Hotel Schweizerhof Bern named Switzerland’s best business hotel

Hotel Schweizerhof Bern is Switzerland's top business hotel  (hotel schweizerhof bern)

BERN, SWITZERLAND – If the age-old adage that the three most important things in real estate are “location, location, location,” then Hotel Schweizerhof Bern in Switzerland wins the gold medal.

First, Hotel Schweizerhof Bern calls Switzerland home, a country which refined the hospitality industry to an art form through pioneers like Cesar Ritz, Franz-Josef Bucher and Heinrich Wirth.

Next, it is situated in the Swiss capital of Bern, making the Schweizerhof Bern accessible to virtually every nook and cranny of the country in a matter of a few hours.

Main station in Bern  (Rail Europe)

And finally, the Schweizerhof Bern sits on a huge city block directly across from Bern’s railway station, which means if your train arrives at 9 p.m. you can be having a nightcap in the popular cigar lounge by 9:05.

 Recently the 150-year old five-star superior property was honored as “Switzerland’s Leading Business Hotel 2016” at the 23^rd annual World Travel Awards Gala in Sardinia. It is another accolade in a prestigious list of recognitions for the hotel over the past 15-decades.

Contemporary style in classic surroundings  (Wikipedia)

 Schweizerhof Bern features 99 guest rooms and suites, plus 11 halls covering more than 8,600 square feet in the conference center. The centerpiece is the legendary “Trianon” ballroom with its stucco ceiling, marble columns and Belle Epoch chandeliers.

Jack’s Brasserie Restaurant has earned 14 Gault Millau points from the famous French restaurant guide founded by Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965. The points are similar those awarded by the better known Michelin Guide.

Hotel Schweizerhof Bern was renovated five years ago  (Hotel Schweizerhof Bern)

Hotel Schweizerhof Bern was completely renovated five years ago to give its rooms and work spaces a more contemporary design while retaining the classic style of a bygone era.

Among the most interesting projects the hotel has undertaken within the last year is the addition of 150,000 honeybees which are kept in three “mini-hotels” on the roof terrace. In an effort to contribute to the survival of honeybees while promoting “ecological balance” the hotel has ingeniously integrated the idea by making its own in-house brand of honey known as “Sky Deluxe.

The Old Town is a peninsula on the River Aare  (Wikipedia)

The historic old town of Bern has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. It is a peninsula-shaped arcaded city that peers down on a bend in the River Aare which surrounds it on three sides.

As of 2010, Bern was ranked one of the top ten cities in the world for quality of life.

Zytglogge   (My Switzerland)

The official language of Switzerland’s fourth largest city is Swiss German, but the Swiss also speak Italian, French and Romansch depending upon the region of the country in which they live.

Thanks to nearly four miles of charming shopping arcades, it has been said that you can walk through Bern in a rainstorm and never get wet. That’s not entirely true, but it’s close.

With its ideal setting across from the railway station at the gateway to the city, guests who stay at Hotel Schweizerhof Bern can easily explore Bern’s historic streets. There is a superb mass transit system as well, which is free for travelers using a Swiss Travel Pass.

Einstein house looks just as it did when he lived there (MySwitzerland.com)

Among the most overlooked sites in Bern is the Einsteinhaus where the famous theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein, lived from 1903 to 1905 while working in the patent office.

The view is the same  (Wikipedia)

It was there, at Kramgasse 49, where Einstein put forth his then controversial general theory of relativity. Perhaps Einstein is best known for his mass-energy equivalence formula, E = mc², which has been called “the world’s most famous equation.

What makes the Einstein House so interesting is that because of the preservation of Bern’s architectural history, not only are the rooms identical to the way they were when he lived there, but so, too, are the views of the streets in the city where Einstein was born.

The Zytglogge with 16th century statues in the foreground (Wikipedia)

Among the most famous, and most popular, sites is the Zytglogge, which means “Time Bell.” The medieval clock features moving puppets which put on a show every hour to the delight of visitors.

There is also a 15^th century Gothic cathedral and town hall as well as numerous museums including the Swiss Postal Museum and the Swiss Alpine Museum.

The undulating architecture of the Paul Klee Museum  (Wikipedia)

Art lovers will delight in the Paul Klee Museum with its three undulations that blend into the landscape. The museum opened in 2005 featuring the largest collection of art by Switzerland’s native son with over 40 percent of his archive.

Too often visitors fail to visit the Rose Garden (Rosengarten) with its marvelous panoramic view of the medieval city from across the River Aare. Simply cross over the bridge that spans the river at the Bear Pit, which has been a city landmark since the 16^th century.

Klee painting
(MySwitzerland.com)

Because of its compact size, Bern is one of the great walking cities of Europe. If you are lucky you will be there on market day or, better yet, when the onion market takes place on the 4^th Monday in November.

Not to be missed are the 11 Renaissance allegorical statues which can be found on the public fountains in the Old Town. Almost all of the fountains date to the 16^th century.

Hotel Schweizerhof Bern is classic style blended with modern comfort (Hotel Schweizerhof Bern)

And, of course, after a long day of sightseeing, return to the reliable, deluxe accommodations of Hotel Schweizerhof Bern which guarantees you won’t “Bern yourself out.”