Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern: A True Grande Dame Revived
Luzern’s historic Palace Hotel has emerged renewed and reborn as Mandarin Oriental Palace.
Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern sits on the banks of Lake
The swans idling sedately in front of the Mandarin Oriental Palace on Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne make for a suitably genteel accompaniment to afternoon tea. Originally a gift from Louis XIV, they are not, however, the only vestiges of royal patronage lingering around this indisputably lovely lake. In 1868, the world’s most famous person a.k.a. Queen Victoria, spent five weeks in Luzern in the hope it would lift her out of the fug of mourning, consuming her since Prince Albert’s premature demise. Her time spent in this isolated tiny town in the heart of Switzerland, being transported up mountains and sketching the spectacular scenery, was deemed a great success.
A century-and-a-half before influencers, the famously dour-faced empress had a following every bit as influential as any modern-day TikTok queen, and soon, moneyed elites were moving in on Luzern. Grand hotels, as well as a casino, appeared alongside the lake, joined in 1906, by a true belle epoque beauty; the Palace Hotel. Constructed by one of the most successful European hoteliers of the late 19th century, Luzern native, Franz-Josef Bucher, who would die within months of its opening, the Palace in many respects, represented the pinnacle of his achievements. It blew anything already on the lake, well…. right out of the water.
After blazing a glorious celebrity-strewn trail through the previous century, the Grande Dame found herself staggering into the current one in a somewhat disheveled state. Following almost five years of meticulous restoration, however, the property emerged in September 2022, renewed and reborn as the Mandarin Oriental Palace. With its renovated pristine stonework facades and Instagram-ready interiors, the new kid on the old grand hotel block finds itself revisiting the pizzazz of its original unveiling. Locals keen to reacquaint themselves with the old “Palace”, clearly held in great affection, currently conjoin with enthusiastic visitors for a serious nose around Switzerland’s latest ode to opulence.
The swans of Lake Lucerne were a gift from Louis XIV / ©MO
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The 136 rooms, including 48 of Luzern’s largest suites, some with private terraces, most embracing spectacular views out across the water to the mountains beyond, as with many remodeled historic hotels, come in various shapes and sizes. They all, though, display the clean contemporary lines and slick functionality recognizable from Mandarin Oriental’s design playbook.
Blending that East Asian lean-looking interpretation of luxury with any lingering remnants of old-world glamour was challenging. London-based design house, Jestico and Whiles, collaborated with an army of restorers under the hawk-like scrutiny of Luzern’s Cultural Heritage Bureau, peeling back layers of paint from marble tiles, and scagliola pillars to liberate interior design treasures hidden away for decades.
