The Alpina Gstaad and The Dolder Grand are the best hotels in 2025

The Salle de Versailles at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken set the stage for the celebration, welcoming top hoteliers from Switzerland and across the DACH region. On Sunday evening, 300 guests gathered to honor the best in hospitality. Before the main course—a trio of Swiss veal Emmental style—the evening began with the recognition of the best hotels in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and South Tyrol, marking the second time these awards were presented. This was followed by the premiere of the 101 Best Hotels in Switzerland.

In the two main categories, The Dolder Grand was awarded Luxury Business Hotel of the Year 2025, while The Alpina Gstaad received the title of Luxury Leisure Hotel of the Year 2025. Markus Granelli, General Manager of The Dolder Grand, and Nadine Friedli, General Manager of The Alpina Gstaad, accepted the awards. The evening was expertly hosted in multiple languages by Christa Rigozzi and Julia Josten, who also presented the DACH rankings.

A magnificent premiere, with wonderful guests

The hoteliers in attendance, the nominees in the various categories, and the potential award winners represented the «Who's Who» of the high-end hospitality scene. They were joined by numerous celebrities, including former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld. «It was a magnificent premiere with great guests and well-deserved winners», says Carsten K. Rath, who founded the Hotel Ranking together with his son David Rath in 2019.

Urs Langenegger, long-standing General Manager at the Park Hotel Vitznau and now head of the hospitality division of the Püringer Foundation, is 101 Icon Hotelier of the Year. He was visibly delighted to receive the award on stage and delivered a heartfelt thank-you speech.

Jean-Jacques Gauer (General Manager Lausanne Palace, Schweizerhof Bern and former President of Leading Hotels of the World), who received the «101 Icon Hotelier of the World – Lifetime Achievement Award» on the same evening.

The top three in each category

Luxury Business Hotel of the Year:

1. The Dolder Grand

Luxury Leisure Hotel of the Year:

1. The Alpina Gstaad

Grand Hotels:

1. Baur au Lac
2. Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Genève
3. Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa Lausanne

Luxury Hideaways:

1. Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne
2. Hotel Giardino Mountain
3. In Lain Hotel Cadonau

Luxury Alpine Resorts:

1. Le Grand Bellevue
2. Riffelalp Resort 2’222m
3. Guarda Golf Hotel & Residences

Luxury Spa & Health Resorts:

1. Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
2. Castello del Sole Beach Resort & Spa
3. Ermitage Wellness- & Spa-Hotel

Grand Resorts:

1. Beau-Rivage Palace
2. Gstaad Palace
3. Carlton Hotel St. Moritz

Luxury City Palais:

1. Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zürich
2. Widder Hotel
3. Einstein St. Gallen

Luxury Lake Side Resorts:

1. Park Hotel Vitznau
2. Hotel Eden Roc, Ascona
3. Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern

Luxury Design & Lifestyle Resorts:

1. The Chedi Andermatt
2. The Omnia
3. Cervo Mountain Resort

Luxury Family Resorts:

1. Villars Palace
2. Beau-Rivage Genève
3. Grand Hotel Kronenhof

Luxury Meeting & Event Hotels:

1. Fairmont le Montreux Palace
2. Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa
3. Mandarin Oriental, Genf

High-level panel discussion

On Sunday morning, guests were treated to a «round table» discussion that offered a wealth of information. The panel of experts included Swiss star chefs Anton Mosimann and Peter Knogl, top German chef Thomas Bührer, Matthias Kiehm (Vice President Hospitality Hexagon Properties, Boston, USA), Robbie Bargh (founder of the Gorgeous Group, London, UK), Nathalie Seiler-Hayez (Managing Director of Swiss Deluxe Hotels), Tanja Wegmann (Lalique Hospitality and Managing Director) and Daniel Schneider (Partner at Monoplan).

The experts discussed current topics related to the high-end gastronomy industry, thereby providing those interested with exclusive insights into the world of the gastronomy and hospitality industry.

Built on three pillars

The 101 Best Hotels ranking is based on a three-part methodology designed to ensure independent, transparent, and relevant results. The first pillar is guest feedback, drawn from major rating portals, and makes up one-third of the overall score. The second pillar includes awards from respected publications such as the Hornstein Ranking, the Michelin Guide, Gault Millau, and Forbes. The third pillar reflects the evaluations of hotel experts, who conduct on-site inspections and assess each property based on the 101 Best hotel criteria.

«The 101 Best Hotels» continues the over 25-year tradition of the «Sonntagszeitung» hotel ranking. The best hotels will be presented in the April 6, 2025 edition, along with some new discoveries.

Next year, «The 101 Best Hotels» will be presented at the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne – on April 16, 2026.

All the winning hotels 2025:

• The 101 best hotels in Switzerland
• The 101 best hotels in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol