- Size GFA: 15,000m², BUA: 4,000m²
- Location Luzern, Switzerland
- Client First Swiss Hotel Collection
- Status Built
- Sectors: Interior Design Hospitality Retrofit
Blending Belle Époque grandeur with fresh and spirited interior design elements, we reimagined this historic Swiss hotel as a place of understated luxury for the modern age. Looking out across the picturesque Lake Lucerne, the hotel boasts 136 unique guestrooms, a hand-carved marble spa, four restaurants, and outdoor terraces. Original decorative features have been restored, complemented by sleek, elegant new touches that combine to create a sanctuary of palatial luxury at one with its captivating landscape.
“Guests carousel between interlinked rooms containing the smoky-hued lobby, an airy veranda for afternoon tea, a Ladies Room restored to its fin de siècle glory and the Mozern brasserie, the snappy heart of the hotel. The result is mesmerizing.”
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Michelin star awarded to the Collonade restaurant led by chef Gilad Peled17
Swiss Gin & tonics available at the Mozern bar.- Size GFA: 15,000m², BUA: 4,000m²
- Location Luzern, Switzerland
- Client First Swiss Hotel Collection
- Status Built
Established by eccentric Swiss hotelier Franz Josef Bucher in 1906, the former Palace Luzern Hotel has been ushered into a new era as a Mandarin Oriental. Our sensitive refurbishment and reimagining of the building has transformed it into a modern home of luxurious hospitality, while honouring its grand heritage.
Working alongside local heritage specialists Iwan Bühler Architects, we faithfully restored many of the building’s original features, including scagliola columns, chequerboard marble flooring and stucco-adorned walls. The hotel’s original colour palette, inspired by Bucher’s travels across the Mediterranean, has re-emerged from beneath layers of past alterations. Earthy terracottas, rich greens and chalky whites are incorporated into the newly renovated interiors, while palm and lily motifs nod to the stylised botanicals of the Belle Époque era.
The new arrival experience features a stunning vaulted axial corridor, forming an internal arcade that reflects the tree-lined promenade and lake beyond. Inside the spacious lobby, guests encounter timber-lined arched doorways, curved sculptural seating, walnut joinery, and crisp terrazzo flooring.
Four distinctive restaurants and bars provide the perfect settings for all moments of the day and night. At the heart of the hotel’s brasserie, mossy green walls that evoke the lushness of the Swiss countryside envelope an elliptical bar in reeded bronze.
Each of the 136 guestrooms has been designed to complement the extraordinary landscape outside, adopting a serene palette of pistachio, coral and oak. A minimal orbital brass chandelier sits alongside traditionally detailed ceiling mouldings and wall panelling, while sleek furniture complements characterful oak parquet and locally woven ombre rugs.
The design of the Presidential Suite, situated beneath the hotel’s verdigris copper tower, is influenced by its panoramic views of nature. A deconstructed hand-blown glass chandelier recalls fluttering leaves and flocks of birds, while a specially commissioned hand-painted mural features burnished leaves and periwinkle petals. Fluted timber walls and a wooden mosaic floor are contrasted with pops of jewel-toned velvets, antiqued brass highlights and striking green marbles.
A tranquil series of arched spaces houses the hotel’s new spa, with sauna, steam bath and experiential showers enveloped in hand-carved Tuscan Cipollino marble.
Balancing the building’s rich history with considered contemporary interventions, our design strikes a note of timeless elegance.