Suvretta House


Suvretta House is a five-star hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland. It was built in 1912. It is part of The Leading Hotels of the World. It features 171 rooms and 10 suites, with a total of 330 beds.

History

The history of Suvretta House dates back to the beginning of the 20th century when an English shipbuilder had the "Villa Suvretta" built for his wife by Swiss architect Karl Koller. However, his wife didn't like the villa, and he sold it to his friend, Charles Sydney Goldman, British Member of Parliament and businessman who had made a fortune trading in diamonds. Goldman admired the house and gradually bought 4.5 hectares of surrounding land. Goldman met Swiss hotelier Anton Bon, and both agreed on building a new hotel. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 22 April 1911. The building was completed in December of the same year; the interior was created in 1912. The inauguration took place on December 16, 1912 with 200 invited guests. The hotel had 250 guest rooms, 370 beds, 110 bathrooms, rooms for bridge, billiards, smokers and tea drinkers, a library, a music room and a dining room.
Following Anton Bon's death in 1915, his wife Maria took over the management of the hotel. In 1916, her son, Hans Bon was appointed as the new director.
The hotel is now owned by the seventh generation of the Bon family.
In 1935, one of the first ski lifts in Switzerland was inaugurated at the Suvretta. It led from Suvretta to Randolins. Actor Douglas Fairbanks was the first person to use the lift. The lift made it possible to reach the Corviglia ski area directly from the hotel. In 1963, Suvretta House acquired additional land to protect downhill slopes from building developments.
The hotel was closed from 1941 to 1946 as a result of WWII. Later, renovation work was carried out.
Notable guests have included King Farouk of Egypt, Crown Prince Akihito, the Shah of Persia, Gregory Peck, and Evita Perón.