner à part)
• Dining à la carte
• 140 beds
• Stables for 36–40 horses
• A barn for 50 additional horses by the river.
• 1907–1908:
Jakob Schwarz, the hotel manager, commissioned architects Pfleghard & Haefeli for a reconstruction and expansion. The updated hotel, featuring 170 guest rooms, reopened on 13 June 1908. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung praised the renovations:
“The old Baur en Ville, which everyone in Zurich always loved, re-opened rejuvenated and beautified. It will remain an important part of the hotel industry in Zurich and Switzerland and will prove again its international reputation.”
• 1923:
The guild of tanners and shoemakers, formed in 1336 and united in 1877, established its headquarters at the Savoy Baur en Ville. Their first Rechenmahl (festive assembly dinner) took place on 28 November 1924.
• 1975–1978:
The hotel closed for extensive reconstruction. The historical façade was carefully dismantled and restored to its original location. The renowned Restaurant Orsini and Chäs-Vreneli were also meticulously renovated.
• 31 March 1978: The hotel reopened as a 5-star establishment with 104 rooms and suites, several function rooms, and 170 employees.
• 2020–2023:
The hotel closed again for a major renovation project.
• 20 December 2023: The Savoy Baur en Ville reopened under the management of the Mandarin Oriental Group, marking a new era for Zurich’s oldest grand hotel.
Franz Liszt
Charles Dickens
Clara Schumann
Richard Wagner
...
Johannes Baur
Heinrich Brunner
1838 Johannes Baur (Besitzer)
1903 Eugen Moecklin-Pohl
1906 J. Schwarz
1906-1908 Cornelius Schober
1908-1909 Oskar Manz
1909-1910 Hermann Duffing
1910-1918 I. Gottlieb
1918-1926 Fritz Giger
1926-1927 G. & L. Bollag
1927-1930 Robert Frick
1930-1985 Ferdinand Michel-Pauli (und Nachfahren)
1985-2017 Manfred J. (†2015) und Christina Hörger
2017-2021 Werner Knechtli
2021-2022 Rolf Brönnimann
2023 Mark Bradford
Hotelmanager: Kai Jansen
2024 Dominik G. Reiner
104 Rooms
Rooftop Bar 1838
Brasserie and Bar
Orsini-Italian Restaurant
Fitness Studio