GENEVA HOTELS
The Four Seasons
Geneva has a reputation for fine watches, decadent chocolates, and untraceable bank accounts. Surprisingly, however, this city that caters to the wealthy traditionally has lacked fine lodging. In fall 2005, after a yearlong renovation, the Hotel des Bergues on the banks of Lake Geneva solved this Swiss paradox when it reopened as the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues.
Interior architect Pierre-Yves Rochon, the French designer who overhauled the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, oversaw the redesign of the neoclassic des Bergues, which opened originally in 1834. Today, the hotel greets guests in an exquisitely updated foyer appointed with columns, arches, a cupola, and ornate hand-gilded plasterwork. The decor in the 68 rooms and 35 suites borrows its palette from the lake, with shades of Wedgwood blue and light greens. Toile de Jouy wall coverings complement whitewashed, Louis Philippe-style furnishings in the accommodations, where new amenities include plasma televisions and spacious marble bathrooms.
Rochons restoration also revived the 23-foot-high ceilings, gigantic gilt mirrors, and glittering crystal chandeliers of the des Bergues' Salle des Nations, an opulent ballroom created for the first League of Nations meeting in 1920. Painted scenes of 17thcentury Italian landscapes decorate the walls at the street-level Il Lago restaurant, where chef Marco Garfagnini's northern Italian cuisine offers a refreshing departure from Geneva's ubiquitous French fare.
Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva, +41.22.908.70.00, 800.819.5053, www.fourseasons.com
LOCATION
On the shore of Lake Geneva, across the Rhone River from Old Town.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Decorated with Louis
Philippe-style furnishings, the 68 bedrooms and 35 suites feature marble bathrooms, bars, and plasma 1Vs with DVD players. Pierre-Yves Rochon spent six months
designing the two-bedroom Royal Suite, which opened in June and includes a formal dining room, a library, and
private balconies.
FACILITIES
The hotel does not have a spa, but it offers in-room ESPA-brand treatments and a 24-hour fitness center.
Meeting and function rooms range from the opulent 3,200-square-foot Sa lie des Nations to less formal spaces with lake views.
DINING
Restaurant 11 Lago, under the direction of chef Marco Garfagnini, serves fine northern Italian dishes, several of which are available for lunch
in Le Bar des Bergues.
CONCIERGE RECOMMENDS
Visit the Chillon castle on your way to La Gruyere, where you can tour traditional cheese factories and their cellars before feasting on fondue.
RATES
From $660 for a superior room to $11,935 for the Royal Suite. |
