The Dolder Grand

The century-old Dolder Grand was impressive enough as it was, but it entered a new league following a massive renovation by the British architect Norman Foster. This isn’t just a refreshed interior for an old hotel, but a complete re-design, with a bold contemporary addition wrapping around the original turreted hilltop château.

Inside, it’s almost unrecognizable. Rooms in the main building and the new wings alike are spacious, the design restrained and contemporary, the amenities completely up to date, right down to the enormous marble bathrooms. There’s nothing aggressively edgy or avant-garde about it, but neither is it at all business-hotel drab — in fact this just might be the state of the art in high-end luxury hotels.

It’s intended as something of a “city resort,” and the location, high on a hill just outside of central Zürich, goes a long way in creating that away-from-it-all atmosphere (while still just a taxi ride away from the city center). The massive spa and wellness center don’t hurt either, and there are more than enough dining and drinking options to make a stay at the Dolder as self-contained as you want it to be.

And while the ordinary rooms and suites are already extraordinary, both in style and luxury, it’s the signature suites that are truly jaw-dropping. Each is by a different designer, each sprawls over hundreds of square meters, and each one comes with extras like steam showers, whirlpool baths, in one case even a grand piano — it’s no exaggeration to say these are some of the most impressive hotel suites we’ve ever seen.