Swiss luxury hotels from Relais & Châteaux maintain high standards
Published: Monday, Jun 17th 2024, 10:20
Updated At: Tuesday, Jun 18th 2024, 01:59
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Following the sharp recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the Swiss members of the Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel association have maintained their business at a high level. The outlook also looks good.
Last year, the 24 hotels and restaurants in Switzerland achieved a turnover of 164 million francs, said Laurent Gardinier, international president of the Relais & Châteaux hotel association, in an interview with the news agency AWP. Around half of this was accounted for by hotels, the other half by gourmet restaurants.
The Swiss business is developing in line with Relais & Châteaux's global business. After the pandemic, there were growth rates of 10 to 20 percent. Last year, global sales increased by 2 percent to 2.8 billion euros, said Gardinier. The association of luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants has 580 establishments around the globe.
Business has stabilized at a high level, said Gardinier. On average, business is 15 percent above the pre-corona level of 2019. The fact that there was no decline in any region of the world in 2023 is very positive.
More than half of the guests are Swiss
At 54%, Swiss nationals accounted for more than half of guests in Switzerland. Germans were in second place with 10 percent, followed by Americans with 8 percent. However, US tourists have recorded the highest growth rates in recent years, according to the Relais & Châteaux President. Germans are now also returning to their pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.
The French follow in fourth place with 5 percent of guests. The English follow in fifth place with a share of 4 percent. Bookings from the British and French are stable. In addition to tourists from the USA, Brazilians also recorded significant growth. However, the Brazilians are at a significantly lower level than the Americans.
The proportion of guests from Asia, on the other hand, is low. The Chinese are still nowhere near the level they were before the pandemic. This also has to do with the limited number of flights, says Gardinier.
Swiss prices cheaper than in France
In Switzerland, a hotel room costs an average of 450 francs. This is cheaper than in France. The average price there is a good 500 euros, although there is a wide range between the individual hotels. In some cases, prices of 850, 1000 or 1500 euros per night are charged. Prices in Switzerland have been raised less than in other countries.
The rise in mortgage interest rates has affected hotels differently. There are highly indebted hotels and those with low or no mortgages. But no hotel is in a catastrophic financial situation, said Gardinier. However, the highly indebted hotels have limited investment opportunities.
The staff shortage is no longer as severe as it was immediately after the pandemic, when all hotels were desperately looking for staff. We are no longer in a situation where we have to close a floor or the restaurant due to a lack of staff, says Gardinier.
Good prospects
Overall, the outlook is good. Bookings for July and August are at the previous year's level. The situation for September is even less clear.
The season is shaping up better than expected last spring. As Relais & Châteaux focuses on vacation guests, it has been spared the decline in business travel following the pandemic, explains Gardinier.
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