Zurich Sees First New Luxury Hotel In Two Decades

Hyatt Hotels Corp. in late September announced the opening of its first hotel in Switzerland, the Park Hyatt Zurich. The latest addition to the boutique Park Hyatt portfolio is the "first purpose-built luxury hotel to open in Zurich for more than 20 years," according to Hyatt. Meanwhile, five-star competitor Baur au Lac, a Leading Hotels of the World property in Zurich, announced its "fully refurbished west wing now is open."

Park Hyatt Zurich, a five-star contemporary hotel in the city's financial and commercial district, is located nearby the boutiques lining the Bahnhof-strasse shopping street, as well as Zurich Lake, Zurich Kongresshaus and Zurich's Old Town.

The newly built hotel has 142 guest rooms, including 12 suites, a health club with a gym and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

The property's meeting space includes a large ballroom, divisible into three soundproof rooms, four other hotel meeting rooms and a boardroom that seats 12 attendees. The hotel's meeting rooms are equipped with multimedia technology, broadband wireless Internet access and surround sound.

Park Hyatt Zurich's guest rooms and suites feature modern furnishings, floor-to-ceiling windows, "tech-smart" ergonomic desk spaces, Bang & Olufsen entertainment systems, satellite television with DVD and CD players and high-speed broadband Internet access.

The hotel's 12 suites include eight Park Suites, three Park Executive Suites and one Presidential Suite. Other guest room features include walk-in closets, large bathrooms with bathtubs and separate power showers, and fully stocked private bars. They are serviced twice-daily by housekeepers.

The hotel's business center offers workstations "with the latest software and Internet connectivity, together with full secretarial support," according to Hyatt. Other hotel amenities include 24-hour room service, technology concierge, 24-hour concierge service, as well as a multilingual hotel staff.

Meanwhile, Baur au Lac's west wing, with more than 70 rooms, has been refurbished. From February to August, an extra upper floor was added, "everything but the bare walls of a complete wing of rooms was rebuilt and all technical installations were revamped," said a Baur au Lac spokesperson, who also noted the addition of wireless high-speed Internet access.

While under a preservation order, the 160-year-old building now has undergone two "extensive alterations," according to the spokesperson, in "just a few years."