111 Years Waldhaus Sils: The Curious Tale and Incomplete History of an Alpine Grand Hotel and Its People

Description

Those in the know are aware that Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel has a real-life counterpart in the Swiss Alps: The Waldhaus Sils, which has pleased and puzzled visitors for 111 years and become an icon of Swiss hospitality. Located above the small village of Sils Maria near St. Moritz, it overlooks a striking landscape of forests, lakes and mountains and offers a combination of Belle Epoque flair and modern comfort. Its distinctive charm comes from the fact that the Waldhaus has been family-owned and operated since its grand opening on June 15, 1908.

111 Years of Waldhaus Sils ranges across the hotel’s life and history. Founders Josef and Amalie Giger and their descendants, by now in the fifth generation, have guided the “house in the woods” with skill and fortitude through good times and bad through the twentieth century and into the present. The owners and their exceptionally diverse guests—lively families side-by-side with intellectuals and artists of world renown—have created a unique blend of luxury and modesty, historic grandeur and playful fun, smooth professionalism and unexpected idiosyncrasies.

Brief essays look at the hotel’s history and the broader context in which it exists. The book also shines a light on colorful members of the family and their dreams and work, interspersed with conversations with people who have known them. Beautifully illustrated with newly commissioned and historic photographs and documents, it is a tantalizing glimpse into the life of an exceptional hotel in one of Europe’s most spectacular landscapes.