Hotel Waldhaus (Flims)
The Waldhaus Flims , today the Waldhaus Flims Alpine Grand Hotel & Spa , is a 5-star hotel in Flims in the Swiss canton of Graubünden . It was opened in 1877 and is now owned by Z Capital Partners. The five-star hotel was part of the group “ The Leading Hotels of the World ”, later to its offshoot “ Small Luxury Hotels of the World ”.
The hotel offers 143 newly renovated rooms and suites, 16 seminar, banquet and congress rooms, 4 restaurants and 2 bars in different buildings. It consists of the “Grand Hotel Waldhaus” in the classic, feudal Grand Hotel style, the more rustic “Grand Chalet Belmont” and the “Villa Silvana” built in the summer house style. There is also the Art Nouveau pavilion with its conference rooms and the Art Nouveau hall. The three guest houses are located in Switzerland's largest hotel park with an area of 200,000 m². There are around 24 buildings on the site.
history
19th century
The history of Waldhaus Flims began in 1869 with the establishment of the «Kur- und Seebadanstalt Waldhaus Flims». Peter-Jakob Bener-Caviezel and Dr. Paul Lorenz received the concession to build a health resort from the municipality of Flims and 60 shares at CHF 5000 were put up for subscription. The community granted the company the exclusive use of Lake Cauma and sold it a wide hilltop above the forest houses, covered with pastureland and larch forest at a price of 50 centimes per square meter. In 1875 the share capital was paid in and construction began. Under the direction of the architect Lorenz from St. Gallen, a hotel with 120 beds, a sawmill, a post office with stables and bar, a laundry, a cowshed, a water pipe from the Prausura spring and a small bathing establishment on Lake Cauma were built. The Kurhaus was opened in 1877 with running water in the kitchen. The whole area was criss-crossed by a network of strolling paths that led past tufa fountains to roundabouts or behind the «Hotel Segnes» to a lookout rock . Many of these promenades have been destroyed by the construction of new buildings. The park after Flims Waldhaus became forested after it was no longer grazed.
The hotel manager Johann Guggenbühl, who had previously headed the Zürcherhof in Zurich, became the director of the establishment. Since business had started well, the «Villa Belmont» was built as a dependance next to the main building in 1881; This increased the number of beds to 200. A health resort doctor was hired and the tenant of the cowshed was advised to also keep ducks and chickens. In addition, a pigsty, a horse stable and a new cowshed with its own dairy were built.
The clientele was international; Russians, French, English, Americans, Austrians and Dutch often spent several months in the Kurhaus. Swiss guests usually only stayed for a few weeks. The «Villa Silvana» was built and opened in 1889 to meet the increasing demand for luxury rooms. In the same year its own power station was built and the hotel was electrified. It delivered 60 hp, making it the largest private plant in the canton. At the same time, the pension price was increased from CHF 6.50 to CHF 7.
Director Guggenbühl died in 1892 after a brief illness. His successor was his wife, who ran the business with her two daughters. The secretary Joseph Zahnder was only entrusted with welcoming and saying goodbye to the guests. For the visit of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina with Queen Mother Emma and her entourage in 1893, a room in the Villa Silvana was clad with pine wood , walls were put in and new furniture was purchased.
Guggenbühl's wife died in 1893, the management was then led by the previous secretary Zahnder and Guggenbühl's daughters. In 1894 their own bakery was set up and a new wood stove was purchased. In a distant corner of the park, as a precursor to a fitness center, an "air bath" with play and sports equipment was set up, separate for women and men. Instead of sharing the table d'hôte , guests could be served personally at small tables for an additional charge. In 1895 the toilet facilities were replaced by water closets, which necessitated the construction of a new water reservoir. A year later, all three houses were equipped with a hot water system and bathrooms.
20th century
In 1900, the spa and seaside resort bought the «Curhaus Segnes» in Flims-Waldhaus on the road to Surselva - today the Pomodoro restaurant . The hotelier couple Walther was hired as general management to manage the growing hotel complex. In 1901 a telephone connection was installed in a specially built kiosk; for fear of short circuits at a safe distance from the main building. After the car park was expanded, it was brought to Lake Cauma; his further fate is unknown. In the same year the first tennis court was built.
In 1904 the “Casino” was built as an entertainment venue, a splendid Art Nouveau building . All buildings were connected to each other with covered walkways, for which a hill was removed between the buildings. (At the end of the 1970s, these walkways were supplemented by corresponding underground and thus heated connections). The health resort now had 437 guest beds and share capital of 1.1 million francs. The pension price was increased to 8 francs. In the following year Eduard Bezzola from the Engadin and his wife Clara took over from the Walther couple. In 1908 the former Posthotel was incorporated into the spa and seaside resort and was given the name "Bellavista" (today the China Restaurant).
Telephone kiosk
Casino 1904
Forest house 1906
Villa Silvana, Kurhaus,
Casino
Dining room in the casino 1920
After the safe use of the telephone had been confirmed over the course of ten years, the telephone system was expanded in 1910 and moved to the main building. For the first time, bathrooms were built into some rooms. In 1920 a Postbus, the Car Alpin , drove to Flims for the first time with the roof open and brought new guests. A winter connection with a post bus powered by caterpillars did not exist until 1926. 25 baths and pipes for running water were installed in the guest houses. In 1923 the “Kur- und Seebadanstalt” changed its name to “AG Kurhotels und Seebad” and the hotel was now called “Park Hotels Waldhaus”.
The year 1927, in which the Parkhotel celebrated its 50th birthday, turned into a successful season; After the lifting of the driving ban in the canton of Graubünden, many private guests came to Flims by car. The table d'hôte in the dining room was removed and the "daughters" were replaced by mostly Italian waiters . Roman Bezzola became director of the Parkhotel, and in 1943 he became general director. For fear of infection through polio , the guests stayed away in 1936, the year turned into the worst season since 1915. The free time was used to create a golf course with nine holes; However, it only stayed in operation until 1941.
In 1943, the young couple Bezzola took over the general management. During the war, vegetables, potatoes and cereals were planted in open spaces in the park as part of the cultivation battle; a chicken and duck farm was opened. Officers' staffs were repeatedly housed in the hotels; the officers were welcome guests.
After 70 summer seasons, the hotel was opened for the first time in winter in 1947 after extensive renovations. The reason for this was the establishment of the Flims mountain railways and the associated construction of the first chairlift to Foppa-Naraus. In 1948 the forest house also opened in the pre- and post-season. In the same year the long-time director Eduard Bezzola died after a long suffering. In the 1950s, the former Kurhaus developed into a lively sports hotel with lunch buffets and parties in the “Il Tschaler” dancing bar, to which the ski instructors were important participants . The overnight stays in summer and winter increased significantly. After numerous renovations and new construction of kitchens, dancings , dining rooms and cellars, the year 1962 brought major renovations when the «Hotel Segnes» now offered 120 beds after the addition of a wing. A small entrance hall and a new dining room were added to the main building.
On June 8, 1967, the indoor garden pool and a new curling facility were opened. In 1969, Lake Cauma and all its facilities were returned to the municipality of Flims for half a million francs. The turnover of the AG Kurhotels rose annually by 10 percent, the dividend of the shareholders was 9 percent. The "Hotel Bellavista" was converted into a hotel garni in 1970 ; a year later the art nouveau hall was extensively restored. In 1972 the individual buildings were connected to one another by underground passages. A hotel kindergarten has been set up for children and parents.
In 1975 the Hugo Nussli-Bezzola couple became the new general manager; his predecessor Roman Bezzola had worked for 45 years, 40 of them as director or general manager. The Directorate General was abolished in 1979; Riet Frey became the new director. The previous DG Hugo Nussli remained on the Board of Directors.
Posthotel Bellavista 1912
The "Bellavista", today a Chinese restaurant
"Curhaus Segnes" 1882
«Segnes» today
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In 1981 the underground car park and the two apartment buildings “Runca” and “Miramunt” were built; the buyers of the holiday apartments could use the infrastructure of the hotel. The renovation and redesign of the "Villa Belmont" was financed with the proceeds from the sale; Condominiums, suites and meeting rooms were built in. It was reopened in 1984. For the first time, sales exceeded the CHF 10 million mark. The management was taken over by Josef and Marianne Müller. In 1988 the no longer profitable «Hotel Segnes» was redesigned to the restaurant «Pomodoro»; the hotel rooms were needed for the staff. The same thing happened to the former “Bellavista”: It became a Chinese restaurant.
Hotel museum
In 1990, the "AG Kurhotels Flims-Waldhaus" changed its name to "Park Hotels Waldhaus AG". The first hotel museum of the Belle Époque was set up in 1992 with a team of artists in the basement below the casino. Numerous objects of daily use were taken from cellars and screeds and document the hotel's more than hundred-year history. After the museum opened in 1995 in memory of the Flims architect Rudolf Olgiati , the crystal collection of the Paul Membrini spotlight was exhibited in 1996 in the former white wine cellar of the pavilion.
21st century
After almost twenty years in the management, Josef and Marianne Müller said goodbye in 2000; Christoph and Sabina Schlosser were their successors until 2010. From May 2010, Yasmin and Urs Grimm Cachemaille ran the resort, followed by Peter Schoch in April 2016.
The years 2003 to 2005 brought extensive construction activity: The "Villa Silvana" was extensively renovated, the swimming pool, built in 1967, was demolished and rebuilt in front of the pavilion as a glass bathing and wellness center. The architects were Hans Peter Fontana from Flims and Pia Schmid from Zurich. The old terrace of the pavilion was restored; likewise the art nouveau elements of the hall and entrance area. In place of the old laundry, the “Wald Park” residence with condominiums was built. The “Ententeich” and “La Cauma” residences were built in 2005 and 2007, respectively.
In 2009 the larches disappeared from the original roundabout north of the “Hotel Segnes” to make way for the “Promenada” development; The lookout rock above was cut off from the network of paths by the construction of the curling hall and unexpectedly survived the further construction work until 2011.
pavilion
Passage to «Villa Silvana»
In 2004, Swiss television shot a six-episode docu-soap series about everyday life in a five-star hotel for the program “Quer”. The gala broadcast on August 1, 2006 was also shot in the Waldhaus. In 2006, the autumn session of the federal councils took place partly in the "Waldhaus". Also in 2006 the descendants of the Bezzola family parted with a large block of shares. It was taken over by Hans Rudolf Wyss. “Park Hotels Waldhaus AG” became “Waldhaus Flims Mountain Resort AG”.
On April 7, 2015, the operating company deposited its balance sheet . According to their information, an additional depreciation requirement of 30 million francs led to over-indebtedness of the company. The hotel was rented from the bankruptcy office by the collecting company WF Hotelmanagement GmbH. In mid-December 2015, the takeover by the US investment company Z Capital Partners became known.
"Flims Panorama"
The triptych was commissioned by Director Walther from Giovanni Giacometti in 1904 for the opening and decoration of the casino. On the occasion of the first renovation of the pavilion, the picture was taken down and exhibited here and there. Finally it hung in the entrance hall of the pavilion.
During a renovation of the pavilion, director Roman Bezzola asked the Kunstmuseum Chur about the value of the painting in 1968. However, this showed no interest, warned against an expensive restoration of the picture and did not even want it for free; Giovanni Giacometti was considered a "poster painter". So the picture was rolled up and stowed away until it was rediscovered in 1986 by director Müller, who recognized its value and had it restored. Since then it has been hanging in the corridor by the hotel entrance.
During the renovation in 2016, the new owners of the hotel decided to sell the work. A Swiss private collector bought it in June 2016 for 4.05 million francs including buyer's premium .
Awards (selection)
- Gault-Millau : “Hotel of the Year” 2004/2005
- "Wellness Aphrodite" 2005
- Culture Prize of the Canton of Graubünden, 2005
- International Council for Monument Preservation ICOMOS 2005
- German Restaurant & Hotel Guide: "Hotel of the Year" 2007
literature
- Sina Semadeni-Bezzola: History and stories of a grand hotel. Desertina, Chur 2006
- Nicola G. Markoff: Flims hiking impressions. Terra Grischuna , Chur 1987.
Web links
- Hotel Waldhaus (Flims) on the ETHorama platform
- Hotel website
- Park Hotels Waldhaus on www.graubuendenkultur.ch .
- The Waldhaus (PDF) on Swiss Equity
Individual evidence
- ↑ mrs: Americans buy luxury hotel in Flims. In: Tages-Anzeiger , December 11, 2015.
- ↑ Grand Hotel at Waldhaus Flims Mountain Resort & Spa - Flims Waldhaus, Switzerland , Small Luxury Hotel of the World, slh.com
- ↑ Villa Silvana at Waldhaus Flims Mountain Resort & Spa - Flims Waldhaus, Switzerland , Small Luxury Hotel of the World, slh.com
- ^ Anliker: Schweizer Heimatbücher , Flims; Bern 1961.
- ↑ Hotel Museum
- ↑ Modifications 2005 ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Superstructure Promenada from 2009 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ parlament.ch ( Memento of the original from October 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. photos
- ↑ Flims luxury hotel Waldhaus - bankruptcy and restart. Neue Zürcher Zeitung , April 7, 2015
- ↑ Americans take over Waldhaus in Flims. Neue Zürcher Zeitung , December 11, 2015.
- ↑ Auction on June 24, 2016 by Koller Auctions , Zurich, accessed on December 31, 2016
- ^ Waldhaus Flims, Geschichte 2016, sale to Swiss private collectors , accessed on December 31, 2016
- ↑ Monte world ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ press kit
Coordinates: 46 ° 49 ′ 35 " N , 9 ° 17 ′ 11" E ; CH1903: seven hundred forty thousand nine hundred seventy-six / 187797