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Immerse yourself in the more than one hundred year old history of the Gstaad Palace: the luxury hotel in Switzerland opened its doors on 8 December 1913. Successfully: it was decided to build an extension after the first season. In the 1960s gala dinners with international stars such as Louis Armstrong and Marlene Dietrich cause a great sensation. Andrea Scherz is the third generation now to manage the hotel.
The opening of the railway line from Montreux to Gstaad on 20 December 1904 heralds the start of tourism in Gstaad. Soon afterwards the local secondary school teacher Robert Steffen recognises the potential for a luxury hotel on the Oberbort. He purchases the first plots of land and looks for investors. In April 1912 the first cut of the spade was made for the building of the Palace Hotel, which was finally opened on 8 December 1913 under the management of the Directors Albert Steudler and Hans Pünter. Back then the hotel has 250 beds in 165 rooms. The investors set the highest standards of luxury right from the start with central heating and the hotel’s own telegrapher. The first winter season is so successful that it is already decided to build a ballroom extension on the ground floor in spring 1914. Up to 350 people still celebrate in the “Salle Baccarat” today.
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