When entrepreneurial drive meets creativity

History

What led the hotelier Josef Anton Bon from Ragaz to choose Vitznau for his luxury hotel? In an idyllic setting on the shores of Lake Lucerne, not far from the legendary Rütli meadow in Switzerland, the location seemed perfect to this forward-thinking entrepreneur – not least because Vitznau had been attracting the emerging mass tourism market since the opening of the Vitznau-Rigi railway, Europe's first cogwheel railway, in 1871. Bon must have recognized that, in this golden age of tourism, a modern luxury hotel on the lake shore was just what was needed.

In the architect Karl Gottlieb Koller, who also came from Ragaz, he found a great master of his craft. By this time, Koller had already headed the construction of such famous establishments as the Bäderhotel in Bormio (Veltlin) and the Hotel Schweizerhof in St. Moritz. Later, he went on to create the stunning Hotel Suvretta House in St. Moritz and the Hotel Columbia in Genoa.

image
image
image
image

In spring 1903, after around three years of construction work, the Park Hotel was opened. The former Pension Pfyffer, built in 1867, was integrated into the new hotel. Alongside prominent figures from business and industry, guests at the Park Hotel also included artists and actors from home and abroad. In celebration of the hundred-year jubilee of the hotel, a series of glamorous and spectacular evening balls were held in summer 2003, just like those in its first year.

In spring 2009, the hotel was taken over by Park Hotel Vitznau AG and closed that same year to carry out the planned renovation works. The restored and splendid 5-star hotel opened its doors to guests once again four years later. The opening festivities were accompanied by music from the Vienna Boys’ Choir – a sponsorship project that the hotel group had already been enthusiastically supporting for years.

 

Check availability

Book online

Get inspired

Looking for inspiration before you book? Our many suites are all different, stylish and luxurious. Discover the magic.

 

Book online

Book your stay at the Park Hotel Vitznau now.

Modify reservation
2022