Perched above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the recently reopened Grand Hotel Belvedere – the 11th hotel for French hospitality brand Beaumier – sits in one of Switzerland’s most charming spots, the car-free Alpine village of Wengen.
From the winding path that leads from the little cog railway station (where guests are met by the hotel’s electric buggy) the Grand Hotel Belvedere comes into view, its distinctive Heimatstil architecture instantly setting the tone. Decorative timberwork gives the building a storybook quality, with a touch of Wes Anderson whimsy, yet despite its picture-perfect exterior, there’s a grounded calm inside — something that feels lightly contemporary and very much of the landscape. The hotel is surrounded by glorious views of mountains.
Light streams throughout, across restored pine and larch panelling in the public spaces that carry the scent of the mountains. The generous lobby, complete with its original, restored chandeliers, grand stone fireplace and lounge seating by British design brand Pinch, gently balances five-star luxury with a laid-back, design-led version of comfort. The palette — timber, warm colours and cosy textiles — sets a modern, elegant tone for what’s to come.
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The project, led by Swiss architect Valery Clavien of Clavien & Associatés and interior designer Arnaud Christin of Complete Works, brought together two neighbouring buildings – the Grand Hotel Belvedere and what had once been the Waldrand Hotel, just 100ft down the slope – now united by a shared, modern Alpine sensibility and connected by new landscaping. The aim of the reimagining was simple: to honour the hotel’s bones, add subtly modern layers and let honest materials shine.
At the older Waldrand building from 1897, that meant mostly starting afresh. Layers of later renovations were stripped back. The result is tactile and modern yet rooted in place: walls, ceilings and furniture are made from solid pine, thermally modified for durability, while bathrooms pair the pale warmth of the wood with the subtle green-grey of local Andeer stone. Christin designed much of the bedroom furniture, aside from a minimalist pine stool by Konstantin Grcic for Mattiazzi. The views from the bedroom balconies are hard to top — the misty mountains appearing each morning and slowly fading into pink dusk each evening.
These carefully considered details flow through to the main 1911 Belvedere building, still with many of its original features. The team restored its Heimat-style lobby to its lighter, natural pine hue, revealing a long-hidden fresco in the lobby and one in the hotel’s main dining spot Belvedere Brasserie run by London-born rising star chef Will Gordon. In what was once the music room, Christin installed the new bar that references early-1900s design without tipping into nostalgia — think Thonet ‘209P’ chairs, Robert Morris Gobelin fabric, and a bespoke long, a pale leather Chesterfield-style banquette. In the former fumoir there is now a small retail space.
Elsewhere, the emphasis is on craftsmanship and texture: throughout the public spaces there are handwoven rugs from Pakistan, on the Sonnenbad terrace classic galvanised steel furniture from Atelier Alinea in Basel, and there’s a smattering of characterful vintage accessories throughout the hotel sourced by Delphine Rouvière. The art collection, curated by Marie Veidig for Saint Lazard, Paris, adds a restrained, contemporary edge.
Between the two buildings sits the hotel’s newest addition: a brutalist-inspired spa by Clavien. It consists of a two-level indoor-outdoor swimming pool, a cold plunge, relaxation spaces and sauna and steam room. There are also four serene treatment rooms along a corridor offering therapies using Susanne Kaufmann products. The spa’s stark concrete shell is softened by light, water and landscape — an Alpine reinterpretation of Japanese onsen, with views across the gardens and towards the forest.
In the hotel’s 90 rooms and suites, the tone is pared back and cocooning: lime-washed walls, pine panelling and thick wool throws mirror the natural palette outside. It’s this balance of precision and ease – between craftsmanship, comfort and place – that defines the project. The result feels less like a revival and more like a conversation with the past but still set firmly in the present. Rooms from £310, beaumier.com
