Landgasthof Kreuz Kappel

We often talk as though “traditional” and “modern” are in opposition, but in Switzerland, they’re serious about upholding the values of traditional hospitality, even if some of the aesthetics have changed. Landgasthof Kreuz Kappel, for example, was established 350 years ago, and from the outside, it looks it — though well maintained, it’s a timeless example of traditional Swiss architecture. Inside, however, it’s another story: the rooms in the main house are modern and minimalist in style, while the newest rooms, built in the old barn, use more typically traditional materials and textures, though to no less contemporary effect.

Of course, what matters about Landgasthof Kreuz Kappel is less the architecture and more the ends to which it’s put. A hotel like this isn’t aiming to reinvent the concept of the hotel, it’s simply applying three and a half centuries of expertise. The fruit of all that labor is somewhat intangible, but it consists in large part in getting the details just right: the comfort of the beds, the functioning of the bathrooms, the efficient layout of the bedside lamp and switches. And nowhere is that feeling of rightness more in evidence than in the restaurant — and it had better be, as the hotel’s owner is also the head chef.