Conference and Banquet Facilities
One large ballroom and 11 major banquet and meeting rooms fully air-conditioned, for 10-600 persons. Technical equipment on request.

A Short History of the Hotel
The Beau-Rivage Palace is certainly an establishment of the very highest standing. But it has also inherited a long and fascinating history. Read on to learn more.

1857 - 1861 - Closely linked to the development of the little Port of Ouchy, the hotel's history begins in 1857, the year when a local developer bought a vast plot of land from an English family, the Allotts. The former then opened an architectural competition with a view to building an enormous hotel complex. The winners were Achille de la Harpe and Jean-Baptiste Bartholoni. The Beau-Rivage was completed four years later on 24th March 1861.

1861 - 1914 - The awe-inspiring public rooms, decorated with 18th century-style frescos, were, from the very start, the scene of sumptuous balls and dinners. The exceptionally beautiful surroundings, the luxurious room furnishings and the highest standards of service soon gave the hotel an international reputation. And such was its almost immediate popularity, that it quickly came to the point where the hotel had to expand. In 1864, construction was started on an annexe, Le Chalet. Then in 1908, in response to an ever-increasing demand, construction of the Palace was entrusted to the architects Jost, Bezencenet & Schnell. Their concept of a building that was exuberantly neo-baroque, with later art deco flourishes, is linked to the Beau-Rivage a rotunda of classical simplicity. There was no question, of course, of making economies in quality. The central dome of the main dining room is by Dickmann. The Zurich painter, Haberer, created the fresco in the Rotonde. The bronze chandeliers and ornamental wall lights were supplied by Thiébaud of Paris. The stylist Chiara was responsible for the design of the glass panels which decorate the lift and which are identical to those in the Paris Ritz. Neo-baroque is known for its highly ornamental decorative styling which certainly gave great pleasure to the hotel guests of that period.

1914 - 1945 The first world war nearly put an end to this period of utter luxury. Instead, the hotel became a haven for previously wealthy refugees, who quite often had to leave their luggage behind them as payment when they left. With the return of peace, the Beau-Rivage Palace found its proper place in the world again. Michèle Déon, Paul Bowles and Somerset Maugham mention their stays in the hotel in their novels. And Albert Cohen was inspired enough by its ambience to write his ‘'Belle du Seigneur'. The hotel has also served as a centre for international political encounters; two good examples being the signing of an agreement to end the Italo-Turkish war in 1912, or the Treaty of Lausanne, which brought together Lord Curzon, Poincaré and Mussolini.

1945 to the present day Today, the hotel is a limited company. Its majority shareholder is the Sandoz Family Foundation. Since the beginning of the 1990s, a major refurbishment programme has been under way. Its objectives are simply to preserve the hotel's architectural authenticity and to make absolutely certain that everything that made it famous in the first place is in perfect order. The first phase of the programme lasted 10 months, from 1992 to 1993. This was undertaken in extremely close cooperation with the Department of Swiss Historic Monuments. The considerable complexity of the project necessitated the use of highly specialised craftsmen for the restoration of the dome of the main public room, the exceptionally fine murals and the ceilings of the Salle Sandoz. And that's without taking into account the frescos, stained glass and other historically important objects. With the second phase, a total of 100 million Swiss francs has been earmarked for the complete refurbishment and refurnishing of the hotel's 169 rooms and suites. The new ‘'Cinq Mondes' Spa has cost 12 million francs alone.

Work still carries on; for as long as the hotel welcomes guests and however far into the future, the generations that follow will be able to enjoy the ultimate in comfort, luxury and the most up to the minute technology available. A last word about some of our world-famous guests who have so enjoyed our hospitality … Victor Hugo, Camille Saint-Saëns, Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chanel, Gary Cooper, Sacha Guitry, the Emperor Hirohito, Nelson Mandela, King Hussein of Jordan, Phil Collins...

There are, and were, many more of course, but our wish is to entertain you like any world-class hotel. And not to bore you with lists!