WENGEN IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD

Perched amid the snow-capped Swiss mountains, this history-rich hotel is an alpine riddle wrapped in a Wes Anderson-esque enigma, writes Steve Madgwick.

- Steve Madgwick

In 2022, Beaumier began working on an intriguing conundrum: creating a five-star ‘resort’ from two early-20th Century hotels in a petite Swiss Alps village where locals are staunchly content with the architectural status quo.

Grand Hotel Belvedere is the first fivestar stay in Wengen, in the Lauterbrunnen Valley - realm of ‘The Virgin’ (Jungfrau Mountain) - and first Swiss property in this French brand's otherwise Francefocused portfolio. The village, which hosts the FIS World Cup tour's longest downhill ski race, the Lauberhorn, is charmingly rarefied, accessible only by cogwheel railway and essentially car-free (local electric vehicles notwithstanding).

"It was very important not to put a ‘spaceship’ into Wengen," says Julian Keller, assistant general manager. "We wanted an elevated, up-to-date version of a classic Swiss mountain-style hotel.”

Under a watchful community gaze, the two-phase renovation of the heavily historically regulated buildings was challenging. First to be made over was the 100-year-old, 36-room former-four-star hotel (soft-opened December 2024), followed by the 120-year-old, 54-room former-three-star property, 200m uphill (opened May 2025).