The portfolio of ultra-luxe hotels known as La Réserve has developed a cult following among the jetset community for its approach to hospitality (tagline, “rethinking luxury”). In Paris, the intimate palace hotel sequestered off the Champs Elysées is decadently decorated like a private mansion, the antiques and artwork demonstrating a real collector’s eye. La Réserve Ramatuelle is a glam retreat situated near Saint-Tropez, with a newly opened beach club on the famous Plage de Pampelonne. And Geneva was the original flagship, showcasing a “refined simplicity, uncluttered and unpretentious.”
Joining this trifecta in fall 2019 will be a long-established Zurich hotel known as Eden au Lac. The five-star hotel is a listed historic building, originally opened in 1909. Designer Philippe Starck has embarked on an ambitious, months-long renovation project to shake things up, add some contemporary flair, and transform it into the 40-room La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich, complete with destination restaurant and bar.
La Reserve is the brainchild of entrepreneur Michel Reybier, who is also the majority shareholder of Aevis Victoria SA, including the Victoria-Jungfrau Collection, which comprises Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken, the Bellevue Palace in Berne and the Crans Ambassador Luxury Sport Resort in Crans Montana. In other hospitality news for Michel Reybier, La Maison d’Estournel will be opening in the Bordeaux vineyards this summer, after Reybier acquired the country house of the founder of the Cos d'Estournel wine estate. Expect 14 guest rooms, restaurant, tasting room, and library—all surrounded by a century-old park.