Grand Casino Luzern Wiki

• Grand Casino Luzern Wikipedia
• Grand Casino Luzern Wikipedia

The Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern is a grand hotel of the Belle Époque, located on the north shore of the lake on 'National Quai' ('Nationalquai') in Lucerne, Switzerland. It was built as the Hotel Palace Luzern between 1904 and 1906, and is officially designated as a cultural asset of national importance (Conservation Grade B).^[1]

History[edit]

In 1903 Franz Josef Bucher, a farmer's son who by this time had become well established as a hotel pioneer-entrepreneur, purchased a 3,285 square metre plot of land at one end of the 'National Quai' ('Nationalquai') in Lucerne^[2] for a price of 880,000 Swiss francs.^[3] The price equated to 270 Swiss Francs square metre which at that time was 'sensationally' expensive for a 3,000 square metre building plot.^[2] Construction began in July 1904, using plans provided by the Heinrich Meili-Wapf architectural business, and less than two years later, on 7 May 1906, The Hotel Palace Luzern opened.^[4] Building costs had amounted to a 'sensational' four million Swiss francs.^[3] All the south-facing rooms with a lake view, as well as all the east-facing rooms, came with an en suite bathroom, which was considered the height of luxury.^[3] The Palace Luzern was also unusually large, with a total of 120 private bathrooms shared between 350 beds.^[2] That made it substantially larger than the city's existing grand hotels: The National had 79 private bathrooms shared between 450 beds, while the Schweizerhof made do with only 70 private bathrooms shared between 400 beds.^[2] The Palace Luzern was considered one of the most elegant hotels in the world.^[5]

Bookings during the first summer season were strong, apparently justifying the massive investment. However, Bucher's determination to make the Luzern Palace the city's number one hotel came with a considerable additional cost which he may not have anticipated, in the form of the envy of Lucerne's existing top hoteliers.^[2] Wealthy tourists staying in Luzern as part of a tour would frequently ask the reception staff to book their next hotels, and the competitor hoteliers in Luzern reacted with an effective bookings boycott of Bucher's other hotels in city destinations such as Lugano, Milan, Genoa and Rome.^[2]

After the outbreak of the First World War the hotel had to be closed, but business resumed following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles,^[6] and business boomed through most of the 1920s.^[3] At the end of the decade bookings nevertheless dropped off in the aftermath of theWall Street Crash, and debt financing accordingly became more burdensome for the business. By the time the Second World War broke out in 1939 the Luzern Palace was the only significant hotel still held in Franz Josef Bucher's once extensive 'Schweizerische Hotelgesellschaft AG' hotels portfolio.^[3] During the Second World War the hotel became a medical centre: it was also used as a storage location for essential basic supplies.^[6] After a two-year renovation programme costing 1.5 Million Swiss francs the hotel reopened in 1946, returned to its former luxury.^[6]

Since the 1970s the hotel has undergone a succession of changes and upgrades, and adapted for year-round operation. During the winter of 1993/94 the top two floors were rebuilt at a cost of 15 Million Swiss francs, yielding an additional 48 rooms and suites. In October 1997 the Palace Luzern, by now under the control of General Director Jürg Reinshagen and his brother Ernst was taken over by the hotel specialists Victoria-Jungfrau Collection AG, owners of the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken. By this time the two five star hotels had already been collaborating closely for some years and the take-over was reportedly a 'friendly' one.^[7]

Presentation of the Grand Casino Luzern. With a perfect combination between the elegance of the casinos in Monaco and the fairy of Las Vegas' With a perfect combination between the elegance of the casinos in Monaco and the fairy of Las Vegas', The Luzern Grand Casino will take you away in the colorful and sparkle universe of games. Grand Hotel National AG, Haldenstrasse 4, 6006 Luzern, Switzerland, T +41 41 419 09 09, F +41 41 419 09 10, info@grandhotel-national.com Links Jobs.

In 2011, following the currency realignments triggered by the world economic crisis of 2007/09, Swiss hotels came under financial pressure, in common with other export dependent labour-intensive sectors, and in 2011 the owners sold the Hotel Palace Luzern building to 'CS Funds AG', an investment fund belonging to Credit Suisse (bank), in a 'sale and leaseback' deal.^[8] In October 2015 it became known that the bank was looking to sell the building on.^[9] The hotel closed for renovations in 2019 and will reopen in 2020 as Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern.^[10]

References[edit]

1. ^Kanton Luzern, KGS-Inventar, Provisorische Liste der B-Objekte (PDF)^{[dead link]}, Inventarauszug mit Stand vom 1. März 2014 des Fachbereichs Kulturgüterschutz im Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz (BABS)Archived 2015-10-21 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ ^abcdefSilvia Pfenniger (8 May 2006). 'Hotellerie: König der Berge: Der Deal um das Berner «Bellevue Palace» zeigt einmal mehr: Man setzt wieder auf renovierte Luxuspaläste, wie sie Wirtschaftspionier Franz Josef Bucher um 1900 für adelige und neureiche Gäste baute'. Schweizer Wirtschaftsnetz (Das Schweizer Wirtschaftsmagazin, Bilanz). Axel Springer Schweiz AG, Zürich. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
3. ^ ^abcdeIna Bauspiess iA 'Media folder'. 'Kein Stillstand im Palasthotel am Vierwaldstättersee'(PDF). There is also an English language version of this source which gives the purchase price of the site as 'nearly 900,000 Swiss francs', implying a lesser level of precision for English language readers than for German language readers, who are informed that the price was '880.000 Schweizer Franken'!. Palace Hotel Luzern AG. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
4. ^Ina Bauspiess iA 'Media folder'. 'The Palace Luzern - Hotel with a history'(PDF). Palace Hotel Luzern AG. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
5. ^Christoph Zurfluh (2013). 'Es lebe das Grand Hotel'(PDF). next floor: Das Magazin für die Kunden der Schindler Aufzüge AG. Schindler Aufzüge AG, Marketing & Kommunikation, Ebikon. p. 5. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
6. ^ ^abc'Palace Luzern'. H.A. Bichsel SA, Basel (Raids des Grands Palaces). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
7. ^''Eine schweizerische Lösung gesucht': Interlakner Victoria-Jungfrau übernimmt das Luzerner Luxushotel Palace'. Die Grand Hotel Victoria-Jungfrau AG in Interlaken will auf 1. Oktober 1997 das Luzerner Fünfsternhotel Palace übernehmen: Der Zusammenschluss – über die Höhe des Übernahmepreises wurde keine Auskunft gegeben – soll laut einem gestern verbreiteten Communiqué ein beträchtliches Synergiepotential auslösen. Ein Stellenabbau sei nicht geplant. Berner Oberland News. 20 March 1997. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
8. ^Hotels müssen einzigartig sein. In: Neue Luzerner Zeitung, 14 October 2015, p. 11
9. ^'Luzerner Luxus-Hotel steht vor Verkauf: LUZERN ⋅ Das 'Palace' zählt zu den renommiertesten Hotels der Stadt. Die Besitzerin des Hauses, die Grossbank CS, will sich aber von der Immobilie trennen. Das sorgt für Ärger'. Neue Luzerner Zeitung {online}. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
10. ^https://www.hospitalitynet.org/announcement/41003870/mandarin-oriental-palace-luzern.html

Haldenstrasse 4,6006Lucerne

The luxurious Grand Hotel National is situated right on the shore of Lake Lucerne, only a 5 minute walk from the train station and the historic quarter.

Lucerne's legendary luxury hotel was built in the 1870s by César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier. Today it still provides highest-quality accommodations, culinary perfection and great musical entertainment in the National Bar.

The rooms and suites offer views of the city or the lake. Some include Italian marble floors, walls covered with luxurious silk wallpaper, hand-woven carpets and comfortable sofas and chairs upholstered with the finest materials.

From the Grand Hotel National Luzern you can see the famous Rigi, Stanserhorn and Pilatus mountains as well as the highest peaks of central Switzerland.

Rooms: 7

Facilities of Grand Hotel National Luzern

Activities

• Golf course (within 2 miles)
• Fishing

• Skiing

• Hiking

Food & Drink

• Restaurant
• Room service

• Bar

• Breakfast in the room

Pool and Spa

• Sauna
• Massage
• Indoor pool

• Indoor pool (year-round)
• Pool/Beach towels

• Swimming pool

Transportation

• Airport shuttle
• Shuttle service (additional charge)

• Airport shuttle (additional charge)

Front Desk Services

• 24-hour front desk
• Newspapers
• Currency exchange

• Tour desk
• Ticket service

• Baggage storage
• Concierge

Common Areas

• Terrace

• Sun deck

Entertainment & Family Services

• Babysitting/Child services
• Casino

• Board games/Puzzles

Cleaning Services

• Laundry
• Dry cleaning

• Ironing service

• Shoeshine

Business Facilities

• Meeting/Banquet facilities
• Business center

• Fax/Photocopying

Miscellaneous

• Non-smoking rooms
• Elevator

• Heating

• Smoke-free property
• Designated smoking area

Safety & security

• Safe

Safety features

• Staff follow all safety protocols as directed by local authorities
• Hand sanitizer in guest accommodation and common areas
• Process in place to check health of guests

• First aid kits available
• Access to healthcare professionals

• Thermometers for guests provided by property
• Face masks for guests available

Physical distancing

• Contactless check-in/out
• Cashless payment available

• Physical distancing rules followed

• Screens or physical barriers between staff and guests in appropriate areas

Cleanliness & disinfection

• Linens, towels, and laundry washed in accordance with local authority guidelines

• Guests have the option to cancel any cleaning services for their accommodation during their stay

Food & drink safety

• Physical distancing in dining areas

• Food can be delivered to guest accommodation

Internet

WiFi is available in the hotel rooms and is free of charge.

Parking

Private parking is available on site (reservation is not needed) and costs CHF 35 per day.

Policies of Grand Hotel National Luzern

These are general hotel policies for Grand Hotel National Luzern. As they may vary per room type, please also check the room conditions.

Check-in

From 15:00 hours

Check-out

06:00 - 12:00 hours

Cancellation / Prepayment

Cancellation and prepayment policies vary according to property type.

Children and Extra Beds

Up to two children under 14 years are charged CHF 100 per night when using existing beds.

Free!One child under 3 years stays free of charge in a crib.

Free!One child from 3 to 14 years stays free of charge in an extra bed.

One older child or adult is charged CHF 100 per night in an extra bed.

The maximum number of extra beds in a room is 1.

The maximum number of total guests in a room is 3.

Grand Casino Luzern Wikipedia

The maximum number of cribs in a room is 1.

Any type of extra bed or crib is upon request and needs to be confirmed by management.

Additional fees are not calculated automatically in the total cost and will have to be paid for separately during your stay.

Pets

Grand Casino Luzern Wikipedia

Pets are allowed. Charges may apply.

Accepted credit cards

• Maestro
• Mastercard
• Visa
• UnionPay credit card
• Diners Club
• American Express

The property reserves the right to pre-authorize credit cards prior to arrival.

Important Information

Please note that breakfast rates vary for children from 7 to 14 years of age. Please contact the property directly for further information. Contact details are stated in the booking confirmation.
Guests from the age of 16 and up enjoy free entrance to the fitness and wellness center opposite the hotel during the annual maintenance of the hotel's swimming pool.