Endeavour Magazine spoke to Stefan Mathys, Head of Media Relations for Swiss Deluxe Hotels, to discover how they have remained at the cutting edge of luxury accommodation for 80 years and what they have planned to remain there.

WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL

IN THE LAP OF LUXURY

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Founded in 1934, Mathys is not unaware of what a turbulent time it was to begin a new commercial venture, “It was a difficult period in which to start a company, but the notion

of luxury hotels as a business started in Switzerland. In fact, the founder of the Ritz Hotel chain – besides many others – was Swiss and brought about the beginning of luxury hotels, as we know them, in Switzerland.” The first Grand Hotels in Switzerland opened in the early 19th century, and we saw a real hotel boom until World War I started in 1914.

Essentially, Switzerland has become recognised as having a natural penchant for creating and providing luxury, something that the Swiss Deluxe Hotels Group took one step further by seeking out the nation’s top hotels to accept into their extremely exclusive and unabashedly elitist collection of high-class accommodation hotspots. Collating these luxurious establishments allows for the continuous, centralised supervision of standards compliance, but how does a location become accepted into the group? Mathys explained; “Demonstrably shared values and a willingness to go the extra mile to deliver exceptional standards, on top of what usual, is what we look for in our hotels. We want the staff to know the names of guests as soon as they have checked in and that is something you can only find in premier venues.”

Of course, only five-star hotels are eligible to become part of the Group and must comply with the stringent qualitative requirements of the selection criteria. The seriousness with which applications are regarded is impressive and with all potential locations being subjected to a ‘Service Excellence’ inspection, which they must

pass with a score of 79% or higher, there can be no doubt that any guest choosing to stay at a Swiss Deluxe Hotels venue will experience incomparable levels of comfort and luxury. “We want our hotels to look for, or create, opportunities to demonstrate impressively personal touches, such as displaying guest initials on the beds. Having a ‘nice’ experience is not enough, as nice, really is just a common commodity these days. We do not seek to be nice, or to provide luxury, as both of these have become cliche notions, instead we strive to be something a little bit extra. We strive to be exceptional.”

If there had previously been any doubt as to how the Swiss Deluxe Hotels Group have risen to the very highest echelons of the industry, Mathys’ impassioned explanation swiftly removes it and simultaneously demonstrates how the Group has come to celebrate 80 fantastic years, as of 2014. By never resting on their much-deserved, exemplar reputation, the group continues to move onwards and upwards, striving to complete ever more impressive feats specifically geared towards guest satisfaction.

In June of this year, the Group enjoyed an impressive celebration of their anniversary, with a lavish 1930s style gala at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. Attended by 180 hoteliers, as well as distinguished guests and honoured VIPs, the weekend proved to be a suitably opulent experience for all and provided the perfect celebratory platform for the group who have enjoyed yet more successes this year, something Mathys expanded on, “We were pleased to accept a new member hotel this year, bringing our total to 39. The Park Hotel Vitznau is a superbly picturesque castle, which

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Despite a stereotype to the contrary, the Swiss are not always neutral and if there is one thing they fight passionately for, it’s luxury of the highest order. With a long standing reputation for exporting the best watches, chocolate and utility knives, it stands to reason that any market targeted by this ambitious and talented nation would rise to new heights of excellence and this is precisely what the hotel industry has experienced for 80 years, thanks to the Swiss Deluxe Hotels Group.

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is bordered on the lake of Lucerne, and was reopened in 2013, after extensive restoration. We are now representing our Group brand in regions all over the world, including but not limited to Brazil, Asia, the US, China, India and the UK with VIP receptions. The purpose of these gatherings is to spread the word about the exceptional luxury to be found within Swiss Deluxe Hotels, a message which appears to be getting through.”

With a potential influx of new and return guest, thanks to a carefully planned and executed marketing strategy, the Swiss Deluxe hotels Group have naturally begun to turn their attention to the future. We were particularly keen to discuss any anticipated growth or new acquisitions and unsurprisingly, Mathys did not disappoint. Far from adopting a relaxed attitude in the wake of a wonderful anniversary year, the Group is determined to keep setting incredibly high standards, before not only reaching, but surpassing them. Mathys explained; “As a group, we will be looking for continuous development and renovation within our member hotels, as well as significant improvements in the shape of new restaurants. The reason for this is that we see product development as vital and with this in mind, we expect to be welcoming further new member hotels next year.”

Though these locations are being kept tightly under wraps, until approximately June 2015, their projected acceptance into the elite is a demonstration of the continued drive and success of the Group, but Mathys explained that physical growth is not of the utmost importance, “We have no real need to grow in terms of size, that is not our goal at all. Initially, the Group actually started with 51 hotels and now we have 39, which is a clear indicator that quality is king, not quantity. We continue to assess applicant hotels against stringent criteria, which are focused on new standards of luxury, technological advancement and guest

requirements. We always have been and always will be guest and standard focused as appose to blinded by commercial gain.”

Of course, the biggest challenge in the hotel business is to entice guests to book and once they have checked in, make sure that they are already mentally planning their return visit. Mathys explained that changing travel trends have impacted on the industry, “The lack of regular customers and by that I mean those who come for long stays during the summer and winter seasons has affected us. The tradition of revisiting a favourite location every year is dying out and nowadays, people are taking advantage of wider

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travel opportunities and increased accommodation choice. Travel has changed dramatically, thanks to low cost flights and budget hotels, so we have to fight much harder for guests and clients. We are extremely fortunate however, and always view a challenge as an opportunity.”

Far from being disheartened by the rise of budget holidays, Mathys explains that the Group is enjoying the influx of new guests, which previously may not have considered travelling to Switzerland, but with the dawn of low-cost flights, have decided to venture somewhere new and his confidence about being able to secure return visitors is not unfounded. By identifying unparalleled luxury and encouraging personal touches that prevent exceptionally high standards from feeling sterile, the Swiss Deluxe Hotels Group look set to celebrate another 80 years at the very top of their industry and it will be a pleasure to watch them evolve.

“The tradition of revisiting a favourite location every year is dying out and nowadays, people are taking advantage of wider travel opportunities and increased accommodation choice. Travel has changed dramatically, thanks to low cost flights and budget hotels, so we have to fight much harder for guests and clients. We are extremely fortunate however, and always view a challenge as an opportunity.”