An evening chorus of cow bells rings out from the meadows, and echoes around the silent 3,000m peaks in the twilight. The only thing missing from the nearly 100-year-old Grand Hotel Castell’s terrace, which looks out over the Engadin village of Zuoz, is the sound of a happy whinny: a sparkling horse now welcomes guests where in the Golden Twenties liveried servants waited on European aristocracy. Swiss artist Roman Signer has placed the front legs of the elegantly formed bronze animal in a pair of wellington boots, lending the horse an odd kind of
bustling charm.

Since the hotel was reopened following extensive renovations in 2004, the turn-of-the-century building has celebrated “the fine art of relaxing” (according to its slogan).  This is also achieved through art: works by internationally renowned modern artists characterize the surroundings with pieces displayed throughout the hotel and its grounds.

The stunning natural backdrop provides the perfect setting for dramatic art and design, such as Swiss designer Olaf Breuning’s room key pendants in the shape of ears and squid. The centrepiece of the hotel’s interior is undoubtedly the Rote Bar (Red Bar), which was designed by multimedia artist Pipilotti Rist and architect Gabrielle Hächler. For the exterior, Japan’s Tadashi Kawamata created the Felsenbad (Rock Pool), featuring a sauna room, a pool surrounded by wooden decking, and a large sun terrace.

While other regions condemned the grand hotels of early Alpine tourism to demolition, the Swiss Zuoz municipality developed a plan to bring about a renaissance in ist own fine hospitality. The new owners, including the major shareholder and Zurich-based art collector Ruedi Bechtler, financed the renovation of the impressive five-storey hotel building by selling 17 luxurious loft apartments in a new build next to the Castell. The modern style of this apartment block, the Chesa Chastlatsch, is also reflected in the interior of the older building, since Amsterdam’s UN Studio (made up of Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos) remodelled the basement in traditional hamam design with suggestive coloured lighting spheres, as well as designing half the hotel rooms. For guests that prefer Swiss pine to urban modernity, the rooms designed by local architect Hans Jörg Ruch are ideal. The interiors of these rooms feature a contemporary reworking of the local region’s traditional style for the 21st century, and offer an oasis of calm.

Whether in the bedrooms, passageways, or dining rooms, before the open fire or in the Damensalon (Beauty Parlour) – the hotel is characterized by its relaxed atmosphere, while the harmonious combination of old and new provides a perfect setting for the wide-ranging artwork. Guests can even withdraw books and videos on art from the Castell’s library. Special art weekends are also organized there, often attended by artists whose pieces are displayed in the hotel. And wherever they go, Castell guests encounter photos taken as part of a video project with staff: film maker Thilo Hoffmann captured the hotel’s international employees in 30-second portraits, and in so doing, formed a picture of the whole establishment (www.thilohoffmann.com).

When walking through the Madulain countryside, guests are faced with a striking white metro entrance designed by Martin Kippenberger, which would be at home in any urban cityscape. Another remarkable work can be found below the hotel, with James Turrell’s “Skyspace” taking the form of a stone rotunda. This has a particularly dramatic effect for guests walking through with a circular opening at the top looking out onto the endless colours of the skies, and the mighty Piz Uter peak. The art found in the Castell hotel is never considered superior to the spectacular nature that surrounds it. Which is exactly as it should be, forming the basis for a successful and incredibly appealing hotel concept.

Information

Grand Hotel Castell: CH-7524 Zuoz, Tel. +41 81 851 52 53, Fax 851 52 54, info@hotelcastell.ch. Double room inc. Breakfast buffet and hamam access from 137 to 224 euros, suites from 243 to 262 euros. The restaurant’s „freestyle cooking“ offers an inventive mix of regional and Asian cuisine, and was awardes 13 points by the Gault Millau.Lighter dishes are served in the Rote Bar.

See www.hotelcastell.ch for more information.