Baur au Lac

• 19.0 Feedback Score

  19.0 of 20 average feedback score from 2 people who have actually stayed at Baur au Lac.

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  • Rooms

    20.0

  • Service

    20.0

  • Public Spaces

    18.5

  • Overall

    18.5

• 2 Guest Reviews

  2 Verified reviews from people who have booked Baur au Lac on Tablet Hotels.

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Style: Traditional Elegance

Atmosphere: Quiet

124 Rooms

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It doesn’t get much grander than a 19th-century palace hotel in Europe’s banking capital. Baur au Lac, a Zurich institution since 1844, played host to pretty much anyone who was anyone, from royalty and heads of state to artists and Alfred Nobel. It’s kept itself in fine shape, and its antique-strewn opulence is a chastening reminder that today’s design hotels might not age quite so gracefully.

That’s not to say time here has stood still. Today, following a massive renovation, there’s a rooftop fitness center with an extraordinary view of the lake, and the bedrooms come with business-traveling musts like wireless internet and technology butlers. The suites are bigger than ever, and all rooms come equipped with such high-tech necessities as flat-screen televisions and iPod docking stereos. But it hasn’t lost touch with its roots, and many of Baur au Lac’s greatest charms are timeless and low-tech: shoes are collected and shined while you sleep, and the hotel’s private garage will not just store your vehicle but clean it, refuel it, even fix it if need be.

This is the kind of hotel that becomes a hub for its city’s social life. The restaurant has seen a thorough redesign at the hands of Pierre-Yves Rochon, and many a deal has no doubt been made over tea or aperitifs in Le Hall; meanwhile Club Diagonal is the sort of contemporary and relevant VIP-catering nightclub that’s a real rarity in an old-world grand hotel.