The History of Hotel Bellevue

Once Upon a Time…

The neighbouring house of Hotel Bellevue was built in 1646 and our own foundation walls probably also date back to this time. The historical north-south passage with the high bridge to the Spielmatte brought travelers to the Stedtli Unterseen, the uppermost town on the river Aare. In 1801 the square building was extended towards the river and the first guest rooms were built. Later, the middle section was extended with a small dining room (today’s Bellevue bar) in the direction of the later Bellevue hotel and supplemented with rooms for guests and staff.

From Stork to Fink…

In the following years the owner changed several times, until 1895 Hans Stork took over the property with the corporation “Hotels Bellevue und Central”. In 1897, together with the renowned architect Horace Edouard Davinet (* 23 February 1839 in Pont-d’Ain; † 30 June 1922 in Berne) he built the original Bellevue with tower and turret, playful pilaster strips and high rooms in the Art Nouveau style. We think (due to the dates in the metal pennants on the towers) that in 1900 the third and fourth floor including the tower were added as well. At that time the house probably had about 75 rooms plus 15 staff rooms, but was only set up for operation during the summer. Stork ran the business until 1948 and then had to terminate the rental contracts with the Swiss Federal Political Department, which had worked very well during the war years. Mrs. Mary Krebs-Märky (she comes from a hotelier dynasty: Hotel Krebs Interlaken, Regina Grindelwald) signed the purchase contract as his successor. She managed the 4-star hotel together with her daughter Hilde Krebs, who took over in 1960. In 1970 Hilde Krebs, who was single and lived with a large dog and a horse, built a bungalow in the garden on the site of the old wash and bath house with a view of the riding stable and the pasture. In 1982, she sold the property without the bungalow (today’s Riverhouse) to hotelier Erwin Fink, who continued to operate it as a 4-star hotel and also regularly hosted classes of cook apprentices in for several weeks.

Bellevue Turns Pink and Celebrates Wild Parties…

When Erwin Fink sold the property to Mr Lüthi in 1990, property prices had already risen sharply. Mr. Lüthi hired Mr. Fleischmann as manager and the “Bellevue Park Plaza AG” was created. Where necessary, the rooms were equipped with bathrooms, and in some cases the rooms were even re-partitioned. Everything turned pink – from the outside façade and the carpet to pink Novilon in the newly built bathrooms – it was simply fashionable at the time. The reception area turned into the bar and was moved into the lobby at the riverside entrance. In the old tea room an additional bar was installed. Kenny Moore, a pianist of Tina Turner, was hired and the bar became the hot new place in Interlaken with many wild parties.

Alplodge is Born…

During these years the real estate prices dropped, the banks used new valuation models and Mr. Lüthi came under pressure. Management was changed and Mrs. Marianne Kuchen took over as new tenant. The hotel stars were reduced to three, the kitchen was abandoned, due also to hygienic reasons. The old part of the house above the “Riverside-Bar” was transformed into the “Alplodge”, a backpacker hostel. With American students in the shared rooms, tour groups from Japan and catering from the restaurant “Zum Goldenen Anker” next door, it was possible to do good business in summer.

The Era Dübendorfer Begins…

In 2000 the pressure of necessary investments and of the banks became so great that bankruptcy could no longer be averted. This year the “Hotel Bellevue” remained closed. In 2001 the hotel was auctioned off, just at the time when I crossed the Atlantic with my father from Florida to Mallorca in a sailboat. After my return it turned out that the auction had to be repeated because the new owner could not pay on time. Then our clock started ticking… and so, on August 15, 2001, we turned our lives upside down within a few minutes and bought an ancient hotel that had been closed for a year – knowing that there was a rocky but very exciting road ahead of us. With a lot of enthusiasm, modest means, and loans from family and friends we furnished the empty ground floor and received our first guests on November 1. On December 1, 2001 we celebrated the opening with a big party. In the early years we were able to accommodate many tour groups. We soon realised however, that we wanted to focus on quality rather than quantity and try to appeal to guests who appreciate the charm of this old family-run house and its staff, of the lovely river view and the central location. In the quieter winter months we continued to renovate as much as possible.

And the Renovations Went On…

Looking back everything happened very fast: In 2003 we received the third hotel star and in 2004 we could create parking spaces on a neighbouring lot. In 2005 a flood destroyed the renovations, especially on the ground floor and we had to close for seven months for dehumidification. During this time we built the directors’ apartment on the roof. One year later we were able to buy the Riverhouse bungalow in the garden and thus expand our range of rooms by a family holiday cottage. In 2008 a hailstorm destroyed large parts of the façade and the neon lettering, but after a cold winter the outer shell regained its splendor. Our three hotels star radiated more and more Hotel Bellevue was noticed again on the market. At the same time the rooms were renovated, and the heating, warm water, emergency exits, and security concepts updated according to modern standards. New stainless steel beds were tailor-made to our specifications: they were to be able to transform two large single beds (100 x 200 cm) almost seamlessly into one large double bed and to be high enough for a suitcase to be stowed comfortably underneath. The old pink carpets were removed and the original parquet flooring was sanded and oiled.

Feng Shui Brings Good Luck…

During this time I had started postgraduate hotel management studies, which I finished in 2010. During this time I was able to make the acquaintance of renowned hotel specialists. We had a Feng Shui analysis prepared with astonishing results and tried to implement the approaches as quickly as possible: For example, old postcards were scanned and framed to tell the story of the Interlaken hotel industry and of the city’s rich past. In retrospect, the analysis was all the more astonishing because it spoke of a tailwind beginning in 2012 and we were indeed able to increase sales in this difficult year. The room furnishings presented us with a major challenge. We visited furniture stores, hotel fairs and manufacturers, read countless catalogues without finding a solution for combining our modern steel beds with the new curtains and the still beautiful, but stylistically inappropriate, existing furniture.

How We Got the Schläpfer Wallpaper…

During my studies I met Mrs. Kaderli from Colias System. She was the key to our new concept: Based on mood photos, my wife and I had to independently select images that reflected the mood of a room as we imagined it. A somewhat special approach, but one that led to astonishing results. Before we bought new furniture, the walls above the beds were covered with an exclusive Schläpfer wallpaper, which made the rooms much more harmonious. In the meantime, new rating guidelines for the hotel star category were tested. As one of the test sites, we gained insight into the new standards, and were able to finally reach for the fourth star. At the same time, the lease agreement for the Alplodge and the Riverside Bar was terminated at the end of 2009. The long overdue renovation and maintenance work in this over 200-year old part of the house could not have been managed by a tenant in the long run. The Hotel Bellevue was now so well established that we dared to embark on this new adventure, counting on a faithful crew of long-standing employees. We also offered our housekeeping employees on-site training for six weeks so that they could demonstrate Progresso training and earn a higher salary.

Zeppelin-Feeling in Hotel Bellevue…

In 2010 the Alplodge was continued as a backpacker hostel according to the concept of the former tenants, who had operated the Alplodge and the Riverside Bar since our takeover. In the next winter a brush renovation followed, a guest kitchen and four communal bathrooms were installed on all levels. In 2011 we started planning for the renovation of the Alplodge roof. A lift was installed, a bright lounge with a roof terrace and an apartment to supplement the Riverhouse were put into operation in spring of 2012. In the Hotel Bellevue a new colour concept with the special paints of the English company “Little Greene” accentuated the charm of this historical house even more. “Thut” wardrobes made of canvas, light-weight desks and stools made of glazed birch wood and a “Knoll”-armchair with violet “Halingdall” cover now give the rooms the harmony we had imagined. Mrs. Kaderli coined the term “ZeppelinFeeling” as a reference guide for this style.

Bellevue gets its fourth star…

We were proud to add our fourth star to our neon sign when we received the award in April 2012. It goes without saying that the renovations did not stop. Besides the room design, the bathrooms were our biggest challenge. Again and again there were drips somewhere and some guests caused real floods. We looked for professional wisdom and had four prototypes made with the realization that they were beautiful and functional, but by no means original. For the next stages, we took the design back into our own hands and still do so today.
A major rebuilding was planned for 2015/16. The last of the old roofs on the 4th floor was to be replaced before damage could occur. The lift was extended to serve the 4th floor also. From four rooms, the five best rooms in the house were to be equipped with contemporary bathrooms, air conditioning and full-core oak parquet floors in a herringbone pattern with frieze edges and floor heating. A second lift was necessary. There was space in the inner courtyard and the solution was a glass shaft with polished chrome steel doors. This resulted in corresponding work on the ground floor and the reception was rebuilt again, while the hotel remained closed for 2 months.
At the same time, the Alplodge was furnished and embellished with beautiful Designer’s Guild wallpaper, new curtains and hand-forged iron beds in the double rooms.
The new rooms on the 4th floor of the Bellevue were very well received, but at the same time they set the bar high and it is now a matter of bringing the remaining rooms up to this standard as well.
In 2016/17, the knowledge gained from the new air conditioning and floor heating, lighting and electrical controls was evaluated and further bathrooms were renovated to these new standards.
In 2017/18 we were able to enlarge the balconies. The family rooms, single rooms and the plus-size double rooms were adapted to the new standards as much as possible. Some bathrooms were newly equipped with Laufen shower toilets and, wherever possible, rain showers and bathtubs were installed. Thus we could create additional room categories.

The «Goldener Anker» is added…
At the end of 2018 Jeannette and René Sutter offered us the neighbouring building GOLDENER ANKER for sale. The property is attached to the Bellevue and has a well-known restaurant as well as simple staff rooms on the upper floors. With Corinne Binggeli at the front and Andy Portmann in the kitchen, we were able to engage a pair of tenants who will carry on the spirit of the Goldener Anker and serve our guests in the best possible way. The rooms above the restaurant offer potential for the future. It remains to be seen when and in what form we will use them. In any case, we already have many ideas…
In spring 2019 we renewed our homepage. By summer 2019, all rooms in the south and west wings will be equipped with air conditioning. Thus 28 of our 39 rooms are now air-conditioned. The hot summer of 2018 has shown that this will also become standard in Switzerland. All balconies and windows can now be shaded with classic blinds to reduce the heat, which also looks very nice on the outside.  We are excited and look forward to everything else we will tackle in the future!