BIRD Is Appointed To Represent Landmark St. Moritz Hotel, Badrutt’s Palace
BIRD is delighted to announce its appointment to represent the iconic Badrutt's Palace in St. Moritz. A much-loved family-owned hotel, father and son founders, Johannes and Caspar Badrutt, were heralded as the inventors of alpine winter tourism when it first opened and today it remains the region’s most historic landmark and a grand-dame bastion of style - where generations have been meeting since 1896.
Rich in heritage and spilling with stories, this distinguished mountain resort houses 157 guest-rooms (37 of which are suites) all with heart-stopping views of the lake or the charming village centre. Illustrious guests from Rita Hayworth to Alfred Hitchcock have long enjoyed Badrutt’s Palace legendary service that accommodates all tastes, remembers all preferences and embraces all requests, however elaborate. One unsuspecting visitor was greeted by an elephant in the hotel lobby as a birthday surprise from her husband.
A neo-Gothic castle of towers, turrets and terraces, the hotel was designed by Chiodera and Tschudi. Ecclesiastic relics abound; antique benches once used by monks, dark oil paintings and huge antique chests, many gifted to the Badrutt’s family by people of the church. Unexpected art masterpieces include an actual Miro sketch in one of the suites. Rooms evoke a timeless charm with Persian carpets, flock wallpaper and brocade-upholstered armchairs, accompanied by terracotta-tiled floors and ornately-carved wood ceilings.
Offering a gastronomic journey to suit every palette and mood, Badrutt’s Palace is home to eight on-site restaurants and three bars. Guests can enjoy afternoon tea in the wood-ceilinged Grand Hall, where creations from world-class pastry chefs are presented with flair. Andreas Caminada’s Michelin-starred IGNIV promises inspired sharing dishes and contemporary interiors designed by Patricia Urquiola. Le Restaurant presents timeless fine dining and a rare opportunity to experience a Gueridon-style of service. La Coupole restaurant - formerly Europe’s first indoor tennis hall - is home to a Japanese-Peruvian restaurant from Nobu Matsuhisa. Retreat to the Renaissance Bar – the first vintage cigar lounge in continental Europe – for a nightcap or cigar by the big stone hearth or enjoy after-hours on the famed dancefloor at King’s Club. Just across the road and up some stairs into the heart of the village is 1658-built Chesa Veglia, the oldest ‘peasant house’ in St Moritz. As Swiss as can be, its two bars and three eateries are a reminder that Italy is only 40 miles south — the Italian-speaking waiters are often told that the pizza at Pizzeria Heuboden rivals the finest from their motherland.
Wellness comes naturally at this Swiss mountaintop village with 300 days of soul-uplifting sunshine and an exceptional air quality. Palace Wellness, the spa, houses a cinematic indoor infinity pool and an open-air heated pool in the dramatic surroundings of the Engadin mountains. Extensive fitness facilities and a Wet Zone include a hydrotherapy pool, saunas, ice room and aromatic steam rooms. Full massage and beauty services range from Ayurvedic therapies to specialist facials. This summer, the spa will launch their Gentlemen’s-only menu, Gentlemenu, comprising innovative skincare treatments, grooming experiences and a dedicated barber menu.
Badrutt's Palace sits at the foot of one of the world's most exciting ski regions at 6,000 ft, with over 350 kilometres of slopes and an in-house ski rental service, school and boutique. The frozen lake and untouched, natural surroundings encourage a myriad of winter sports including ice-skating, sledging, curling, horse-carriage trips and the electrifying Cresta Run – one of the few racing toboggan tracks in the world dedicated entirely to skeleton. And with its own airport it’s no surprise that St. Moritz was the glitzy backdrop to James Bond gliding down the slopes in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’.
Come the summer, the Engadin Valley's sun-soaked setting provides a restorative yet active atmosphere; guests can enjoy fishing, hiking, biking, horse-riding, golf (as the original golf town in the Alps) as well as kite-surfing and sailing on the lake. Embracing their smaller guests, Badrutt’s Palace also offers outdoor tennis courts, managed by professional coaches, a fully-supervised Kid’s Club Palazzino and children’s cooking and pilates classes.
