Hospitality Design - September 2012 - 122

perspectives interviewmeinhard huck
2
2. Vaulted ceilings
from its days as a wine
cellar give the Swissôtel
Dresden Am Schloss an
historic feel.
3. Designer Khuan
Crew created the
first Swissôtel Living
extended-stay concept
at Swissôtel the
Bosphorus in Istanbul.
3
3
leisure, and making it more accessible.”
Another way of connecting with various
guests is through the unifi ed but distinct look of
Swissôtel properties. “We are not a cookie cut er
brand,” Huck points out, and that is why an
in-house design director works with designers
around the world to fuse contemporary Swiss
touches with elements that refl ect the heritage of
each hotel location. “When in Kolkata, you can
see it’s a Swissôtel, but it also feels Indian; the
wood in our lobby area has an Indian design. In
the Netherlands, we use tulips in a modern
way on wallpaper. It’s not in your face; it’s
very subtle.”
At the Swissôtel Dresden Am Schloss,
porcelain in the lobby is a hushed nod to the
delicate material for which the city is known.
There are other architectural treasures at that
hotel, too, best realized in the signature Pürovel
Spa & Resort, where dramatic relaxation
rooms with vaulted ceilings embrace the hotel’s
past as a 15th-century stone cellar. “Every
122
September 2012 hospitalitydesign.com
now and again you have a property that is
historic architecturally,” says Huck. “If there is
something that is beautiful don’t ruin it; work
with it and make it more beautiful.”
Through the years, Swissôtel has
collaborated with a number of high-profi le
talents. Swiss fashion designer Ida Gut created
the original doormen’s uniform for the chain
while textile designer Jakob Schlaepfer lends
his savvy to Swissôtel fabrics and wallpapers.
Oversized Big Bang clocks grace Swissôtel
lobbies thanks to a partnership with Swiss
watchmaker Hublot, and Khuan Chew, best
known for her work on the Burj Al Arab in
Dubai, dreamed up the brand’s new extendedstay
concept, Swissôtel Living. The 63
apartments inside Swissôtel the Bosphorus,
Istanbul, are the fi rst of these residence-inspired
accommodations that will be strategically
rolled out.
Connotations of luxury have also
1 transformed in the 32 years since Swissôtel’s
inception, but Huck is adamant unparalleled
service remains the most important
requirement. “We are 5-Star but at the end of
the day it’s all about service. It doesn’t mat er
how nice or not nice the hotel is if the service
is not what it should be, if the customer service
isn’t there,” he says. “There needs to be an
emotional involvement of colleagues. We need
to be passionate about our jobs. We have several
training programs but you don’t generate
emotion just through a training program. It’s all
about believing in what the brand is. Since we
are a Swiss company we are able to deliver Swiss
culture around the world. If you can’t come to
Switzerland, we bring Switzerland to you.” hd
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