Fairmont Le Montreux Palace
Built in the early 1900s, the award winning Le Fairmont Montreux Palace offers guests prime location, history and luxury all in one place as Behiye Hassan found out.
Situated on Lake Geneva overlooking the Alps, Fairmont Le Montreux Palace awaits to give you the true luxury experience. From the minute to enter the doors to be greeted by the impressive lobby, grand staircase and the highly professional and attentive staff you are immediately aware that this is not your standard five-star hotel.
Built in 1906, Fairmont Le Montreux Palace has more than its fair share of history. Swiss architect Eugene Jost built the Palace in a record time of 18 months and at the time it was considered a modern hotel as it offered heating, electricity and private bathrooms with hot and cold running water.
During both World Wars it was used as a hospital for soldiers and in 1936 the Dardanelles treaty (a peace pact between Greece, Turkey, England, France and Russia), better known as the "Montreux Convention" was signed by 500 diplomats there.
Fast forward to today and Fairmont Le Montreux Palace is a member of both Swiss Deluxe Hotels and The Leading Hotels of the World. It is the largest five-star hotel on the Swiss Riviera with 236 rooms, 51 of which are suites, that offer amazing views of the Alps and Lake Geneva. The rooms have a traditional elegance to the décor but with all the modern amenities that traveller expect.
There are also 15 meeting and conference rooms as well as outdoor venues. Le Petit Palais is the largest conference room with natural lighting in the whole of Switzerland. All the conference rooms such as The Reading Room and The Billiards Room and the ballrooms remain the same as they were when the hotel opened.
The hotel has a total of six restaurants and bars for guests to enjoy. La Palmeraie serves breakfast and lunch along with stunning views of the lake. MP’s Bar & Grill features a relaxed dining space, outdoor terrace and cocktail bar and is the premier grill location in the region.
Meanwhile Funky Claude’s Bar serve up interesting cocktails with fun gourmet dining and plays live music six days a week while The Lounge offers coffee, light lunch and champagne around a cosy fireplace.
La Terrasse du Petit Palais is open in the summer serving salads, grilled fish and savoury meat dishes and the Montreux Jazz Café is inspired by the atmosphere of the legendary Montreux Jazz festival and decorated with Claude Nobs’ memorabilia that includes a framed Kimono that belonged to Freddie Mercury.
Not forgetting Willow Stream Spa, which hosts two swimming pools, steam zones for men and women, a fitness room, 10 treatment rooms, private VIP suites and a Spa Café. No matter what kind of break you are looking for, you are sure to find it here.