Like an Island in Everyday Life – The Belvédère Strandhotel Spiez Reopens

The Belvédère temporarily closed its doors in the fall of 2019 to carry out the planned expansion of the hotel and the construction of a new kitchen. The two co-directors, Bruno Affentranger and David Romanato, are delighted about the partial reopening in July and look forward to welcoming you to their island as you go about your daily life.

Following a renovation phase, the Belvédère Strandhotel & Restaurant will reopen with its existing 32 renovated hotel rooms. The new kitchen, the expanded wellness area, the restaurant, and the new bar will be inaugurated this summer. The new conference wing and the new rooms will follow in the fall of 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Bruno Affentranger: The restaurant will reopen in July. As part of the renovation, the existing kitchen, which was located in the basement, was moved to the ground floor, where the restaurant is located. What are the advantages of this new layout?

Our goal with the renovation was to design everything as efficiently as possible, always keeping the guest as our top priority. The kitchen is now located on the ground floor and is integrated with the service back office. This has significantly shortened the distance dishes travel to reach guests, streamlined communication between the kitchen and service staff, and minimized the overlap between guest and staff traffic routes as much as possible. The storage rooms are now centrally located beneath the kitchen and service areas and are easily accessible. We’re using a hall—the only one without a lake view—as kitchen space. We’re also adjusting the ratio of restaurant space to the number of hotel rooms to ensure it’s reasonable. Previously, the restaurant—with up to 250 banquet seats—was too large for just 36 rooms. Creative, high-quality dishes made primarily with regional products will continue to delight guests from near and far.

David Romanato: One highlight is the new and unique Captains Bar, which faces the bay and the castle. By shortening the top floor of the annex, a small terrace with a view of Spiez Bay and the vineyard was created. What makes the Captains Bar so unique?

For me, what makes it unique is, among other things, the view you can enjoy from the bar, as well as the architecture. There’s probably no better view of the Spiez vineyards, Spiez Castle, and Spiez Bay all at once. The Captains Bar is the ideal place, for example, to work in a relaxed atmosphere, let your gaze wander over Lake Thun in the afternoon, or enjoy a drink with your loved ones at sunset to wind down the day. Architecturally and visually, the Captains Bar resembles a ship—a fact guests will notice in the teak flooring, the materials used, and the bow-shaped terrace, among other features. I am convinced that, with the new Captains Bar, the Belvédère Strandhotel will become a popular gathering place in the region—a place where people will meet and socialize.

Bruno Affentranger: During the second phase of construction next winter, an additional 24 hotel rooms will be added across the four floors of the expansion wing. In the wellness area, the relaxation and sauna zone has already been expanded to accommodate the new capacity and has been completed. How large is the entire wellness area now, and what can guests look forward to there?

The wellness area now has a total area of 225 m². It was important to us that the wellness area continue to offer enough space for our hotel guests in the future. To create more space for relaxation, we moved the fitness room and massage rooms to the new building. In addition, we’ve added a bio sauna measuring approximately 20 m². In the summer, the newly added sunbathing lawn will invite our guests to soak up the sun. The landscaping and a pavilion create a relaxing and romantic atmosphere.

David Romanato: By fall, the entire seminar wing will also be fully renovated and equipped with the latest technology. There will be seminar rooms covering approximately 392 m² and a foyer covering 150 m². During this renovation phase, seminars will be offered in collaboration with the ABZ Conference Center right next door. How many people will be able to attend seminars at the Belvédère once the renovation is complete?

The number of seminar guests we can accommodate after the seminar wing is completed depends heavily on the various seminars taking place simultaneously and their size. It is important to us to provide sufficient space for each seminar so that we can offer participants the perfect platform to achieve the best possible results. We are generally the ideal venue for seminars and conferences ranging from 2 to 60 people. However, the halls can accommodate up to 120 people. The large foyer also provides space for networking, which is extremely important in today’s fast-paced world. It’s worth noting that all five of our plenary halls offer lake views, and a creative space ensures an inspiring atmosphere—“Working where others go on vacation” is our motto.

David Romanato: With the additional rooms, there will be space for more guests. What kind of guests do you plan to target in the future?

It is important to distinguish between individual guests—that is, vacationers—and seminar and business guests. Individual guests enjoy the magnificent Lake Thun region, which offers countless attractive local activities. Spiez, for example, is the ideal starting point for hikes or bike tours in the Bernese Oberland. In the summer, the region hosts the Thun Lake Festival and the Seaside Festival. Conference guests appreciate the ease of travel here, whether by public transportation or private car—just a 30-minute drive from Bern. We pick up our guests free of charge at the Spiez train station so they can begin their stay at the Belvédère Strandhotel without any hassle. In addition, we have ample parking to meet our guests’ needs.