Will The Woodward Become The City's Most Exclusive Luxury Hotel!

With its 26 spacious suites and breathtaking views of Lake Geneva, The Woodward aims to be the city's most exclusive luxury hotel.

- Wei-Yu Wang

Its exterior is almost representative of Geneva, a city of understatement and sobriety: a pre-war building, all square corners, cornices, and rows upon neat rows of wrought iron balcony railings. The entrance, too, is unassuming – off to the side, with a modest awning and simple signage that proclaims that this is The Woodward. One of Geneva’s most exclusive lodgings, it is the latest from the Oetker Collection, one of the interests of the famous German family behind Le Bristol in Paris, The Lanesborough in London – and frozen pizzas. The Woodward opened in September 2021 after five years of development. Despite its sizeable six storeys, it has only 26 guest rooms. In a first for the city, each is a suite, from the relatively modest Junior Suite at 55sqm to the 303sqm Royal Suite, which includes a dining room with a banquet-worthy table.

Of the 26 suites, 21 command full views of Lake Geneva. The Woodward is perched on Quai Wilson, one of the city’s lakeside thoroughfares and major arteries which on weekday evenings is packed with traffic and on sunny weekends is packed with people. A marina sits right outside the hotel, with bobbing watercraft adding to the leisurely scene. Across the lake is the profile of Geneva’s old town, which lights up with innumerable watch brand names during the evening. To the right is Jet d’Eau, the dramatic water fountain that is the city’s most famous landmark. On a clear day, Mont Blanc’s distant peak is visible, and to the left, Lake Geneva stretches out in the direction of Lausanne. Those wrought-iron balconies are all readily accessible from inside the suites, behind tall windows and billowy day curtains.