Travel Designer Matty Grund ventures to Switzerland to inspect Mandarin Oriental Savoy Zurich and Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern.
He discovers that these recently opened properties are excellent options for short stays, although they are contrasting in style.
Here Matty reviews the two hotels and gives his specific recommendations for a stay.
Mandarin Oriental Savoy Zurich
This is a cool option because it’s located on the most expensive street in all of Zurich, directly on Paradeplatz, the heart of Switzerland’s banking operations.
It’s literally just a few steps away from the city’s boutiques, top brand fashion stores, and best Swiss watch stores.
For shopping it’s brilliant and the main city sights are all within walking distance too – within two minutes you can be on the lakeside.
Zurich’s other top hotels, like The Dolder Grand and La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich have less convenient, out of the centre locations.
Mandarin Oriental took over the old Savoy Hotel and spent four years renovating. First opened in 1838, this is the hotel where Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol and Richard Wagner composed most of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre.
I didn’t feel any history though, there are no chandeliers or historic features. It’s now a very contemporary hotel better suited to business stays than romance, made in the signature Mandarin Oriental style.
Everything feels fresh and new, unsurprising given the hotel only opened three months ago.
Of the 80 rooms and suites my favourite is the Corner Suite: from the balcony you will enjoy great views over Paradeplatz and Bahnhofstrasse.
One downside is that there is no spa or even treatment rooms in this city hotel. One place not to miss is the rooftop terrace, which will be a stunning place to hang out in the summer, for drinks, meetings and partying.
Overall I recommend Mandarin Oriental Savoy Zurich for a short in Zurich. The location is unbeatable, the quality of everything is very high, and the suites are nice and spacious.
Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern
This lakeside palace hotel in Lucerne has a different feel and atmosphere. I could still recognise the Mandarin Oriental signature, but they’ve retained a lot more of the history.
The hotel originally opened in 1906 and has also been through a big makeover, before reopening as Mandarin Oriental in September 2022.
Everything has been renovated but there’s this touch of history. It still feels like an old Belle Époque landmark.
It’s located just a few steps from the water and in summer they have a lakeside sunbathing terrace. You can swim in the lake too -I was told the water is 25 degrees in summer.
There are many nice walking paths around the lake, or you can walk 15 minutes into the city centre. Lucerne is a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage city and I loved casually exploring its old streets.
Most of the 136 rooms, which includes 45 suites, have amazing views onto the water. Their design style is recognisable to anyone who knows Mandarin Oriental, very modern with clean lines and muted colours, with some original architectural details too.
For the best views I recommend a Rooftop Terrace Suite. There are only two of these and they each have the most magical private terrace.
Last October the hotel’s Colonnade was awarded a Michelin star and although I didn’t try the food, the Art Nouveau and marble restaurant will certainly be a stylish place to dine.
A Mandarin Oriental Stay in Switzerland for You?
Both these new hotels feel quite boutique in style, even though they are from a major hotel brand.
They’re not big or hectic, rather quiet options in prime locations, with a very reassuring quality.
I had a good feeling from both properties. The staff were super friendly and helpful, although maybe it’s because many Czechs and Slovaks were working there!
Personally I preferred Mandarin Oriental Palace Luzern, because of the historical element. Actually, I’m looking forward to going back there in summer and swimming in the lake.
Travelling is fun for us of course, it’s also an important part of our jobs at EliteVoyage.
We need to inspect and test hotels, because how can we best design travel without this first-hand knowledge? There are quite a few more new hotels I’ll be reporting on in 2024.
Which hotels and destinations do you want to try in 2024? Our team of travel designers is here to give you personal recommendations.
