Late Checkout: Art & Quiet at Zurich’s Dolder Grand Hotel

Turn of the Century Meets Modernity

The hotel opened what’s now known as the Main Building–a white Swiss mountaintop castle–in 1899. In 2008, a four-year renovation concluded that connected the historic timber-style building with two new modern wings. Now, the hotel houses 175 guest rooms and suites plus a 4,000-square-meter spa facility. 

Pulling up to the hotel entrance, it’s impossible not to be equally impressed by the towering architecture in front of you and the stunning Alps view behind you. The lobby, like the rest of the hotel, is all high ceilings and wood-paneled formality, with a touch of playfulness. What appears to be an exhausted, unwashed hiker snoozes against the door jam. Upon closer inspection, though, I realized the vagabond wasn’t even breathing–he was, in fact, wax (but incredibly realistic).

The guest rooms are in the more modern buildings, which fan out from the Main Building on either side. The rooms are minimalist and practical. We loved the huge sliding glass window overlooking the mountains, but you really don’t come to the Dolder to hang out in your room.  

An Incredible Spa

The gem of the Dolder Grand is the massive spa facility, which includes an indoor pool and fitness center, plus gender-separated sauna, steam rooms, foot baths, plunge pools and even a solarium for tanning. There’s also a fun “Aquazone” in the main area with spa features I’ve never seen before, including a room full of snow and another with four bathtubs full of smooth black stones for lying on. 

Outdoor, multiple hot tubs overlook the mountains. Of course, you can opt into massages, facials, and body treatments, but there’s so much to do in the space on your own that you might not even need to spend on a treatment. 

Art Around Every Corner

The Dolder Grand displays its impressive art collection around the hotel. It includes over 100 pieces from 90 artists, including Salvador Dali and Takashi Murakami. Around any corner, you can expect to find a whimsical technicolor mushroom sculpture or a modern display of stained glass. 

The hotel offers a scavenger hunt-like art tour to ensure you don’t miss anything. And I’m told that special pieces are reserved for certain suites, including a Rolling Stones-signed electric guitar. 

Memorable Meals

The hotel has invested heavily in its culinary offerings. Depending on the season, there are up to nine options for dining on-site. I tried several, including the Canvas Bar and Lounge off the lobby, where we enjoyed a restorative post-flight light lunch of thin-skinned dumplings and crudo. Our neighbors sipped white wine and nibbled on charcuterie. 

Later, we ventured to the vegetarian rooftop restaurant Blooms. Here, the hotel has transformed an industrial rooftop into a stunning garden bursting with vegetables and herbs. The menu reflects the latest harvest, which during my visit in late August was heavy on eggplant and heirloom tomatoes. These dishes were stunning, though light, but after a three-course endeavor, plus an array of tasty first bites, we were satisfied. 

Breakfast is a complimentary buffet where one can enjoy more cured meats than anyone would recommend, plus elegant egg dishes, fluffy pastries, and Eastern European delicacies like smoked salmon, whitefish, and beetroot salad. Everything is wonderfully merchandised, colorful, and doused in fresh herbs or edible flowers. This is certainly a place where you eat with your eyes first. 

If you care to leave the hotel, don’t go into the city, at least not for more than an hour or so to see the swans on the river. Instead, venture into the trail network directly behind the hotel. Wander and you’ll find beautiful Swiss dairy farms or a watchtower that offers a great view of the city. Then hurry back to the hotel for a dip in the pool or to warm up in the sauna. 

The Dolder Grand is a curated destination for travelers looking for a serene place to relax, enjoy memorable meals, and explore old and new art. And you don’t even have to step off the property to make the most of your visit to Zurich.